Sky forced to cut wholesale prices

Bruce Wayne · April 1, 2010

Met with the predictable wail from clubs.

Sports united in opposition to Ofcom's 'attack' on Sky's pricing policy - Telegraph

The likes of Barca and Real Madrid already get more money because they negotiate deals individually for their games. How long before the big clubs here seek to do likewise?

Some big changes in the past month. The 50p tax rate on players income. The plans by Platini to prevent sugar daddies bailing out clubs. And now this.

Goat · April 1, 2010

The house of cards starts to fall.

Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian · April 1, 2010

the bubble has got a big pin pushing into the side of it, all of a sudden it'll go POP !!

SOME WILL FALL FURTHER THAN OTHERS, I THINK WE WILL BE IN A BETTER POSITION THAN MOST.

DOFFS SKI-HAT TO MR KENWRIGHT.

Neiler · April 3, 2010

The future is online anyway, i think Skys role will lessonover time anyway due to change of mediam. If the club had any sense they would start offering the games internationaly to fans who cant get to the game, a fair few of us dont live in the UK and as such cant get to games every week - we scramble to find a stream every week so we can see our team every week live (no other choice) - there is a massive market there the club could tap into.

Bruce Wayne · April 3, 2010

Neiler said:
The future is online anyway, i think Skys role will lessonover time anyway due to change of mediam. If the club had any sense they would start offering the games internationaly to fans who cant get to the game, a fair few of us dont live in the UK and as such cant get to games every week - we scramble to find a stream every week so we can see our team every week live (no other choice) - there is a massive market there the club could tap into.

Exactly. It's not quite as easy with IraqGoals et al but in the old days when Justin.tv was the way, each match feed would have tens of thousands of people tuning in. The demand is there. Why not offer the iTunes approach and provide a quality feed and let people tune in for a small fee (£1 or something).

KelseyGrammer-Beast-SuitsBlue · April 4, 2010

As Sky scramble to make up the short fall, I wonder who the extra cost will be passed on to.

Seamus Colemole · April 4, 2010

Neiler said:
The future is online anyway, i think Skys role will lessonover time anyway due to change of mediam. If the club had any sense they would start offering the games internationaly to fans who cant get to the game, a fair few of us dont live in the UK and as such cant get to games every week - we scramble to find a stream every week so we can see our team every week live (no other choice) - there is a massive market there the club could tap into.

I wouldn't of thought the club could do that due to international tv rights same as they couldn't in this country.

Neiler · April 4, 2010

Its something the PL need to look into, in the current situation international fans cant watch Everton every week on Tv live. The only way i can do it is illeagaly finding a stream or travel over for a game. Id pay a few hunderad a year for the privalge but there is no other option or legal medium t do it - i dont see why the club couldnt do an online season ticket for fans who cant get to games internationaly - id pay for it if i could see matches week in week out!

Seamus Colemole · April 4, 2010

Neiler said:
Its something the PL need to look into, in the current situation international fans cant watch Everton every week on Tv live. The only way i can do it is illeagaly finding a stream or travel over for a game. Id pay a few hunderad a year for the privalge but there is no other option or legal medium t do it - i dont see why the club couldnt do an online season ticket for fans who cant get to games internationaly - id pay for it if i could see matches week in week out!

Its something that should be looked into but wouldn't surprise me if the FA are too scared of technology to even try it out.

Plus it opens up the same argument as tv coverage of taking fans away from lower level football if they can pay a small fee to watch premierleague games.

Bruce Wayne · April 4, 2010

They could take a leaf out of the IPL's book. They're showing games via YouTube, and despite each player earning a kings ransom each franchise is very profitable.

Neiler · April 4, 2010

It seems ridiclous in this day and age, for it not to be an option when i was in Oz, Fox sports gave you match choice live - like football first but live! If you restrict this option to fans from other countries (i understand the reasoning in the UK) surely there is money to be made, even if its a collective bargaining thing with PL and Sky and then you can choose the team you want to watch every week.

There looseing a fortune, forceing us to look at illeagal streams, id happily pay if there was an alternative!

Bruce Wayne · April 4, 2010

Neiler said:
It seems ridiclous in this day and age, for it not to be an option when i was in Oz, Fox sports gave you match choice live - like football first but live! If you restrict this option to fans from other countries (i understand the reasoning in the UK) surely there is money to be made, even if its a collective bargaining thing with PL and Sky and then you can choose the team you want to watch every week.

There looseing a fortune, forceing us to look at illeagal streams, id happily pay if there was an alternative!

Exactly. You only have to look at things like BBC iPlayer to see how popular good online streams are. To be honest I suspect its Sky dragging their heels as much as the PL. Murdoch has shown that he doesn't really get the Internet.

Neiler · April 4, 2010

I imagine so mate, i cant get the BBCiplayer in Ireland as it says im out of the jurisdiction so the technology is there to sgregate access in line with legislation, HBO have something simlar in the states for jurisdiction.

I think it is Sky dragging their heels, or maybe its to do with the PL advanceing the issue further online as a different rights package in the future it really bugs me though as the technology is there as can be seen with match choice for the CL games! I pay i thnk 80 Euro a month to watch Everton every six weeks or so (like today) and catch an hour of game on football first (which really fecks up a Saturday night), the rest of the time its just streams!

Sort it out!