Fox clearly took notes from that playbook, and wisely coupled Fox News into the bargaining conversations, since the politically motivated channel is a bigger draw than the sports channels.
ESPN has famously been a thorn in many non-sports viewers’ paws over the years due to its ironclad contracts making it a necessity in most packages.
Everyone in the U.S. can attest to the ridiculously soaring prices being charged by cable and satellite companies in the last two decades, with sports channels often being a cause for uproars.