I don't think they (streams) are going away, but what we have now may be quite different down the line. Price being a major factor. Maybe technology will create something that will solve some of the piracy issues.
CAST have simply agreed with the club that we will provide some thoughts / have a discussion regarding streaming in future. Thomas himself said at Bromley Addicks meeting, I believe, that he would like to continue Charlton TV.
We are fully aware of the commercial aspects- it can only be a possibility if structured in a way that makes sense for clubs/EFL, fans and broadcasters. I can envisage something making more sense in L1/2 - where few games are broadcast live so it is potentially an incremental revenue opportunity - than it does in the Championship.
Feel free to email thoughts to secretary@castrust.org.
PS We have been actively supporting the season ticket campaign and CAST is open to all Charlton fans from Plumstead to Prague or Sevenoaks to Stockholm via Shetland.
Yes, he did say that. And he also looked extremely annoyed when the Chair of the meeting said it might not be possible to do it next season because of the 3.00pm blackout. His response to that was "we'll have to see about changing that then"
He's a highly successful businessman and can see which way the wind is blowing.
Do you see the likes of Rochdale, Accrington, Cheltenham etc voting for streaming to continue next season?
Why not?
How many fans do you think we will take to Accrington next year, particularly if its played midweek? 400 top?.
How many of our fans do you think would pay £10 to watch a stream? 2/3,000? Maybe more if we are doing well.
3,000 buying a stream at £10 (and who knows, the price may go up next year) is worth a lot more than 400 diehards paying £20.
As I've said, the challenge is to make streaming as profitable as possible. Pretending you can stop it now it has happened will not happen.
So you think we would take 400 to accy midweek if the game was to be streamed.
It's the Saturday 3pm games that are the issue at hand though. You can already broadcast midweek games, Sky show every Championship midweek game on the red button and they have the rights to show L1 and L2 games but don't because it's not profitable for them.
Honestly I don't think streaming games would make much difference to our midweek away following. I reckon 95% are going for the whole experience rather than the 90 minutes. The people that would pay to stream it would be those that aren't likely to go anyway imo.
CAST have simply agreed with the club that we will provide some thoughts / have a discussion regarding streaming in future. Thomas himself said at Bromley Addicks meeting, I believe, that he would like to continue Charlton TV.
We are fully aware of the commercial aspects- it can only be a possibility if structured in a way that makes sense for clubs/EFL, fans and broadcasters. I can envisage something making more sense in L1/2 - where few games are broadcast live so it is potentially an incremental revenue opportunity - than it does in the Championship.
Feel free to email thoughts to secretary@castrust.org.
PS We have been actively supporting the season ticket campaign and CAST is open to all Charlton fans from Plumstead to Prague or Sevenoaks to Stockholm via Shetland.
Yes, he did say that. And he also looked extremely annoyed when the Chair of the meeting said it might not be possible to do it next season because of the 3.00pm blackout. His response to that was "we'll have to see about changing that then"
He's a highly successful businessman and can see which way the wind is blowing.
Do you see the likes of Rochdale, Accrington, Cheltenham etc voting for streaming to continue next season?
Why not?
How many fans do you think we will take to Accrington next year, particularly if its played midweek? 400 top?.
How many of our fans do you think would pay £10 to watch a stream? 2/3,000? Maybe more if we are doing well.
3,000 buying a stream at £10 (and who knows, the price may go up next year) is worth a lot more than 400 diehards paying £20.
As I've said, the challenge is to make streaming as profitable as possible. Pretending you can stop it now it has happened will not happen.
So you think we would take 400 to accy midweek if the game was to be streamed.
It's the Saturday 3pm games that are the issue at hand though. You can already broadcast midweek games, Sky show every Championship midweek game on the red button and they have the rights to show L1 and L2 games but don't because it's not profitable for them.
Honestly I don't think streaming games would make much difference to our midweek away following. I reckon 95% are going for the whole experience rather than the 90 minutes. The people that would pay to stream it would be those that aren't likely to go anyway imo.
Which implies we need to make matchday tickets cheaper, and streaming more expensive. IF you can find a way of combating piracy
I tell you one thing in favour - Thomas lives abroad so the stream is his main way of watching matches. I reckon he’ll want up keep it going just for his own viewing pleasure. Might revert to only being available for overseas fans though.
The Charlton TV stream has been a lifeline for me. Watched every game. I am not able to get to The Valley as its now 200 miles away and ill health prevents me travelling. After 55 years supporting us, I hope it continues even if it’s better than SKY production is scaled back a bit.
Charge the same price as attending the game, but offer free chips to all those that turn up at the Valley, after all 11 or so chips wont cost the club a fortune.
I believe there is going to be an EFL meeting with the clubs to discuss this. Hopefully some sort of accommodation can be reached between the clubs, the authorities and other interested parties, as it would be a tremendous shame to lose this excellent service.
Perhaps the Trust could petition the club to keep this going. I’m sure Thomas would understand why it would be a popular decision.
It's on the list of a few things we're talking with the club about. The main hurdle is likely to be the EFL's broadcast deal which I believe prohibits streaming of Sat 3pm matches in UK & Ireland and still has at least a couple of years to run. It was changed specifically and only because of Covid. But let's see - you would hope something could be worked out for the benefit of all parties given the sucess of streaming in general and Charlton TV in particular.
I cannot believe 'the trust' are backing the idea of the continuation of the live streaming matches when fans are allowed back in stadiums, this will lead to a decline in attendances & will kill lower league & non league clubs. We have already have the opportunity of seeing all the goals/ highlights on Quest tv & Sky, something that was never available years ago. The trust should be helping the club sell season tickets to people in SE London & kent rather than worrying about people who have deserted the local area or cannot be bothered to leave their homes to support their team.
Last paragraph is a bit harsh but the rest is spot on.
Why not allow Man U vs Liverpool also to be live on streaming at 3pm on Saturday for everyone to watch for £10
You could probably count on one hand the number of times United and Liverpool are given 3pm Saturday games during a season but even so, using them as the example do you seriously think fans of those clubs can't stream games?
Any fan with a VPN can sign up to Bein sports connect for about 15 quid a month and watch games from all of the top leagues across Europe as well as every single premier league game.
Before Covid, England was pretty much the only country in the world that doesn't show live games at 3pm.
I'm more than happy to pay the same price for the stream as the cost of normal match tickets
£15 per match may be the optimum price for Valley pass next season if it gets the go ahead. Just feels like we have reached a water shed moment where we need the crowd and sofa watchers to dovetail and help the revenue stream of our club and other teams at our level. No ticket should be over £20 in League 1 for admission, as we still need bums on seats or feet on terraces.
I have watched every match on Valley pass since the lower leagues were shut down on 5/11/20 I Had watched 20 or so matches live, mainly my local team Whyteleafe, but also Cray wanderers (at Bromley's ground) and other clubs lower down in the pyramid from August to November 5th.
Since I knocked drinking on the head the away trips don't seem to be as attractive as they used to be so I would still buy Valley pass for away games, and go to the home games though a freezing cold Tuesday night at home to Fleetwood would be more enjoyable at home listening to the dulcet tones of Scott and Curbs than the Hour drive or the bus and two trains to get to the valley.
The powers that be, need to get the balance right with the Dichotomy between the stadium and the home. Both are needed going forward and it will be best if it's a marriage not a divorce.
Why not allow Man U vs Liverpool also to be live on streaming at 3pm on Saturday for everyone to watch for £10
You could probably count on one hand the number of times United and Liverpool are given 3pm Saturday games during a season but even so, using them as the example do you seriously think fans of those clubs can't stream games?
Any fan with a VPN can sign up to Bein sports connect for about 15 quid a month and watch games from all of the top leagues across Europe as well as every single premier league game.
Before Covid, England was pretty much the only country in the world that doesn't show live games at 3pm.
Yep, pre-COVID, I could watch more live televised games living in Canada than I could living in England. Kind of a weird situation, although the reasoning to try and preserve live attendances at smaller clubs makes sense.
I don't see the IFollow/Valley Pass service being a threat to match day attendances particularly. Maybe for cold rainy mid-week games it might encourage a few to stay home in the warm, but anyone watching Charlton vs Rochdale online probably either can't attend the game or is a fairly hardcore supporter who would prefer to be at the match. I can't see many people who would normally attend a low profile match like that opting to watch it on TV instead. If anything, you might actually get a bit more revenue because people who wouldn't normally go to the trouble of attending the match might find the time to tune in for the stream.
Being able to stream the games form abroad is massive for me, it's honestly often the highlight of my week, even before COVID hit, but I would never choose to watch online a game I could easily attend in person.
The problem with away trips is it can be quite expensive and take up the whole day. Not such a problem when you are young and are going for a day out with your mates, but when you get responsibilities it gets harder to justify. I would imagine those that enjoy away trips won't see Valley Pass or I follow as an alternative. Week night trips to Rotherham are even harder to justify.
I can see how there may be a negative pressure on home games though but money to be made for away games. This is probably the big issue to solve. If say, fans can only watch away games, legally. What is to stop them piggy backing on the away streams to watch their team at home? Maybe the solution is to sell the games as an away season ticket only or even in groups of four or five. I wouldn't fancy paying for all Crewe's away games just to watch the Valley game.
My view is that a live stream would not stop me going to the valley, especially as tickets at league 1 level are pretty decent. As good as the service is now, I’m not sure anything compares to the real thing.
Whilst I understand the arguments being made against the service continuing, it is a huge lifesaver for us overseas, especially for my kids and ensuring they grow up with the bond I did with Charlton. I know nothing compares to the real thing but sitting down to watch the game after dinner at the weekend is the highlight of my (and more importantly my son’s).
A mix of work and location mean that it is tricky for me to get to The Valley, so I have absolutely loved the stream this season. For several years I have paid to listen to games online, and with the ramped up coverage I have paid extra to watch the games.
I have certainly spent a lot more with the club than I have for several years.
I totally understand the need for the numbers to work for the club, but if they can be made to do so, I would be eager to keep watching. If the price went up to £15, I would pay that (the service currently does feel like it is worth more than £10 compared to other clubs), but I would prefer to be able to buy an online-only season ticket.
The problem with away trips is it can be quite expensive and take up the whole day. Not such a problem when you are young and are going for a day out with your mates, but when you get responsibilities it gets harder to justify. I would imagine those that enjoy away trips won't see Valley Pass or I follow as an alternative. Week night trips to Rotherham are even harder to justify.
I can see how there may be a negative pressure on home games though but money to be made for away games. This is probably the big issue to solve. If say, fans can only watch away games, legally. What is to stop them piggy backing on the away streams to watch their team at home? Maybe the solution is to sell the games as an away season ticket only or even in groups of four or five. I wouldn't fancy paying for all Crewe's away games just to watch the Valley game.
Would be gutted if we can't travel for away games next Season as always look forward to them and was hoping to visit new grounds like Cheltenham If we are not allowed to travel perhaps the club could open up Crossbars and we could watch on the tv screens.500 paying a fiver and paying for beers is surely more revenue for the club than charging £10 and watching at home
The problem with away trips is it can be quite expensive and take up the whole day. Not such a problem when you are young and are going for a day out with your mates, but when you get responsibilities it gets harder to justify. I would imagine those that enjoy away trips won't see Valley Pass or I follow as an alternative. Week night trips to Rotherham are even harder to justify.
I can see how there may be a negative pressure on home games though but money to be made for away games. This is probably the big issue to solve. If say, fans can only watch away games, legally. What is to stop them piggy backing on the away streams to watch their team at home? Maybe the solution is to sell the games as an away season ticket only or even in groups of four or five. I wouldn't fancy paying for all Crewe's away games just to watch the Valley game.
Been really happy with the coverage this season, despite a few dodgy pieces of camerawork. At the start of the season, I decided against buying a season ticket at £140 as I didn't think I'd watch enough games. I ended up paying close to twice that amount! Although I could have accessed a dodgy stream, I preferred the guaranteed stability, the pre-match, post-match and half-time talks and I'm happy to support the club.
I hope something similar is in place next year as it's a way for those of us living far away to regain an affiliation with the club. One way or another I'll have a season ticket for next season: probably a proper ticket for The Valley but if I'm still in Thailand I will definitely get a Valley Pass season ticket if it's available.
The problem with away trips is it can be quite expensive and take up the whole day. Not such a problem when you are young and are going for a day out with your mates, but when you get responsibilities it gets harder to justify. I would imagine those that enjoy away trips won't see Valley Pass or I follow as an alternative. Week night trips to Rotherham are even harder to justify.
I can see how there may be a negative pressure on home games though but money to be made for away games. This is probably the big issue to solve. If say, fans can only watch away games, legally. What is to stop them piggy backing on the away streams to watch their team at home? Maybe the solution is to sell the games as an away season ticket only or even in groups of four or five. I wouldn't fancy paying for all Crewe's away games just to watch the Valley game.
Comments
Honestly I don't think streaming games would make much difference to our midweek away following. I reckon 95% are going for the whole experience rather than the 90 minutes. The people that would pay to stream it would be those that aren't likely to go anyway imo.
away games would therefore be a start + would love to see some sort of 'pitchside' programme on the big screen for home games.
Any fan with a VPN can sign up to Bein sports connect for about 15 quid a month and watch games from all of the top leagues across Europe as well as every single premier league game.
Before Covid, England was pretty much the only country in the world that doesn't show live games at 3pm.
£15 per match may be the optimum price for Valley pass next season if it gets the go ahead.
Just feels like we have reached a water shed moment where we need the crowd and sofa watchers to dovetail and help the revenue stream of our club and other teams at our level. No ticket should be over £20 in League 1 for admission, as we still need bums on seats or feet on terraces.
I have watched every match on Valley pass since the lower leagues were shut down on 5/11/20
I Had watched 20 or so matches live, mainly my local team Whyteleafe, but also Cray wanderers (at Bromley's ground) and other clubs lower down in the pyramid from August to November 5th.
Since I knocked drinking on the head the away trips don't seem to be as attractive as they used to be so I would still buy Valley pass for away games, and go to the home games though a freezing cold Tuesday night at home to Fleetwood would be more enjoyable at home listening to the dulcet tones of Scott and Curbs than the Hour drive or the bus and two trains to get to the valley.
The powers that be, need to get the balance right with the Dichotomy between the stadium and the home. Both are needed going forward and it will be best if it's a marriage not a divorce.
I can see how there may be a negative pressure on home games though but money to be made for away games. This is probably the big issue to solve. If say, fans can only watch away games, legally. What is to stop them piggy backing on the away streams to watch their team at home? Maybe the solution is to sell the games as an away season ticket only or even in groups of four or five. I wouldn't fancy paying for all Crewe's away games just to watch the Valley game.
Whilst I understand the arguments being made against the service continuing, it is a huge lifesaver for us overseas, especially for my kids and ensuring they grow up with the bond I did with Charlton. I know nothing compares to the real thing but sitting down to watch the game after dinner at the weekend is the highlight of my (and more importantly my son’s).
If we are not allowed to travel perhaps the club could open up Crossbars and we could watch on the tv screens.500 paying a fiver and paying for beers is surely more revenue for the club than charging £10 and watching at home