Today’s Football 2020/21 Season

[catcherintherye]

I'd argue that the expectation was the initial games would be the hardest to push. It's a hugely unpopular concept given that people had got use to all games on their existing platforms at no extra cost. That's a very hard sell in the short term.

There was, and is still, a sense of people making a stand and saying no but like other things that will to make a stand weakens and what was previously vehement and vocal opposition becomes indifference to the product and then becomes begrudgingly accepted (Where else are you going to get it?) and then becomes the new normal way to consume the product.

The time that the PL will be privately looking and thinking things aren't working is a year or two down the line - as of now it's just riding out the bad publicity and may well make the odd sympathetic noise or token symbol of repentance as a PR ploy.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was deliberately overpriced so as to present a price correction as a climbdown. If people think buying a game for £10 instead of £15 is a win then let them win. Like boxing the price will creep up eventually.

PL gets the price they wanted and Twitter fans everywhere celebrate the pyrrhic victory of a price cut while ultimately still buying the new product. PL going the Black Friday route.

All of that makes a lot of sense. I am not sure it would be the hardest though. Had it been announced properly, with a good build up, and the correct games targetted it would have been targetted etc. It could have been really successful.

I think all of this has done, is united people not only againt 15 pounds a game, but against the notion of PPV full stop. If it goes away, as it will likely do, fans will now be emboldened that if people don't buy it, quite quickly they have to shelve the plans. This will have a lot of sentiment now and be a very broad message if they ever try it again.

Likewise providers will look at football, look at the concrete numbers, and be very edgy. There's a lot of guff around football, but decision makers tend to look at figures. The figures are pitiful, the opposition enormous and understandably broadcasters will just look at it and say it doesn't look viable.

As for thr reductions, well Mike Ashley suggested a reduction to a fiver. Most of the comments were slaughtering him saying it shouldn't be any extra money. I think that window has passed and people are now very angry with what has happened.

I have no doubt what the thinking of the PL was, but it's just another example of them being horribly out of touch with their customers. Honestly 40000 people watching, for teams who will get over 100k paying to watch at a stadium is an appalling return. You could throw on bob sleighing on ITV 4 and I'd imagine it gets better viewership than 40,000!

 

[ClausThomsen]

All of that makes a lot of sense. I am not sure it would be the hardest though. Had it been announced properly, with a good build up, and the correct games targetted it would have been targetted etc. It could have been really successful.

I think all of this has done, is united people not only againt 15 pounds a game, but against the notion of PPV full stop. If it goes away, as it will likely do, fans will now be emboldened that if people don't buy it, quite quickly they have to shelve the plans. This will have a lot of sentiment now and be a very broad message if they ever try it again.

Likewise providers will look at football, look at the concrete numbers, and be very edgy. There's a lot of guff around football, but decision makers tend to look at figures. The figures are pitiful, the opposition enormous and understandably broadcasters will just look at it and say it doesn't look viable.

As for thr reductions, well Mike Ashley suggested a reduction to a fiver. Most of the comments were slaughtering him saying it shouldn't be any extra money. I think that window has passed and people are now very angry with what has happened.

I have no doubt what the thinking of the PL was, but it's just another example of them being horribly out of touch with their customers. Honestly 40000 people watching, for teams who will get over 100k paying to watch at a stadium is an appalling return. You could throw on bob sleighing on ITV 4 and I'd imagine it gets better viewership than 40,000!

I've not seen the individual figures but I have read that a couple of games got 90,000 - the average being somewhere around 35,000 when you take into account nothing games that carry no general interest. PPV when it comes won't be looking exclusively at averages but also how much the big games are bringing in, especially crunch games at the backend of a season. So long as they ensure smaller matches cover their costs then it's a potentially huge market.

I can't speak for you but if Everton are playing a crunch title game and I can't go but a little button will let me watch for £10-£15.....it's very tempting regardless of the fact I know I'm feeding a beast I have no fondness for whatsoever.

We've had years of people cry-arsing about 3pm games not being available on a Saturday or not being able to just watch the games they want. Given time that long term desire for selective viewing will outweigh the short-term resistance from people who have only very recently got quite cosy with the novelty of all games being broadcast at no extra charge on top of their usual services.

What works for Boxing and Wrestling (often at stupid o'clock in the morning) will, given time, work for football once the hype get's going. It's scratching the same itch.

 

[Ring master]

 

[BainesontoastNEW]

Atalanta v Ajax looks like one for the neutral tonight.

 

[zukai12_]

Why does Shakhtar have so many Brazilian players?

That is one hell of a culture shock to go from Sao Paulo or Rio to Ukrainian winters

 

[Azza]

Apparently Josep Bartomeu and the rest of the Barca board have all resigned!

 

[TheBigIguana]

Lautaro scores that if Rom isn't playing right?

 

[tsubaki]

Apparently Josep Bartomeu and the rest of the Barca board have all resigned!

not a surprise that, the pressure was always going to get worse and worse the closer they came to Messi talking to clubs and moving for 0

hope Ronko still has his copy of the contract

 

[Ring master]

Ronaldo still not clear of the virus and wont play v Barcelona tomorrow

 

[PaulPowersTash]

Why does Shakhtar have so many Brazilian players?

That is one hell of a culture shock to go from Sao Paulo or Rio to Ukrainian winters

I think it’s something to do with gaining work permits so they can be sold on to European clubs.

 

[Death]

Midget land

wtfit

 

[TheBigIguana]

Standard of refereeing was appalling in the Inter match. We should sign that Dodo to teach our squad to dive as he's managed about 5 tonight alone including one in which Vidal was feet away from touching him.

 

[SantaClausisanEvertonian]

The rs are in Champions League action tonight, playing against the elite, Europe's best, the cream of the crop.
Obviously they'll need to be full strength and will have to be at their very best.
They have a keeper I've never heard of and have rested 'the world's best front three'.
And VVD isn't even on the bench!
Champions League my bottom!!!

 

[tsubaki]

good goal that but Marseille wtf

 

[Toast]

The rs are in Champions League action tonight, playing against the elite, Europe's best, the cream of the crop.
Obviously they'll need to be full strength and will have to be at their very best.
They have a keeper I've never heard of and have rested 'the world's best front three'.
And VVD isn't even on the bench!
Champions League my bottom!!!

Isn’t Allison in goal ?