ESPN’s latest layoffs include some in Charlotte

As part of a company-wide cost-cutting effort, ESPN is laying off about 150 employees, including some in Charlotte.

A source familiar with the matter said the impact in Charlotte is “minimal.” ESPN employs about 200 people at its offices in Ballantyne. The offices house the SEC Network and other studio production functions.

ESPN’s latest cuts come seven months after the company laid off about 100 people – mostly on-air talent. As part of that move, the company opted to move its ESPNU operations from Charlotte to its headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Fewer than 10 people in Charlotte lost their jobs.

ESPN President John Skipper informed employees in a memo Wednesday morning that the majority of the 150 positions being eliminated are in studio production, digital content and technology.

“We will continue to invest in ways which will best position us to serve the modern sports fan and support the success of our business,” Skipper said.

The Disney-owned sports media conglomerate is looking to slash about $100 million in costs through measures like layoffs, according to Yahoo Finance, one of the first to report about the latest round of layoffs.

ESPN’s woes have mounted as its viewers increasingly are cutting their cable cords. ESPN specifically has grappled with a declining subscriber base and pricier broadcasting rights fees for sports programming. In October 2015, the network laid off about 300 employees company wide.

In September, ESPN announced that it will locate its ACC Network at its headquarters in Bristol. The move surprised many who had anticipated the new network would be at ESPN’s Ballantyne offices alongside the SEC Network.

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 9:59 AM with the headline "ESPN’s latest layoffs include some in Charlotte."