[John Corn]

CNN/Sports Illustrated, the 24-hour cable network that earlier this year said it would leave the air, said Saturday that it will disappear from the TV landscape May 15.

Approximately one-third of the network's 200 employees will be transferred to CNN or CNN Headline News, CNN/SI said. Severance payments will be offered to others, who will then be allowed to apply for other positions under the AOL umbrella.

CNN/SI's failure is generally interpreted as a testament to the power of Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN networks. AOL's sports network not only had to go up against the flagship ESPN, which has a 20-plus year track record, but a potent array of spinoff channels, including ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNews.

 

[John Corn]

Some of those same ones you listed Mark aren't on mine as well.

 

[Steve Mehs]

I though CNN SI was going to be reborn into a Basketball Channel?

 

[Karl Foster]

<sarcasm on>Do you think all of us subs will see a decrease in our pricing with that channel gone?<sarcasm off>

 

[Mark Holtz]

Nope. The CNN/SI channel will be replaced by the ESPN NBA Channel in the near future.

 

[Karl Foster]

That will be awesome. It'll be good to possibly see more of the home team on the road without having to invest in NBA League Pass.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Nope. The CNN/SI channel will be replaced by the ESPN NBA Channel in the near future.

Umm I don't think it will be the ESPN NBA Channel, from the releases I read the plans are to call it the AOL NBA Channel.

 

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
Umm I don't think it will be the ESPN NBA Channel, from the releases I read the plans are to call it the AOL NBA Channel.

Oops.... my bad since the new contract involves ESPN, TNT, and the newly formed AOL NBA channel.

 

[Rage]

An NBA channel? Now that's a lame idea.

 

[Steve Mehs]

FYI, theres already an NBA channel (NBA TV formally NBA.Com TV)on D* and from what I understand its quite popular but Im not so sure a second one will be such a good idea.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The NBA's ratings SUCK, the only time this year a NBA game had good raitings was when Jordan played.

The NBA's number have been going down every year for the past 5 years now.