• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

ABC Shuttering FiveThirtyEight Amid Disney Layoffs

The site lived on The New York Times, ESPN, and ABC News throughout its life, but it was slashed over the years.

Mickey Mouse
Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

FiveThirtyEight may have made its last prediction. 

The statistical-analytics site that dabbled in sports, politics, and economics was shut down by ABC News as part of a wave of layoffs Wednesday. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal

The site shot to prominence when its founder, Nate Silver, correctly predicted the outcome in 49 of 50 states during the 2008 presidential election. The New York Times began licensing the site’s content in 2010 before ESPN bought it in 2013. Parent company Disney moved it to ABC News in 2018, and Silver exited in 2023 after his contract wasn’t renewed by the network. 

Politics and elections were the pillars of 538’s coverage, but the site also heavily covered sports, with prediction models in every major sport. It stopped producing sports content in 2023 with Silver’s departure.

Its sports content was sabermetric-heavy, but also featured big-name writers like Chris Herring, who went on to write a bestselling book about the Knicks and now works for ESPN.

At the time of the layoffs, FiveThirtyEight had 15 employees. In 2023, the site had 35 positions before the layoffs that included Silver’s departure.

On his personal website, the site’s cofounder went on to explain why he thought the site ultimately became a casualty of cost-cutting. 

“The basic issue is that Disney was never particularly interested in running FiveThirtyEight as a business, even though I think it could have been a good business,” Silver wrote. “Although they were generous in maintaining the site for so long and almost never interfered in our editorial process, the sort of muscle memory a media property builds early in its tenure tends to stick. We had an incredibly talented editorial staff, but we never had enough ‘product’ people or strategy people to help the business grow and sustain itself.”

Some of the website’s intellectual property and models were owned by Silver through his 2023 departure, and it is unknown whether Disney plans to sell any of it or the website itself. An ABC News spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about a possible sale. Silver did not respond to a request for comment. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Texas-Oklahoma Gets 8.7M Viewers, Most-Watched CFB Game of Week 7

The Red River Rivalry was the most-watched game of the weekend.
Oct 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with teammates after game four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center.

WNBA Finals Draws 1.5M Viewers, Second-Highest Series on ESPN

The four-game series averaged 1.5 million viewers.

Belichick’s Tar Heels Are Losing Momentum on the Field—and on TV

ESPN passed on airing Virginia–North Carolina on Oct. 25.
MLS

MLS Publishes Unchecked AI-Generated Game Recaps

Humans are not reviewing the articles for accuracy.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Micah Parsons
exclusive

NFL Scorigami Creator Blames Glitches on Twitter Platform Changes

The bot has been glitching all NFL season, and fans have noticed.
Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the NBA logo and NBA app logo and basketballs in front of the base during warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center.
October 13, 2025

NBA Will Take Over League Pass After WBD Divorce

The league now has full operational control of those media assets.
Sep 5, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia embraces after their match in the semifinal of the men’s singles at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
October 13, 2025

Six Kings Slam Returns With Record $6M Prize, Netflix Deal

The Six Kings Slam is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Aces
October 10, 2025

WNBA Finals Most Viewed In 25 Years Despite Possible Aces Sweep

Games 2 and 3 have averaged more than 1.2 million viewers.
Spectrum
October 10, 2025

ESPN Streaming Service at Core of New Spectrum Plan

The No. 1 U.S. distributor further blends linear and streaming TV.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Alyssa Lang Joins ESPN NBA Sideline Reporter Ranks

Lang has been a host and reporter for ESPN and SEC Network since 2018.
Oregon Ducks inside linebacker Will Straton celebrates a stop as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
October 9, 2025

CBS Eyes Breakthrough As Big Ten Ratings Still Lag Behind SEC

The network will air No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon on Saturday.