Topic: Al Jazeera-Apple could challenge Sky for TV rights

[INABITSKI]

Can't think off the top of my head what would be better right now.

This season we have had probably 80% of our games shown live and would be as many next season if not more with Europe.

If you go all home games, most of our aways are on the box and for the one or two that aren't you can watch on a decent stream. Only issue is the cost, can't really see them bumping up prices and pricing out people who already struggle to get by as it is.

[stevo7]

How I would love an ITV digital collapse of Sky as Premier league sides negoiate thier own online content deals, worldwide.

Hope it happens before Mudoch is in the grave.

[Babel Time]

Yeah. Much like getting shat on from a great height while a second party comes in and punches you in the bollocks.

Ideally I was hoping that they would shit on each other whilst punching themsleves in the balls. Then again sometimes I am a tad too optimistic.

In all seriousness, as many have pointeed out, this will only be benefical if they show the same matches. Then again if the curently available matches (+maybe a few more) were to be split among three providers with zero overlap it would be a fucking nightmare. For some reason anti-monopoly laws/regulations don't seem to apply in this instance.

[Fordy]

Sky's technology is their biggest strength now.  It used to be all about the football, but not now.

Sky Plus, the HD channels etc. are their biggest USP's.

If another channel had the rights, they would need cable and satellite broadcasters to air their channel, so people would still sign up to it, they would 'just' have to give the rights winner a fee for each subscription.

The effect it will all have is that prices to view all premierleague matches would be ridiculous (if they aren't already) as you'd pay for Sky Sports and the new channel.

The biggest threat to Sky is online streaming.  Broadcasting through their satellite network could become redundant, but I think we're some way from that yet, as the current internet structure couldn't cope with the quality of image that we get through cable and satellite.

In the short term, be prepared to pay out a load if you want all the football on your TV in 18 months time.

Better boxes that sky + on the market now. Sky haven't advanced that at all.

HD is available with others just that sky charge for HD which is a total joke

Sky have no USPS apart from their channels- lose football at they're fucked.

[Jimmy Conway]

I watch LFC games on Al Jazeera now, on LOF and FSS.

[greenone]

How I would love an ITV digital collapse of Sky as Premier league sides negoiate thier own online content deals, worldwide.

Hope it happens before Mudoch is in the grave.

Yeah, because that works really well in Spain. 

We'd do well out of it but it would destroy the small sembalance of competetion in the League completely bar the few at the top.

[INABITSKI]

Yeah, because that works really well in Spain. 

We'd do well out of it but it would destroy the small sembalance of competetion in the League completely bar the few at the top.

Worth a read.

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/search/label/Liverpool

[greenone]

Worth a read.

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/search/label/Liverpool

It should be altered to be based on league postion. My point is we don't want to end up like Spain where you have Barca and Real making shitloads and the rest of the league barely making enough from TV revenue to pay the electric bill.

[stevo7]

Yeah, because that works really well in Spain. 

We'd do well out of it but it would destroy the small sembalance of competetion in the League completely bar the few at the top.

That was destroyed when Utd became a PLC and the 1st divsion became the Premier League. Sky destroyed a competitive league no matter how they sell it.
So karma when they go bust.

I loved it when QPR, Ipswich, Derby, Watford throughout the70's & 80's challenged, based on the managers ability to build and organise a team.

[greenone]

I loved it when QPR, Ipswich, Derby, Watford throughout the70's & 80's challenged, based on the managers ability to build and organise a team.

And you think scrapping the collective TV agreement will help bring that back?

[INABITSKI]

It should be altered to be based on league postion. My point is we don't want to end up like Spain where you have Barca and Real making shitloads and the rest of the league barely making enough from TV revenue to pay the electric bill.

Yeah I know, which is what that article goes into detail about. But with the clubs over here expecting more money from over seas rights. We make more than clubs down the bottom of the league based on the fact we are shown more and they get the bare minimum amount of games.

[stevo7]

And you think scrapping the collective TV agreement will help bring that back?

And do you think that those teams ever have a chance of finishing 2nd ever again under Sky?
Skys business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise overseas revenue will be affected.
Sky couldnt have sold the 1st Divsion with Man Utd getting relegated. 

[please, I have my reasons for it but...]

Just for the record, Al Jazeera bought the Arab Radio & Television Network (ART) who had the exclusive rights for the 2010 World Cup for about 2 billion Euros to show the following three World Cup, if they want to take the broadcasting rights of the Premier League and they're really keen to do that and become the number 1 sports network worldwide, it would be too easy for them to be honest.

If I were Sky, I'd have a lot of worries about my future.

[greenone]

And do you think that those teams ever have a chance of finishing 2nd ever again under Sky?
Skys business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise overseas revenue will be affected.
Sky couldnt have sold the 1st Divsion with Man Utd getting relegated.

Sky doesn't give a shit about overseas revenue. They only hold the UK rights, hence the legal battle with Karen Murphy about using foreign decoders in the UK.

[Upinsmoke]

It would just cost me more money. I'd have to have sky just to access the channel then whatever amounts they want monthly on top of my subscription like espn (which I refuse to pay for).

Or have I got this completely wrong?

[stevo7]

Sky doesn't give a shit about overseas revenue. They only hold the UK rights, hence the legal battle with Karen Murphy about using foreign decoders in the UK.

Apologies - the Premier League business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise overseas revenue will be affected.
Skys business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise subscriptions & advertsiing revenue would be affected.

Again do you think that those teams ever have a chance of finishing 2nd ever again under Sky?

[stevo7]

It would just cost me more money. I'd have to have sky just to access the channel then whatever amounts they want monthly on top of my subscription like espn (which I refuse to pay for).

Or have I got this completely wrong?

I've watched nearly every Liverpool game for last 4 years when I havent gone the match. Never had Sky. All watched online for free.

[greenone]

Apologies - the Premier League business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise overseas revenue will be affected.
Skys business model is based on the big teams remaining in the top 4 - otherwise subscriptions & advertsiing revenue would be affected.

Again do you think that those teams ever have a chance of finishing 2nd ever again under Sky?

Have Chealsea always been one of the top 4 since the the start of the Premiership? No. City? They were in the 3rd Division. Liverpool? No (sadly). Spurs? No. Arsenal? No although not far off. I don't remember the Premier League complaining about their business model failing.
Back in the day Sky was based soley on the football but they have diversified into other areas so that these days the football coverage is the cherry on the cake not the base of the cake itself.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Sky have no USPS apart from their channels- lose football at they're fucked.

do you reckon loads of people will switch from sky boxes if al jazeera or whoever has a PL channel on the sky platform? reckon the ones that could fuck them is google/apple tv getting broadband rights and offering them for less than sky sports

[Dubit10]

Please make it happen. Hate everything sky has done to football.

[Fordy]

do you reckon loads of people will switch from sky boxes if al jazeera or whoever has a PL channel on the sky platform? reckon the ones that could fuck them is google/apple tv getting broadband rights and offering them for less than sky sports

It's a good question.

sky know that for what ever reason they're not advancing or keeping up.

So at last trying to keep current customers happy but creating new big channels such as sky atlantic and the f1 channel. Leave sky and u lose these plus sky 1 and sky sport news.

It's like sky are trying to protect themselves.

However I would drop them like a stone for who ever is showing the footy and I think many others would.

[Harinder]

the qataris now own

malaga
PSG
canal rights to broadcast champions league games in france
just secured rights or are bidding for the ligue 1?
confirmed interest in united and now this

money really does talk

Back in 2008 I worked at a hedge fund in IT (not the money side). One of the partners kept going to Doha like it was popping down to Tesco for a pint of milk

He came back with them backing him to the hilt in a fund for their sovereign wealth. These guys have some serious old money in the coffers and could crush Sky without thinking about it twice

Great 

[Harinder]

do you reckon loads of people will switch from sky boxes if al jazeera or whoever has a PL channel on the sky platform? reckon the ones that could fuck them is google/apple tv getting broadband rights and offering them for less than sky sports

But I don't think boxes will be an issue here. Would assume Al Jazeera would simply procure channel spaces and carry on via Sky.

The killer blow would be if Al Jazeera just made those sports channels Free to Air.

[SalisburyRed]

The killer blow would be if Al Jazeera just made those sports channels Free to Air.

Why would they do that? They wouldn't make as much money from advertising as they would from subscriptions and they would also likely have to pay a premium for the rights. Why would the Premier League want to sell rights to a broadcaster who's going to show the games free-to-air, knowing that that would mean the games could be watched for free all over Europe?

[west_london_red]

surely if the Al Jazeera did win the rights they could just broadcast the games online and get around having to use Sky etc to distribute the matches the way they do with ESPN now and cut Sky completely out of the equation.

[Harinder]

Why would they do that? They wouldn't make as much money from advertising as they would from subscriptions and they would also likely have to pay a premium for the rights. Why would the Premier League want to sell rights to a broadcaster who's going to show the games free-to-air, knowing that that would mean the games could be watched for free all over Europe?

It would be a great way to piss Sky off 

I don't think the PL would give 2 shits if they got the money as to whether a game was on a free to air channel or subscription based like Sky on the basis of money talking

[SalisburyRed]

It would be a great way to piss Sky off 

I don't think the PL would give 2 shits if they got the money as to whether a game was on a free to air channel or subscription based like Sky on the basis of money talking

They would because one channel showing games free-to-air would reduce the amount that other broadcasters would be willing to pay.

[Harinder]

They would because one channel showing games free-to-air would reduce the amount that other broadcasters would be willing to pay.

If they were beating Sky the amount to pay would be much higher than it is now to get that right in the first place

[campioni]

It would be a great way to piss Sky off 

I don't think the PL would give 2 shits if they got the money as to whether a game was on a free to air channel or subscription based like Sky on the basis of money talking

if it was free to air in the UK then it could easily be picked up for free in other european countries. that would mean satellite companies in europe would not be willing to pay for the rights to show the PL if their customers can get it for free.

[sinnermichael]

Please make it happen. Hate everything sky has done to football.

[Harinder]

if it was free to air in the UK then it could easily be picked up for free in other european countries. that would mean satellite companies in europe would not be willing to pay for the rights to show the PL if their customers can get it for free.

I might be missing something here but don't think i've ever got all UK based FTA channels in say France/Germany

I haven't actually gone looking either. I would have thought the only persons who could recieve would be those on Astra 28.2?

[SalisburyRed]

I might be missing something here but don't think i've ever got all UK based FTA channels in say France/Germany

I haven't actually gone looking either. I would have thought the only persons who could recieve would be those on Astra 28.2?

FTA channels in Western, Central and Eastern Europe tend to be on 13E or 19.2E; Scandinavian channels tend to be on 0.8W or 4.8E. The vast majority of satellite viewers in Europe will not have their dishes trained on 28.2E and won't have motorised dishes. But if people who enjoyed watching Premier League football knew they could do so for free simply by installing a motor on their dish and buying a FTA decoder, I reckon many of them would be on it like a shot.

[Harinder]

FTA channels in Western, Central and Eastern Europe tend to be on 13E or 19.2E; Scandinavian channels tend to be on 0.8W or 4.8E. The vast majority of satellite viewers in Europe will not have their dishes trained on 28.2E and won't have motorised dishes. But if people who enjoyed watching Premier League football knew they could do so for free simply by installing a motor on their dish and buying a FTA decoder, I reckon many of them would be on it like a shot.

Understood but FTA in the UK is on Astra/Eurobird 28.2E no?

It's a hypothetical though in the case of free to air. It would, as stated, be great to piss off Sky.

I wouldn't be able to advocate it as a viable ongoing business model (unless you really don't give two hoots about the money!)

[Rotation]

It should be altered to be based on league postion. My point is we don't want to end up like Spain where you have Barca and Real making shitloads and the rest of the league barely making enough from TV revenue to pay the electric bill.

But at this point the league will become imbalanced due to foreign ownership. If I had to chose between the two I'd rather see us get our fair shake as I think we would get the best deal bar United.

[Alf]

surely if the Al Jazeera did win the rights they could just broadcast the games online and get around having to use Sky etc to distribute the matches the way they do with ESPN now and cut Sky completely out of the equation.

Are you serious, how many people over 40 watch matches via streams?

[lionel_messias]

do you reckon loads of people will switch from sky boxes if al jazeera or whoever has a PL channel on the sky platform? reckon the ones that could fuck them is google/apple tv getting broadband rights and offering them for less than sky sports

Apple TV getting football would be very very interesting. Imagine no subscription fees and maybe paying £4.99 per match or something?

[Wish Matrix]

DO NOT WANT

[NatD]

Happy Days - Al Jazz costs me 5 quid a month so no complaints from me!!!

[Redshadow]

Anything that can end that evil's empire is a god thing, no?

[Redman0151]

That was destroyed when Utd became a PLC and the 1st divsion became the Premier League. Sky destroyed a competitive league no matter how they sell it.
So karma when they go bust.

I loved it when QPR, Ipswich, Derby, Watford throughout the70's & 80's challenged, based on the managers ability to build and organise a team.

So we make it even less competitive by giving the bigger clubs an extra £50m+ a year on TV rights alone, boss.