The Premier League - The Netflix of Football?

[WasStefan]

Very interesting argument put forward by Simon Jordan. It's the way it's going. They should be looking at something like this now.

talkSPORT on Twitter

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Very interesting argument put forward by Simon Jordan. It's the way it's going. They should be looking at something like this now.

talkSPORT on Twitter

I didn't listen if I'm honest but I get the gist and it makes a hell of a lot of sense.

The NFL sells its packages all around the World. The Premier League should definitely follow suit. I don't know the figures, but I know more Premier League fans in America than I do NFL fans in the UK. I would hazard a guess that in just about every country you will find more PL fans than you will NFL. It's a no brainer.

 

[Eddie's Eagle]

I discussed the very same thing at Christmas with an old university friend. It needs to happen. Sky is a red giant, bloating and building but soon will explode.

Enjoyed listening to that.

 

[JadeWolf]

How would it affect attendances? What about kick off times?

 

[Wandsworth Wolf]

Broadcast media - as we know it - is on a very slow, but steady, decline. Lots of broadcast media consolidation is happening globally to achieve scale and protect revenues but streaming is the future. Disney and HBO both launching their own versions soon.

I would say a dedicated PL streaming service is pretty much inevitable at some point. Make the price point £8 p/m and viewing figures would double overnight. It would take a huge financial leap by the PL to become its own ‘broadcaster’ - but the financial rewards would be off the chart.

 

[Wandsworth Wolf]

How would it affect attendances? What about kick off times?

Maybe that’s one thing holding it back. Saturday 3pm games are rightly protected in the UK. Those games could be blocked for UK streaming viewers - but would that be fair when the rest of the world has access for the same subscription?

 

[JadeWolf]

Maybe that’s one thing holding it back. Saturday 3pm games are rightly protected in the UK. Those games could be blocked for UK streaming viewers - but would that be fair when the rest of the world has access for the same subscription?

Unless you paid a premium fee, or paid extra per match for a Saturday 3pm. What we don't want is 10 PL fixtures across a weekend and none on Saturday afternoon.

 

[Wandsworth Wolf]

Unless you paid a premium fee, or paid extra per match for a Saturday 3pm. What we don't want is 10 PL fixtures across a weekend and none on Saturday afternoon.

Indeed. You can just imagine the PL deciding to permanently shift its fixture schedule to a Saturday 5pm kick-off to get round the rule.

 

[5150]

Maybe that’s one thing holding it back. Saturday 3pm games are rightly protected in the UK. Those games could be blocked for UK streaming viewers - but would that be fair when the rest of the world has access for the same subscription?

It used to be that an NFL game had to sell out 72 hrs prior to ko to be shown on local TV. If not , it would only be shown outside a certain radius from the ground
Lord knows how that would work via a streaming service, but it would help to stop attendances dropping.

 

[VancouverWolf]

I would love it out here. Legally, not every Wolves game is covered even if I bought extensive tv packages and for a big fee.
Why push so many football fans around the world to seek illegal streams.

Facebook and La Liga have made a 3 year to show every game free to India and a few peripheral countries.

 

[The Professional]

It is going to happen, as fans- we are just going to get used to it. At the end of the day, if you want to watch your team live (and can afford it) then those that want to attend will, and those that can’t or don’t want to, won’t. It’s up to the Premier League to protect the fan, and keep football at proper times, like they do in American Football. Is that going to happen? Not so sure.

 

[Forza Wolves]

If clubs were earthin that much a year in broadcasting rights then they would be able to afford to charge cheaper ticket prices. £15 a game, we'd still sell out

 

[Mr Wolf]

With more money coming in there would be no excuses not to lower ST prices for clubs, all grounds should be full to the brim.

I mean Newcastle is on TV Monday night but home & away will sell out still.

 

[Nige100]

A U.K. Style equivalent of Premer League Pass will almost certainly come in. I'd subscribe for the away games but would still have my ST for homes until I become to old to mither with all the travelling back and forth to Wolves. As long as it does not affect the paying punters at the games I'm all for it. Would also end this nonsense of stupid kick off times. All games 3pm Saturday and all available to be broadcast.

 

[Deleted member 6754 (removed at own request)]

A U.K. Style equivalent of Premer League Pass will almost certainly come in. I'd subscribe for the away games but would still have my ST for homes until I become to old to mither with all the travelling back and forth to Wolves. As long as it does not affect the paying punters at the games I'm all for it. Would also end this nonsense of stupid kick off times. All games 3pm Saturday and all available to be broadcast.

Agreed. I think it's a natural progression eventually, maybe make it available on Sky and BT to keep the broadcasters happy. Then you have varying levels of pricing for varying levels of coverage. Make it a subscription app available across devices and only for games not otherwise broadcast in the UK. They must realise that people find a way to watch anyway, and most of those would prefer to pay to watch it officially if given the opportunity.

 

[VancouverWolf]

If clubs were earthin that much a year in broadcasting rights then they would be able to afford to charge cheaper ticket prices. £15 a game, we'd still sell out

It’s 2 different issues.....
2 entirely different entities, .......
Wolves don’t drop their gate prices because Sky pays,indirectly, Wolves over £110 million a year....no!
The PL won’t subsidize one profit making area over a different one to please some fans....no!
But they might make tv viewing cheaper than it is currently.

 

[SBDJ]

If clubs were earthin that much a year in broadcasting rights then they would be able to afford to charge cheaper ticket prices. £15 a game, we'd still sell out

Of course they wouldnt charge lower ticket prices. All the evidence suggests that players, agents and the rest will cream it off........like they have done since 1992

 

[AntonusKlesk]

This needs to happen. The only reason it hasn't already is because no-one wants to take a risk with something that already earns a ludicrous amount of money. As said, the mentality is one of if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'd happily pay a good sum per month for access to the games. I'd pay a good sum just for access to Wolves' matches, which is one of the likely subscription models when this eventually happens. KO times shouldn't be affected, if the archaic 3pm restrictions on broadcasts are rightly lifted then if anything we should have more 3pm KOs, or a predictable rotation of times.

There seems to be a notion of needing to keep the broadcasters happy. Not really, there's a lot more money to be had with a new model that doesn't need thethe broadcaster's blessing.

The problem is that the high power position seems to be overly influenced by an old-boys club that want nothing to change. Probably why so many don't want the job.

 

[SBDJ]

This needs to happen. The only reason it hasn't already is because no-one wants to take a risk with something that already earns a ludicrous amount of money. As said, the mentality is one of if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'd happily pay a good sum per month for access to the games. I'd pay a good sum just for access to Wolves' matches, which is one of the likely subscription models when this eventually happens. KO times shouldn't be affected, if the archaic 3pm restrictions on broadcasts are rightly lifted then if anything we should have more 3pm KOs, or a predictable rotation of times.

There seems to be a notion of needing to keep the broadcasters happy. Not really, there's a lot more money to be had with a new model that doesn't need thethe broadcaster's blessing.

The problem is that the high power position seems to be overly influenced by an old-boys club that want nothing to change. Probably why so many don't want the job.

A word of caution for all those wanting this to happen tomorrow and jumping on the bandwagon saying how wonderful it would be to subscribe and stream all the Wolves games.

For all its faults, and they are many one thing that the current system has done is at least kept a modicom of equality in the competition. Not much I admit but there are still decent chunks of cash around for the smaller and medium sized clubs like us

Any alternative like the one being discussed would almost certainly see the end of that. The big clubs are already pushing for it through those supposed talks for a European Super League, the dividing up of the overseas broadcasting rights etc

Can you imagine the difference in funding if each club negotiated its own streaming service or money was divided based on viewing figures. We would be left miles behind. And for anyone thinking "ahh, but we're already catching up and Fosun will soon make us such a big club that we dont have to worry" I say "Get Real"

 

[JadeWolf]

A word of caution for all those wanting this to happen tomorrow and jumping on the bandwagon saying how wonderful it would be to subscribe and stream all the Wolves games.

For all its faults, and they are many one thing that the current system has done is at least kept a modicom of equality in the competition. Not much I admit but there are still decent chunks of cash around for the smaller and medium sized clubs like us

Any alternative like the one being discussed would almost certainly see the end of that. The big clubs are already pushing for it through those supposed talks for a European Super League, the dividing up of the overseas broadcasting rights etc

Can you imagine the difference in funding if each club negotiated its own streaming service or money was divided based on viewing figures. We would be left miles behind. And for anyone thinking "ahh, but we're already catching up and Fosun will soon make us such a big club that we dont have to worry" I say "Get Real"

Good point.

 

[Chris H]

A PL subscription service is surely the way things will go eventually, although as suggested I would say it has to be a subscription to the league as a whole and not team by team. They can sell passes daily, weekly, monthly etc and game by game on top of an annual subscription similar to how Sky do now with Now TV.

If they can double or even treble revenues by doing this, but even a small % of that was used to cap ticket prices it would be ideal as, to me and I'm sure most on here would agree, as much as I'd like to have the option to see as many Wolves games as possible via a legal streaming service, it will never replace the experience and atmosphere of being at a game and if they priced it right they could encourage people to pay for both a streaming service and tickets getting money out of people two fold as opposed to pricing people in to having to choose one or the other as is the case for a lot of people now.

They have to get it right though as the last major change in introducing BT to add "competition" has had the opposite effect to what they said it should as you now have 2 expensive subscriptions if you want to be able to watch as much football as possible with both BT and Sky holding the rights to different competitions.

 

[JonahWolf]

If clubs were earthin that much a year in broadcasting rights then they would be able to afford to charge cheaper ticket prices. £15 a game, we'd still sell out

This. Much as I would love to, I just can’t afford £800 for season tickets for me and my lad, never mind extra expenses occurred, and work schedule.
Paying for a streaming service wouldn’t affect the regularity of my attendance in the slightest, I’m already able to watch every game.

I’d be happier being able to do it with consistently reliable quality, in the knowledge the club is getting a cut too.
Cheaper (and more available) tickets however, would make me appear more often.

 

[Deleted member 6754 (removed at own request)]

A word of caution for all those wanting this to happen tomorrow and jumping on the bandwagon saying how wonderful it would be to subscribe and stream all the Wolves games.

For all its faults, and they are many one thing that the current system has done is at least kept a modicom of equality in the competition. Not much I admit but there are still decent chunks of cash around for the smaller and medium sized clubs like us

Any alternative like the one being discussed would almost certainly see the end of that. The big clubs are already pushing for it through those supposed talks for a European Super League, the dividing up of the overseas broadcasting rights etc

Can you imagine the difference in funding if each club negotiated its own streaming service or money was divided based on viewing figures. We would be left miles behind. And for anyone thinking "ahh, but we're already catching up and Fosun will soon make us such a big club that we dont have to worry" I say "Get Real"

Fair point, but that's assuming that the service would be set up in such a way. In an ideal scenario, it would be divided equally and wouldn't be a club-by-club model. It would effectively be a Premier League pass to watch all of the games, probably at something like £200 a year.

 

[Deleted member 5242]

On the surface this does seem like a fantastic commercial opportunity to grow UK football. But I'd like to learn much more about the potential pitfalls before diving in head first and demanding it happens right away.

Then you need trustworthy and reliable people to implement the model

 

[SBDJ]

I’d be happier being able to do it with consistently reliable quality, in the knowledge the club is getting a cut too.
Cheaper (and more available) tickets however, would make me appear more often.

Of course it would, but a streaming service isnt going to solve that problem

 

[Bankswolf The Third]

There are good points and bad points and I can get why some are hesitant. The model of the premier league was built during an age where we all had five channels and the internet wasnt a big commodity and it has only proven to be a success because it was ahead of its time and I agree that the model needs updating as Sky and BT have adapted their streaming service to adapt to the changes of technology but still made the whole model I believe very unattainable.
Its an attractive proposal but you worry that given the stake each team has that it can be exploited so international teams like Man Utd gain more revenue because they have a more global appeal than say Crystal Palace. Least at the minute as far as I am aware everything is judged on league position. Which is fair enough. Changing that model to how popular you are can lead to an unrealistic league. Plus a deal like this requires teams agreeing with each other and as the stake in premier league is so high I cant see it happening.

 

[Yamalroite]

The younger generation are alot lazier than how it used to be. We used to cycle miles to matches in all weather and play football down the park for hours till dark. Now alot of younguns would rather stay at home and watch on tv and play football via fifa.

 

[marrs-guitar]

Selling the one round of games to Amazon is clearly a first dipping of the PL toes into the water when it comes to streaming in the UK.

I doubt the PL, in the UK at least, will become streaming only though in the next few decades. As simple as streaming is for many, it's also a non-starter for millions who aren't technology savvy enough or lack the necessary internet speed.

In many nations the PL is however already streaming only (DAZN leading the way) but the PL product isn't obviously as large in the likes of Japan or Germany as in the UK itself, given they have their own domestic leagues and alternative sports.

 

[Deleted member 5242]

Selling the one round of games to Amazon is clearly a first dipping of the PL toes into the water when it comes to streaming in the UK.

I doubt the PL, in the UK at least, will become streaming only though in the next few decades. As simple as streaming is for many, it's also a non-starter for millions who aren't technology savvy enough or lack the necessary internet speed.

In many nations the PL is however already streaming only (DAZN leading the way) but the PL product isn't obviously as large in the likes of Japan or Germany as in the UK itself, given they have their own domestic leagues and alternative sports.

The number of people without access to a decent internet connection and the know-how is reducing rapidly and will continue at a flying pace.

In terms of countries who don't show much interest in UK football. With it being the best football league in the world then surely that's just untapped markets? If we could provide a world class interactive experience I'd imagine the Chinese market for example, would grow rapidly bringing in mil;lions, if not hundreds of millions of viewers.

 

[MattyWWFC]

I’m all for it.

I spend over £100 a month to watch the sports I need to, on top of a season ticket, it all adds up.
It definitely wouldn’t affect my attendance to games. You can pretty much stream every PL match these days no matter what tome KO is so I don’t see how a paid streaming service would reduce attendances.

 

[Golden Oldie]

It seems there is a mood and a need for change, but a lot more work needs to be done to ensure the right model is adopted.
However, one thing comes through and not only on this forum, and that is Sky and BT arrangements are a thing of the past, the prices being charged are way over the top and fixtures are arranged entirely to suit their requirements, not those of the clubs or supporters.

 

[WasStefan]

Maybe that’s one thing holding it back. Saturday 3pm games are rightly protected in the UK. Those games could be blocked for UK streaming viewers - but would that be fair when the rest of the world has access for the same subscription?

3pms in the UK wouldn't be broadcast but elsewhere in the world they could.

Nothing would change UK wise apart from the price point and the PL owning it's broadcasting

 

[citrus_wolf]

Yes, I know BeIn Sports is a Telco, but here in the UAE you can pay $12 a month for their 'Connect' sub – on phone and tablet only – and get every Premier League, Serie A, Champions League game and more.

It feels exactly like a 'Sports Netflix' experience.

People consume sport in a very different way now, I'm gobsmacked how much BT and Sky are allowed to get away with charging.

If you don't like illegal streams, make the product affordable to obtain legally.

 

[Deleted member 3573J]

Nice idea but don't expect prices to be a cuddly £8 a month, they already know people are willing to pay upwards of £50 or £60 a month or whatever the price is these days to watch wall to wall football. It's like the ticket prices, no matter how much each club gets from tv rights, the price of a ticket is still ridiculous because they've already got you.

So when the streaming service comes out charging a similar fee to what you pay for SKY and BT, don't subscribe, use the power of the internet to our advantage for once, spread the word that you won't subscribe until the fee comes down to a reasonable amount.

 

[WasStefan]

Agreed. I think it's a natural progression eventually, maybe make it available on Sky and BT to keep the broadcasters happy. Then you have varying levels of pricing for varying levels of coverage. Make it a subscription app available across devices and only for games not otherwise broadcast in the UK. They must realise that people find a way to watch anyway, and most of those would prefer to pay to watch it officially if given the opportunity.

Sky are moving towards IPTV anyway. They even have Netflix on Sky Q now. The PL could do similar. You wouldn't need linear channels like now

DAZN are a prime example of this in Japan. All sports are streamed over there by DAZN. Sports channels will cease to exist within 15yrs.

 

[citrus_wolf]

Nice idea but don't expect prices to be a cuddly £8 a month, they already know people are willing to pay upwards of £50 or £60 a month or whatever the price is these days to watch wall to wall football. It's like the ticket prices, no matter how much each club gets from tv rights, the price of a ticket is still ridiculous because they've already got you.

So when the streaming service comes out charging a similar fee to what you pay for SKY and BT, don't subscribe, use the power of the internet to our advantage for once, spread the word that you won't subscribe until the fee comes down to a reasonable amount.

Great point. The bar has been set...

 

[SBDJ]

Nice idea but don't expect prices to be a cuddly £8 a month, they already know people are willing to pay upwards of £50 or £60 a month or whatever the price is these days to watch wall to wall football. It's like the ticket prices, no matter how much each club gets from tv rights, the price of a ticket is still ridiculous because they've already got you.

Indeed. People wont pay 50 quid a month to watch the latest series of Stranger Things, they will to watch football. A subscription of £8 per month is cloud cuckoo territory.......as is expecting lower ticket prices Im afraid

 

[Ian]

In Australia I pay $15 a month for Optus sport , which gives access to all Wolves ( and all teams) premier league games live on your phone/ tablet ( up to 4 different devices) which i can then directly chrome cast to my TV..... some people have had problems with their feed freezing etc but mine has always ( fortunately) been perfect.
Im currently able to watch more of Wolves than I ever have.

 

[WasStefan]

Great point. The bar has been set...

People aren't paying £60 for just football. Thats football, tv sky q/virgin box, broadband, landline

The true price point of football alone is <£25

 

[Mark Rankines Lovechild]

I think it could work as long as the subscription covers the whole Premier League. The problem will be that individual clubs will be fighting for their own subscriptions so that the Uniteds, Liverpools etc rake in the lion share and cement their place at the top even further.

if anyone thinks that this could work and all the clubs share in the money generated equally then I think they will be sadly mistaken. Only this year the top six have been pressing for a bigger share of current money as it is them that are the draw not the other makeweights in the league.

This will not happen unless it favours Liverpool, Arsenal, United, City, Chelsea or Spurs in some way, shape or form. I think it sounds better than it would be in reality.