Stephen A. Smith Is the Face of ESPN. How Much Is That Worth ...

After establishing its FANography insight community, sports broadcasting leader ESPN has been able to bring market research in-house, saving approximately $650,000 in one year.

That’s why the lesson to be learned from Grantland may be the exact opposite of what it seems: the problem isn’t that ESPN spent too much money on a web site that couldn’t monetize, it’s that the web site should only have been step one to a multi-media endeavor that converted visitors to fans willing to invest time in formats that can actually pay ... See more

Yet the 62-year-old commissioner is poised to break the bank thanks to cunning planning. Silver has consistently orchestrated efforts to increase the media value of each property; for example, by breaking events like the All-Star Game and early playoff games into distinct, sellable parts, and creating bidding wars wherever possible. It also helps t... See more