New Football Streaming Arrangements in the EFL

[Badger 2,412]

Sorry, but I think that it will be behind a paywall. Interesting article about the future of streaming.

• Every midweek game to be available
• Compulsory for every game in League 1 and 2 during world cup + bank holidays to be streamed.
• Only Saturday at 3pm is sacrosanct (for now)
• £10 charge is universal
• Becoming an important revenue stream (😃) for League One - e.g. it is thought that ITFC made £750,000 last year
• Teams selling the stream get the money - so if we buy an away fixture the money goes to City and not the host (smaller clubs understandably unhappy)
• Less of an issue atm for the Championship because of Sky and the red button service + much higher TV payments than league One but next deal could see big changes
• Lots of clubs leaving the ifollow service
• Some clubs worried about attendances - especially because of cost of living crisis
• Apple signed a 10 year deal to show every MLS game + Amazon have entered the Champions league market - both presumably a contributory factor to US interest in English clubs

https://theathletic.com/3423113/2022/07/18/efl-ifollow-streaming-tv/?source=user_shared_article

[Canary Wundaboy 1,359]

It’s time we said **** to this 3pm blackout nonsense and put all games on the TV. 

[PurpleCanary 5,580]

24 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

It’s time we said **** to this 3pm blackout nonsense and put all games on the TV. 

 

24 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

It’s time we said **** to this 3pm blackout nonsense and put all games on the TV. 

No, it's not.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I did point this out on the Marseilles thread. 

Whilst there is understandably a lot of resentment regarding bigger clubs monopolies, the same will apply with this system. We will always sell all our season tickets and virtually fill the ground. And will be using their own production? And probably get a massive amount of subscribers for away matches.

Can the same be said for smaller clubs? Will the £10 cover what they may lose by smaller attendances? They may well have to stick with iFollow. Will the coverage be better than it has been? £10 for a single camera?

I am glad this is happening and its brilliant for us expats. As long as the club keep the price value for money then I see no problem and is a great step toward the way football is presented to all fans.

[Fuzzar 1,703]

I'm sure the majority of ITFC's £750k was us Canaries paying a tenner for a giggle.

[chicken 2,642]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

Sorry, but I think that it will be behind a paywall.

Thanks for the info but this bit worries me tbh.

Why should it be free? Isn't the idea that clubs can sell streams and be more visible and bring in a new revenue stream? Surely that's a good thing? 

Also, this is what the European Super League and the "rescue package" during lockdown was all about. I thought it made it very clear to what those "top six" clubs thought was going to happen in the next couple of years. No way they wanted a stake in controlling rights to show games if they thought something else wasn't about to go down. And it is EXACTLY the fact that they have little faith in TV money hanging around for much longer that they wanted to take to their own streaming services. It's been their long time complaint that lesser clubs make money from TV money that is mainly attracted to the top clubs, so why should any club that isn't them benefit?

Pretty plain to see IMHO. Including how scummy those big wigs are at those clubs.

[Nuff Said 5,175]

1 hour ago, Fuzzar said:

I'm sure the majority of ITFC's £750k was us Canaries paying a tenner for a giggle.

£10!?! 10p perhaps.

[Nuff Said 5,175]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

 

No, it's not.

The in-person experience is completely different to the on-screen one, I personally can’t see people swapping one for the other unless other factors come into play, like Covid risk, cost of living, scheduling or increasing infirmity.

[Yellow Shirt 17]

4 minutes ago, Nuff Said said:

The in-person experience is completely different to the on-screen one, I personally can’t see people swapping one for the other unless other factors come into play, like Covid risk, cost of living, scheduling or increasing infirmity.

Absolutely agree.

there are a huge amount of people who can’t get to games, either they are too far away or just plain can’t get a ticket. 
I would go to games if I could, but I live in Los Angeles now. Even when I was in the UK the nature of my work meant I wouldn’t know if I had match day off until it was way too late to get a ticket for CR, and it was far far too rare to try to get a season ticket.

I just don’t buy it that people who attend games now would not bother because they can get a stream.

[Monty13 2,248]

5 minutes ago, Nuff Said said:

The in-person experience is completely different to the on-screen one, I personally can’t see people swapping one for the other unless other factors come into play, like Covid risk, cost of living, scheduling or increasing infirmity.

Exactly, it’s like watching a theatre performance at home on your TV or in the theatre. Essentially it’s the same thing you are viewing but it isn’t, being there in person is a completely different experience.

You can already watch any PL game for free with minimal effort and crowds haven’t faded away. I don’t see why Championship clubs would be any different personally, can only see this being a net benefit to those clubs and supporters.

[Badger 2,412]

1 hour ago, chicken said:

Thanks for the info but this bit worries me tbh.

Why should it be free? Isn't the idea that clubs can sell streams and be more visible and bring in a new revenue stream? Surely that's a good thing? 

Also, this is what the European Super League and the "rescue package" during lockdown was all about. I thought it made it very clear to what those "top six" clubs thought was going to happen in the next couple of years. No way they wanted a stake in controlling rights to show games if they thought something else wasn't about to go down. And it is EXACTLY the fact that they have little faith in TV money hanging around for much longer that they wanted to take to their own streaming services. It's been their long time complaint that lesser clubs make money from TV money that is mainly attracted to the top clubs, so why should any club that isn't them benefit?

Pretty plain to see IMHO. Including how scummy those big wigs are at those clubs.

I was referring to the article  when I talked about being behind a paywall. I was apologising for posting a link that many couldn't access, which I know an be frustrating.

[Capt. Pants 4,276]

It pains me to say this, but I hope they eradicate illegal streams as well. It just feels the value of my upfront payment for a season ticket is being eroded.

I can see a large number of our home games being moved away from 3pm Saturday, thus available to stream for £10. Cynically I can see the club encouraging this to bring in additional income.

It's great NCFC will get additional revenue but as a ST holder I can't help feeling a bit hard done by.

[PurpleCanary 5,580]

1 hour ago, Nuff Said said:

The in-person experience is completely different to the on-screen one, I personally can’t see people swapping one for the other unless other factors come into play, like Covid risk, cost of living, scheduling or increasing infirmity.

It is unknowable until televising/streaming 3pm Saturday matches is tried but I can well see that a club which was having the bad kind of season we had would see a drop-off in attendances if fans could stay at home and watch a stream. Not least if the cost of living crisis, and it is a crisis for many, carries on.

Many clubs in the Championship and below do not have anything like the solid support, with capacity or near-capacity crowds, that we enjoy. And with us it would knock a dent in the argument for the increased capacity that we badly need for long-term financial reasons.

I get that many fans who live away from Norfolk can't get to Carrow Road, but that is often because of a conscious  decision they have made about their life/lifestyle.

Edited July 18, 2022 by PurpleCanary

[cambridgeshire canary 6,793]

9 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

It pains me to say this, but I hope they eradicate illegal streams as well. It just feels the value of my upfront payment for a season ticket is being eroded.

I can see a large number of our home games being moved away from 3pm Saturday, thus available to stream for £10. Cynically I can see the club encouraging this to bring in additional income.

It's great NCFC will get additional revenue but as a ST holder I can't help feeling a bit hard done by.

" Eradicate illegal streams" this is like saying "The police will win the war on drugs"

[Yellow Shirt 17]

12 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

It pains me to say this, but I hope they eradicate illegal streams as well. It just feels the value of my upfront payment for a season ticket is being eroded.

I can see a large number of our home games being moved away from 3pm Saturday, thus available to stream for £10. Cynically I can see the club encouraging this to bring in additional income.

It's great NCFC will get additional revenue but as a ST holder I can't help feeling a bit hard done by.

Really?

I don’t understand this logic at all. Would you prefer that as a season ticket holder you would be part of an elite group who get to watch the games and follow the team, even though that would play hard into the ‘little Norwich’ mindset?

To me you season ticket holders are the privileged ones who are able to go to the games and be the 12th man.

 

(not talking about the illegal streams here- I fully support a paid stream with the money going to the club)

Edited July 18, 2022 by Yellow Shirt

[wcorkcanary 4,337]

12 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

" Eradicate illegal streams" this is like saying "The police will win the war on drugs"

Yes, it's congratulations to Drugs, for winning the 'War on Drugs '..

 

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by wcorkcanary

[Capt. Pants 4,276]

2 minutes ago, Yellow Shirt said:

Really?

I don’t understand this logic at all. Would you prefer that as a season ticket holder you would be part of an elite group who get to watch the games and follow the team, even though that would play hard into the ‘little Norwich’ mindset?

To me you season ticket holders are the privileged ones who are able to go to the games and be the 12th man.

I take your point but it certainly wasn't a privilege last season! 

ST holders commit to the season regardless of form, prospects, weather, covid risk, ****ty kick off times etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I'm extremely unlikely to swap my matchday experience for a soulless TV stream and Pinkun matchday thread, but I don't think this will encourage people into stadiums.

[NorthCarolinaYellow 197]

What's the deal for us supporters Stateside? Anyone know? I guess the season-long iFollow subscriptions of the past are now gone and I'll have to pay £10/match all season via Canaries TV?? And no more matches on ESPN+?

[Badger 2,412]

1 hour ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

" Eradicate illegal streams" this is like saying "The police will win the war on drugs"

Are you suggesting that the police are fighting a war whilst they are on drugs? Surely that is bad practice?

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

1 hour ago, Capt. Pants said:

It pains me to say this, but I hope they eradicate illegal streams as well. It just feels the value of my upfront payment for a season ticket is being eroded.

I can see a large number of our home games being moved away from 3pm Saturday, thus available to stream for £10. Cynically I can see the club encouraging this to bring in additional income.

It's great NCFC will get additional revenue but as a ST holder I can't help feeling a bit hard done by.

How is your season ticket eroded? The fact that I live in Cornwall prevents me buying a season ticket. iFollow isn't available in the EPL. And the company that produces it takes a big chunk of the ten pounds.

Now that the club will be producing its own, as long as the production is good enough, it will have a greater benefit. 

Of course, if we are promoted again, it might be back to other means.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

1 minute ago, Badger said:

Are you suggesting that the police are fighting a war whilst they are on drugs? Surely that is bad practice?

No. They drink a lot instead.

[Badger 2,412]

1 minute ago, keelansgrandad said:

No. They drink a lot instead.

Which is, of course, a drug. 😃

[Badger 2,412]

4 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

How is your season ticket eroded? The fact that I live in Cornwall prevents me buying a season ticket. iFollow isn't available in the EPL. And the company that produces it takes a big chunk of the ten pounds.

Now that the club will be producing its own, as long as the production is good enough, it will have a greater benefit. 

Of course, if we are promoted again, it might be back to other means.

I am sure that there are thousands of exiles who would  advantage of more frequently streamed games, but for those of us fans lucky enough to live in Norfolk, I can't see a stream replacing the excitement of a live match.

You and I are of a vintage that can probably remember the TV will kill live football audiences arguments, back in the 70s or 80s. It was argued that too much football on TV would inevitably drive down attendances. A we know, the reverse has happened.

I think that it would also be good for pubs!

[HazzaJet 256]

6 hours ago, Badger said:

Sorry, but I think that it will be behind a paywall. Interesting article about the future of streaming.

• Every midweek game to be available
• Compulsory for every game in League 1 and 2 during world cup + bank holidays to be streamed.
• Only Saturday at 3pm is sacrosanct (for now)
• £10 charge is universal
• Becoming an important revenue stream (😃) for League One - e.g. it is thought that ITFC made £750,000 last year
• Teams selling the stream get the money - so if we buy an away fixture the money goes to City and not the host (smaller clubs understandably unhappy)
• Less of an issue atm for the Championship because of Sky and the red button service + much higher TV payments than league One but next deal could see big changes
• Lots of clubs leaving the ifollow service
• Some clubs worried about attendances - especially because of cost of living crisis
• Apple signed a 10 year deal to show every MLS game + Amazon have entered the Champions league market - both presumably a contributory factor to US interest in English clubs

https://theathletic.com/3423113/2022/07/18/efl-ifollow-streaming-tv/?source=user_shared_article

My apologies for not completely understanding this Badger, but are you saying that every non-Sat 3pm kickoff fixture will be available to purchase for online streaming via the club website, even in the UK (like they were in the 20-21 season when the games were played behind closed doors)

Edited July 18, 2022 by HazzaJet

[cornish sam 962]

The big problem I see with this is it undermines the collective bargaining ethos that stops rich clubs getting inordinately richer and the smaller clubs getting less of the pie. If this is a success the you can bet your bottom dollar it will come in soon for the prem and then the like aof man utd, Liverpool, etc will get so much more revenue than the crystal palaces, Southampton's, etc. That we will be in an even more uncompetitive situation than we already are (this also applies to the EFL but to a slightly lesser extent due to promotion and relegation).

Ultimately we need to be distributing the money more fairly top to bottom, not entrenching a teams position due to its current fan base.

[Yellow Shirt 17]

2 hours ago, cornish sam said:

The big problem I see with this is it undermines the collective bargaining ethos that stops rich clubs getting inordinately richer and the smaller clubs getting less of the pie. If this is a success the you can bet your bottom dollar it will come in soon for the prem and then the like aof man utd, Liverpool, etc will get so much more revenue than the crystal palaces, Southampton's, etc. That we will be in an even more uncompetitive situation than we already are (this also applies to the EFL but to a slightly lesser extent due to promotion and relegation).

Ultimately we need to be distributing the money more fairly top to bottom, not entrenching a teams position due to its current fan base.

I half agree … but I REALLY don’t want to see distributed money scenario like in US sports that leads ultimately to central contracts and drafts etc🤮

[cornish sam 962]

19 minutes ago, Yellow Shirt said:

I half agree … but I REALLY don’t want to see distributed money scenario like in US sports that leads ultimately to central contracts and drafts etc🤮

What's wrong with drafts? It would reduce the pooling of youth talent at the top clubs and potentially lead to better player development and provide extra competition and revenue for the less well off teams. For example, instead of clubs having academies there are regional centres of excellence for youth players who would compete amongst each other and potentially be loaned out to clubs in exceptional circumstances. At the age of 17 or 18 (post a levels perhaps) they would be then drafted in a similar way to in us sports, the worse teams get first picks and you have some tiering to allow for divisional differences. The drafts could be within a region or nationwide (perhaps nationwide for pl and champ, L1&l2 regional). I know there's problems with this proposal as it stands, but it's just off the top of my head...

[sgncfc 1,253]

The genie is out of the bottle I'm afraid - streaming is the future and is inevitable. 3pm Saturday might be protected at the moment but it won't be for long. No one cares about the live supporter anymore when you can make so much more by selling a decent quality stream. You only have to look at music to see where it's going. Live gigs are now so expensive most people can't go.

[Monty13 2,248]

4 hours ago, PurpleCanary said:

It is unknowable until televising/streaming 3pm Saturday matches is tried but I can well see that a club which was having the bad kind of season we had would see a drop-off in attendances if fans could stay at home and watch a stream. Not least if the cost of living crisis, and it is a crisis for many, carries on.

Many clubs in the Championship and below do not have anything like the solid support, with capacity or near-capacity crowds, that we enjoy. And with us it would knock a dent in the argument for the increased capacity that we badly need for long-term financial reasons.

I get that many fans who live away from Norfolk can't get to Carrow Road, but that is often because of a conscious  decision they have made about their life/lifestyle.

You realise people could stay at home and watch last season very easily, even at 3pm?

I’m also not sure I understand your argument here Purple, in a cost of living crisis giving people the option to see an inferior version of something when they can no longer afford the full price ticket should be a good thing shouldn’t it?

Carrow road has been as good as sold out for many many years, how’s that new City stand looking? About the same as it always has.

The fact that people have made a conscious decision to be geographically remote from their football club is a fact of life for a lot of people. A lot of people that could be monetised.

Potentially also a lot of people that might be Norwich fans but that maybe can’t afford to or get access to Carrow Road regularly.

Bigger stadiums are really expensive, digital streams are not.

The only legitimate argument I see against this in the modern era is the affect on smaller clubs, but honestly given the majority of people follow Prem clubs and those games are easily accessible every week I’m not sure that argument holds water anymore.

[Badger 2,412]

13 hours ago, HazzaJet said:

My apologies for not completely understanding this Badger, but are you saying that every non-Sat 3pm kickoff fixture will be available to purchase for online streaming via the club website, even in the UK (like they were in the 20-21 season when the games were played behind closed doors)

I think they can, but don't have to: there is a slight ambiguity about it - most midweek Championship games are available on Sky through the red button anyway + I'm not sure whether there would be any contractual issues with the TV companies. The article says,

"The second tier’s cut of the EFL broadcast deal is greater than the two lower divisions and every midweek Championship game is either televised in the UK by Sky Sports or broadcast through the red button service provided by the league’s long-running TV partner. There is still the chance for clubs to stream games via their own platforms but, in relative terms, the money earned that way is far less important than it is to those aspiring clubs one rung lower down in League One."