The forthcoming layoffs at ESPN, part of a broader cost-cutting move announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger, will likely leave few unaffected.
According to a report by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, ESPN’s reductions will spare “no sacred cows,” meaning everyone from top on-air talent to high-ranking executives is under review. These layoffs are expected to be finalized within the next four to six weeks.
Iger recently announced that Disney would be cutting 7,000 jobs company-wide.
So, who is at risk? Marchand suggests nearly everyone could be vulnerable, except for a select few deemed “untouchable” talents, such as Stephen A. Smith, SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt, and the “Monday Night Football” duo Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. The most at-risk individuals are those with high salaries who aren’t seen as essential to the network’s success.
“Hell, for all I know, I might be one of them,” Smith mentioned on his K(no)w Mercy podcast, according to FrontOfficeSports. “Now I doubt that. But it’s possible. No one knows.”
There is no specific target for how much ESPN needs to save or how many employees will be laid off, according to Marchand. ESPN’s reach has shrunk to less than 75 million U.S. homes, down from 100 million in 2011, as noted by Michael McCarthy of FrontOfficeSports.