"I think ESPN has struggled with its future for several years now," said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst with BTIG Research, who has been a frequent critic of the network. The lost revenue, coupled with steadily escalating sports-rights fees, has forced the network to lay off more than 500 employees over the past two years. But ESPN has been hit especially hard, losing more than 13 million subscribers from its peak of 100.13 million households in 2011. All cable networks have been dealing with shrinking subscription numbers, as viewing habits change and consumers increasingly eschew traditional cable packages. His philosophy and the network's reluctance to dive head-first into the digital space with an over-the-top offering, made it ripe for criticism in recent years. "We are going to be able to use those rights to continue to launch new businesses, create new platforms, new content and continue to grow." "We think those rights are the greatest assets we have, which allows us to navigate any environment," Skipper explained at a 2016 media conference. Despite revenue concerns and subscription losses, Skipper committed the network to billions of dollars in rights fees, including long-term agreements with Major League Baseball, the NBA, the WNBA, the College Football Playoff and several major college conferences, among others. At ESPN, Skipper played a critical role in growing the company into a ubiquitous brand, in many ways more powerful and influential than the teams and leagues it covers.
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