ESPN announced Wednesday that it will be laying off 300 employees, with 200 positions being eliminated in Connecticut at its Bristol headquarters. The company did not divulge what departments would be hit, saying only that layoff notices will be going out in the next few days.
In a memo to employees, ESPN president John Skipper said, “We will be enacting a number of organizational changes at ESPN to better support our future goals – a process that will include the elimination of a number of positions.
ESPN said it would provide a minimum of 60-days notice, a severance package reflective of employees’ years of service, and outplacement benefits to help them find future employment. As of this afternoon, ESPN had not filed notice with the CT Department of Labor about the layoffs.
ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said Wednesday the sports broadcaster is in compliance with the terms of the $10 million tax credit the state provided when Digital Center 2 was opened 18 months ago on its Bristol campus.
Those terms required spending $175 million and adding 200 jobs. Soltys said both goals were met before the center opened. “Even after this action we will be above our state commitment and we expect that to continue,” Soltys added.
