ESPN will cut dozens of jobs at its US headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, in the coming weeks, according to NBC Sports, which links the latest round of layoffs to cord-cutting pressures and the fallout from last year's $100 million dispute with YouTube TV.
The cuts come shortly after ESPN absorbed most of NFL Network's staff as part of a major media alignment with the league, a move that might have suggested expansion rather than retrenchment. Reporter John Ourand of Puck, who first disclosed the layoffs, says they are not connected to the NFL merger but reflect the financial pressures reshaping the sports media industry.
