EWTN Changes Structure as It Struggles to Keep Up Online

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On 21 July, the conservative Catholic television network EWTN announced a change to its organisational structure. The aim is to 'enhance' its mission in the digital era, given that media and technology have "evolved radically".

The new structure of the 45-year-old media organisation is built around two divisions:

EWTN Studios will focus on content creation. Peter Gagnon, a long-standing EWTN producer from the time of its foundation in the television industry, will run it.

EWTN Digital will develop platforms to distribute content created by EWTN Studios. Besides the already multiple platforms, there will be one more: a "globally scaled streaming platform". This division is led by Sean Graber, a businessman. He has previously worked for the relatively unknown tech firm Mapbox.

The press release uses the usual exaggerated wording for announcements which are typical for the United States: “the most impactful content in the Catholic space”, “the best in class”, “the next era of EWTN's history” and “housing the world's most beloved Catholic stories”.

However, EWTN's main problem is that the time of cable television and editorial websites is coming to an end. Since 2010, social media and user-generated content have taken over.

Picture: Michael Warsaw, CEO © EWTN, #newsMvhvjetzin

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Novena - Oremuslast year

EWTN is really just a feeder for YouTube.com... and the videos there are much too long.

Sandy Barrett shares this

last year

EWTN Announces Change in Structure of Global Media Organization

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Wertelast year

@Daniel M. Have you never met middle-aged Catholics who used to watch EWTN every day, but now spend their time writing on social media?

Daniel M.last year

Hmm. An odd article by an anonymous person who seems to be unfamiliar with the history of EWTN and its context. EWTN has a Web site with streaming capabilities as well as a flat-out streaming "channel."

De Profundislast year

They have so many news sites (Register, CNA, EWTN.com) - but nothing works like scrolling and social media. The time of streaming just another sermon nobody wants to hear is over.

Ursula Sanktlast year

@Daniel M. In 2025 success is not about streaming boring talks at 4k....

Father Karl A Claverlast year

Whie EWTN is basically orthodox, it does not promote the TLM. It has compromised on many issues., since it is in the middle of the road.

Orthocatlast year

@Father Karl A Claver sadly you're correct. When Mother Angelica was alive, the network was really run "by faith" and Mother made many enemies in the modernist hierarchy who tried to get Rome to shut her down. They even tried a sort of "hostile takeover' where EWTN would be folded under the umbrella of the USCCB's irrelevant media endeavors. Mother truly believed she could out-fox them by passing the leadership onto laymen whom she trusted. But unfortunately these individuals quickly began to look at the network not as a divine mission/apostolate (which Mother always did remarking that she thought it 'nuts' for cloistered nuns to run a TV station - but obeyed in faith) but as a business.

Agatha Jameslast year

I credit EWTN and especially Mother Angelica for helping me convert to the faith. That said I also feel let down by the lack of acknowledgment how deep is the rot in the Church. I cancelled the Nat Cath Register when the content became about feelz and most of the writer women.