It is clear, surely, that armchair supporters are going to be fed a similar diet this year? Yes folks, it will be wall-to-wall Mancs, 'pool, Arse, Spurs and Chelski. Swans will not be on the menu very often and just a side order of Toffees and Cherries will be offered washed down with a quick swig of Claret.
Even Sky must realise that through ennui and an over-riding sense of déjà vu they are in danger of losing viewers who are not supporters of the big six? But they know they can't show the likes of Burnley very often without vast swathes of viewers reaching for the off button. It must be a dilemma for them.
I think Sky are at a major turning point over the next 18 months. Youngsters don't want Sky or can't afford it. Their viewing figures for last year were dropping like a stone (putting a load of effort into promoting Red Monday and getting top figures only to show a drab 0-0 draw didn't help) and online streaming is rife, despite their renewed efforts to thwart it. Having BT sports is enough for many to get a football fix, particularly with streaming to supplement it.
If one of the big streaming guns comes in (Netflix, Google) then we might finally see them lose their grip on sport.
That said, they're building up a huge war chest to fight for the next round of rights. It's going to be a very interesting time for them one way or another.
Towards the end of last season Sky managed, quite successfully, to block some of the Premier League 'pirate' streams. However they failed to stop those that have a VPN so it won't matter how much they pay for the broadcasting rights, the number of people watching it without paying Sky will increase. The more they charge the more will leave them. Even without a Kodi box many will find the Sky subscriptions too expensive. It is already more than £60 a month. Unless one watches all the games it makes more sense to go to the pub and nurse two pints through a game.
The rights each time have got more expensive (especially due to the Sky/BT competition), with the number of televised games also increasing,
Surely in the UK at least, we've reached peak pay football, as the sheer number of games on TV is diminishing the interest in most of them, and the cost is becoming excessive to many. I imagine channels such as Sky Atlantic are just as important to Sky as the football rights nowadays?
It is clear, surely, that armchair supporters are going to be fed a similar diet this year? Yes folks, it will be wall-to-wall Mancs, 'pool, Arse, Spurs and Chelski. Swans will not be on the menu very often and just a side order of Toffees and Cherries will be offered washed down with a quick swig of Claret.
Even Sky must realise that through ennui and an over-riding sense of déjà vu they are in danger of losing viewers who are not supporters of the big six? But they know they can't show the likes of Burnley very often without vast swathes of viewers reaching for the off button. It must be a dilemma for them.
I think Sky are at a major turning point over the next 18 months. Youngsters don't want Sky or can't afford it. Their viewing figures for last year were dropping like a stone (putting a load of effort into promoting Red Monday and getting top figures only to show a drab 0-0 draw didn't help) and online streaming is rife, despite their renewed efforts to thwart it. Having BT sports is enough for many to get a football fix, particularly with streaming to supplement it.
If one of the big streaming guns comes in (Netflix, Google) then we might finally see them lose their grip on sport.
That said, they're building up a huge war chest to fight for the next round of rights. It's going to be a very interesting time for them one way or another.
Towards the end of last season Sky managed, quite successfully, to block some of the Premier League 'pirate' streams. However they failed to stop those that have a VPN so it won't matter how much they pay for the broadcasting rights, the number of people watching it without paying Sky will increase. The more they charge the more will leave them. Even without a Kodi box many will find the Sky subscriptions too expensive. It is already more than £60 a month. Unless one watches all the games it makes more sense to go to the pub and nurse two pints through a game.
The rights each time have got more expensive (especially due to the Sky/BT competition), with the number of televised games also increasing,
Surely in the UK at least, we've reached peak pay football, as the sheer number of games on TV is diminishing the interest in most of them, and the cost is becoming excessive to many. I imagine channels such as Sky Atlantic are just as important to Sky as the football rights nowadays?
I'm sure they believe it is. Also they are going to a of expense making their own dramas - some of which have been very well received.
I can see them having a sustainable model with their Sky+ boxes - especially if they get 4K rolled out earlier than the competition.
Where I think they will struggle is with what they can charge for the football based on what it costs them to buy it. Also most people that can access the football via streaming can access all the things on Sky Atlantic and Sky One - the former, normally, before it is screened in the UK. Almost all the kids in my son's school have watched things like The Flash before it is 'officially' screened in the UK. All the fuss over Kodi boxes fails to recognise that teenagers can load it on their laptop and have access to anything - and when I say they can I mean they all know how to!
Interestingly, however, none of them seem, in the slightest, interested in the football. I know that Maidstone is not known for being a hot bed of football support, but I do wonder if the Premier League and the cost of it is going to lead to an aging fan base. Children can't get tickets, can't afford the ones they can get, and will find other things to do with their Saturday afternoons. My son is 13 and by the time I was 15 I was going to Highbury on public transport with friends to stand on the North Bank on the weekends that Charlton were not at home. We used to just rock up and pay £3 to get in. My two friends that I used to go with are now season ticket holders. Where is the next generation going to come from?
It is clear, surely, that armchair supporters are going to be fed a similar diet this year? Yes folks, it will be wall-to-wall Mancs, 'pool, Arse, Spurs and Chelski. Swans will not be on the menu very often and just a side order of Toffees and Cherries will be offered washed down with a quick swig of Claret.
Even Sky must realise that through ennui and an over-riding sense of déjà vu they are in danger of losing viewers who are not supporters of the big six? But they know they can't show the likes of Burnley very often without vast swathes of viewers reaching for the off button. It must be a dilemma for them.
I think Sky are at a major turning point over the next 18 months. Youngsters don't want Sky or can't afford it. Their viewing figures for last year were dropping like a stone (putting a load of effort into promoting Red Monday and getting top figures only to show a drab 0-0 draw didn't help) and online streaming is rife, despite their renewed efforts to thwart it. Having BT sports is enough for many to get a football fix, particularly with streaming to supplement it.
If one of the big streaming guns comes in (Netflix, Google) then we might finally see them lose their grip on sport.
That said, they're building up a huge war chest to fight for the next round of rights. It's going to be a very interesting time for them one way or another.
Towards the end of last season Sky managed, quite successfully, to block some of the Premier League 'pirate' streams. However they failed to stop those that have a VPN so it won't matter how much they pay for the broadcasting rights, the number of people watching it without paying Sky will increase. The more they charge the more will leave them. Even without a Kodi box many will find the Sky subscriptions too expensive. It is already more than £60 a month. Unless one watches all the games it makes more sense to go to the pub and nurse two pints through a game.
The rights each time have got more expensive (especially due to the Sky/BT competition), with the number of televised games also increasing,
Surely in the UK at least, we've reached peak pay football, as the sheer number of games on TV is diminishing the interest in most of them, and the cost is becoming excessive to many. I imagine channels such as Sky Atlantic are just as important to Sky as the football rights nowadays?
Sky Atlantic has got even more piracy issues than the sports channels. Everything you get on Sky Atlantic is readily available on a free streaming site, often before Sky broadcast it and the bonus is that all the annoying ads are stripped away. Sky's model is in big trouble.
Comments
Surely in the UK at least, we've reached peak pay football, as the sheer number of games on TV is diminishing the interest in most of them, and the cost is becoming excessive to many. I imagine channels such as Sky Atlantic are just as important to Sky as the football rights nowadays?
I can see them having a sustainable model with their Sky+ boxes - especially if they get 4K rolled out earlier than the competition.
Where I think they will struggle is with what they can charge for the football based on what it costs them to buy it. Also most people that can access the football via streaming can access all the things on Sky Atlantic and Sky One - the former, normally, before it is screened in the UK. Almost all the kids in my son's school have watched things like The Flash before it is 'officially' screened in the UK. All the fuss over Kodi boxes fails to recognise that teenagers can load it on their laptop and have access to anything - and when I say they can I mean they all know how to!
Interestingly, however, none of them seem, in the slightest, interested in the football. I know that Maidstone is not known for being a hot bed of football support, but I do wonder if the Premier League and the cost of it is going to lead to an aging fan base. Children can't get tickets, can't afford the ones they can get, and will find other things to do with their Saturday afternoons. My son is 13 and by the time I was 15 I was going to Highbury on public transport with friends to stand on the North Bank on the weekends that Charlton were not at home. We used to just rock up and pay £3 to get in. My two friends that I used to go with are now season ticket holders. Where is the next generation going to come from?