My gut says they'll react as you predicted.
That said - I gotta keep hammering this point, this is not the same as the DGWT. SpinTV was the number 1 channel in subscribers and views in 2015, and it wasn't really close tbh. The DGWT and SpinTV "agreed" months in advance of the DGWT launch. It was never a "use and cut them out" scenario, it was one team under one banner on the biggest platform in the sport.
I'm sorry to belabor that everyone, but we can't let history be re-written and fold these things in as one. They're very different circumstances, and if there's any questions on those differences I'll elaborate, but I'll shut up about it for now.
I definitely see this as a much different scenario than the DGWT launch and to me it looks like DGPT is trying to move towards a more DGWT-ish model, where most if not all content comes out under the DGPT banner (I think we agree on that?).
Please correct me if I'm wrong on this: weren't DGWT and SpinTV both under the Innova/Discmania umbrella of companies and therefore corporate partners (or associates) of a sort before DGWT launched?
[Now on to the rant...]
I'm trying to get a handle on how this all went down and what it means for the future of events that are on or interested in being on the DGPT. There are lots of moving parts between the DGPT, the media companies, the tournaments/TDs, the players and the sponsors.
As a TD of a 2019 A-tier tournament I like the idea of the tournament having more ownership/control of the media content created from my event. I would like to be able to tell/sell prospective event sponsors that their company name will be prominently featured on video content that will get XX thousand of views. Will that happen under the new DGPT model and did it happen in the past with Jomez/CCDG videos? I don't know.
As the father of a touring pro, I am all in favor of growing the number of opportunities my favorite pro has to earn more prize money *and* get more views on videos so he can enhance his marketability. I have a dog in that fight. I think the establishment/growth of the DGPT and it's coordination with the NT Series has helped that. And I agree that the quality coverage provided by Smashboxxtv, Jomez and CCDG has been integral to that process. It's a bit of a "chicken or the egg" situation in my mind, but I could be persuaded.
As a sponsored disc golfer/promoter (I won't kid myself that I'm a sponsored "athlete") I want to see my sponsor get the most out of their investments in tournaments, tours, video channels, because I want the companies to thrive. I want them to be able to continue to support me and what I do.
As a player for over 40 years and a self-identified "steward" of the sport I want to see the sport grow and prosper, both at the pro level and the amateur level. I love seeing more people enjoying the sport I have played my entire adult life, whether they are playing in organized events, playing casually or watching videos of other players. The success of the pro game isn't the end all/be all but it is part of growing the sport.
Also, I know personally and have met or corresponded with several of the key players here and my son knows all of them rather well, so I care about them all as human beings with families, bills to pay and dreams they are chasing. To quote the late Rodney King, I wish "we could all just get along" and things could continue as they had but as has been mentioned earlier here, this is business, and not everyone gets what they want in business decisions.
So please continue the conversation - reading the comments of those who are involved in disc golf media is very helpful to my understanding of what is in the process of happening. I haven't been in contact with any of the principles yet personally, but I will be contacting a few that I know in order to get a better handle on where my events and efforts fit best.