High Prices Don't End With The Phone On Mobile ESPN
ESPN's MVNO soft-launched last week, selling its $500 handset (sorry, $399.99 after rebate) in four markets. The phone's not the only thing that's going to be expensive: MocoNews points out a New York Times article that says monthly service costs between $65 and $225. It's understood that the point of MVNOs is differentiation, and that ESPN is trying to differentiate with content, but that remains an unproven proposition. There are plenty of sports fans around, but are there that many dedicated enough to support an operator whose cheapest plan is $65? ESPN's mobile content may deserve a price premium over standard service, but these opening prices are awfully high.
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