I subscribe to ESPN’s Insider service… and I’ve written many times about why.

Today, while listening to my favorite radio show (The Thundering Herd), I noticed that ESPN started pushing ads directly into the programs. I pay $40 a year for Insider ‘privileges’ which, among other things, gives me access to on-demand ESPN radio shows that were commercial free.

But today, the Thundering Herd (Colin Cowherd’s radio program that I listen to throughout the day) had one or two ads running between segments… this was new and, frankly, this pissed me off. But as I got angry and questioned why / how ESPN could ask me for a premium subscription AND introduce advertising on top of that - I realized that it all comes down to content. Sure: I might be upset, but I won’t cancel my Insider subscription because the content is simply too good. I can still access the programming on-demand (in addition to other features) - and I value the content enough that - while I might willing to complain about advertising - I am not willing to cancel my subscription.

In summary:

At the end of the day, if the content is good enough and unique enough, a business model exists.