ESPN’s cable channels have become so desirable for traditional TV providers that the company can charge $10 per month per cable subscriber, regardless of how much they watch the sports network.

That places the Disney-owned network in a perplexing position as it grows its streaming network ESPN+, which costs $6.99 per month (or $69.99 per year): The company loses money any time a customer swaps a cable subscription for ESPN+.

• ESPN+ had 14.9 million subscribers as of July 3. Disney’s direct-to-consumer revenues hit $4.3 billion in its fiscal third quarter, but the segment still took a $300 million loss.
• Disney is folding its Hotstar network into ESPN+ and Hulu in the U.S. (while keeping it separate in India).
• ESPN is seeking to license its name to a sportsbook in a multiyear deal worth at least $3 billion.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek has floated the possibility of one day combining its three main streaming networks — Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu — into a single offering. The services are already available together in a $13.99-per-month “Disney Bundle,” which Chapek said has “worked really, really well.”

How Disney proceeds may depend on how quickly people abandon cable for streaming services.

The NFL, weighing those same factors, included opt-out clauses in its 10-year, $113 billion media deals struck earlier this year. It can end its deals with CBS, NBC, and Fox after seven years, and with ESPN after eight years.

The Apple Watch Series 7 was unveiled in mid-September ahead of its Oct. 15 release. 

Now, some customers are looking at a two-month wait for the outdoor-friendly watch that Apple considers its “most durable ever.” Other have not even been able to order the product.

Bloomberg reported “production snags” in August, following rumors of delays due to the watch’s complexity. The wearable includes a number of fitness and health-focused features:

• Blood oxygen level tracker
• The ability to take an ECG anytime
• Mindfulness and sleep trackers
• Water resistance up to 50 meters
• Apple’s Fitness+ service

Apple could take a hit from the hold up — more than 11% of its revenue came from wearables, home products, and accessories last fiscal year. Revenue was up 36% year-over-year to $81.4 billion in the quarter ending June 30.

If Apple can keep up with demand, holiday sales could help the tech giant could record nearly $120 billion in revenue in the final quarter of the year. The company reports fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Oct. 28.

Fresh off its acquisition of U.K. online gaming operator Gamesys, Bally’s is looking to build a comprehensive gaming platform that incorporates sports betting, fantasy sports, and iGaming.

“If you look at where we put our chips,” Bally’s CEO Lee Fenton told CNBC, “it’s on those media partnerships, it’s on the investment in our technology, and I think we’ll approach customer acquisition in a very different way, really driving omnichannel.”

Bally’s acquired Gamesys last week for $2.7 billion. That represented a 13% premium on its stock price as of Oct. 5, which Bally’s chairman Soo Kim called “a very reasonable multiple.”

Bally’s has expanded through several other acquisitions over the last year.

• In June, it completed its $125 million acquisition of sports betting technology provider Bet.Works.
• In March, it completed its deal to buy fantasy sports platform Monkey Knife Fight for up to $90 million in stock.
• The previous month, Bally’s agreed to buy free-to-play sports betting game maker SportCaller for $27.5 million.
• The company made a major push into sports media in Nov. 2020 when it acquired naming rights to Sinclair’s 21 regional sports networks for $85 million in a 10-year deal, replacing previous name holder Fox Sports.

“We have a different approach to getting into this game, and it’s not spending $200 million dollars a quarter on above-the-line advertising,” said Fenton.

Now that ESPN has NHL back, it plans to give viewers a closer look at the action than ever before.

Disney’s ABC/ESPN is paying $400 million annually to serve as the league’s lead TV partner, while Turner Sports is paying $225 million per year for the “B” package.

Tuesday marks ESPN’s first NHL coverage in 17 years. Here’s what to expect:

• On-ice cameras: Camera operators will be on the ice during shootouts. “It gives you a perspective of the size of the players,” said producer Mark Gross, “and it gets viewers on the ice.”
• Situation room: ESPN will place a camera in the replay room in Toronto and use ex-ref Dave Jackson for deeper analysis on reviews.
• Locker room access: Some coaches will be mic’d for pregame speeches, as well as select players in warm-ups. 
• Puck tracking: New technology will highlight puck and player movement.

ESPN wants the TV experience to match, or surpass, the famously intense in-person NHL experience.  

“Hearing a pregame speech from a coach? They’re not getting that in the arena,” Gross said.