What Impact Will These TV Changes Have On The English Game?

[White Noise]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17950726


Premier League televised football packages up for grabs


More live Premier League games will be shown from 2013-14 season



The Premier League has issued an invitation to tender for the domestic UK broadcast rights for the 2013-14 to 2015-16 football seasons.

It says 154 matches will be shown live on TV each season from 2013-14 - 16 more than currently broadcast and more than 40% of all top-level matches

The extra 16 live games comes as matches are moved away from Saturday 3pm kick-off times, due to Europa League involvement or police advice.

No 3pm kick-offs can be shown live.

The 154 games will be split into seven packages comprising five packages of 26 matches and two packages of 12 matches. No one buyer will be allowed to buy more than five packages or 116 matches.

The current rights are held by Sky and ESPN, and a challenge from Al Jazeera is also expected this time round.

"This creates a more attractive and compelling offering for both broadcasters and fans; whilst allowing the continued protection of the Saturday 3pm 'closed window' and minimising further displacement of Premier League fixtures," said the league.

Another sales process will be conducted for two "near live" packages each containing 226 matches, and an internet-based clips package for all 380 matches.

[TonyGilroy]

How is it more attractive to fans who will have to do without some matches or pay extra providers.

I have Sky but not ESPN. I'm not prepared to pay Al Jezzera or anyone else for football and I'm only "loyal" to Sky because I want the cricket.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

They should broadcast all games on TV, then I would consider getting sky.

I have had sky in the past, but always split the cost with housemates, now I live with just my gf, it is a ridiculous cost.

The internet provides me with as much football as sky and more for £6.00 every 3 months. Now that is value.

[MJG]

I think the FA should keep the providers down to two or three companies.
You could have 5 different companies showing games which would be bloody stupid.
for example any of these could have a go at getting games.
BBC
ITV
Sky
ESPN
Al Jazeera
C5
C4

I also think the internet is an area the clubs/FA could look at games.
For a proper stream how much would you pay to watch an away game? £5-£10

[The Equalizer]

Televised Premier League Football - keeping me in the pub since 1992.  078.gif

[F(f)CUK]

Televised Premier League Football - keeping me in the pub since 1992.  078.gif

The best thing is to keep me out of the pub.  I am in my mid forties and have been supporting Fulham almost all my life.  I go to all home games, but no longer travel away.  I therefore try to watch as many games as possible on TV (either at houses of friends or relatives, or the pub).  I believe that I still have a 100% record of never seeing Fulham win when I have been inside a pub watching a game.  I watched Fulham beat Arsenal at home in an outside bar, but I have never seen them win indoors.

[White Noise]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-04/premier-league-rights-sale-to-yield-record-154-live-u-k-matches.html


Premier League Rights Sale to Yield Record 154 Live U.K. Matches


By Tariq Panja - May 4, 2012 1:02 AM GMT+0100


Premier League soccer fans in the U.K. will be able to watch more live matches than ever before from the 2013-14 season after organizers put a record 154 games up for sale to broadcasters.

The increase from 138 games under existing contracts forms part of a new tender process for broadcast rights announced last night by soccer's richest domestic competition. The league had considered scrapping a domestic sale after a court ruled U.K. viewers could buy decoders from other European countries where games are available cheaper.

The league's current three-year agreements are worth 1.78 billion pounds ($2.88 billion) and dominated by BSkyB Plc (BSY), which won rights to broadcast 115 matches each season from 2010 to 2013. Walt Disney Co. (DIS)'s ESPN has the other 23 games. Yesterday's invitation to tender for the 2013-2016 rights split matches into seven packages, five of 26 games and two of 12 each.

"No single buyer will be allowed to acquire more than 116 matches," the league said in an e-mailed statement. "This creates a more attractive and compelling offering for both broadcasters and fans."

Premier League teams including record 19-time English champion Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool draw millions of viewers from around the world. The April 30 match between United and Manchester City was available to more than 650 million homes in 212 territories, according to the league.

The current global rights are worth 1.4 billion pounds, more than some rival leagues make from their domestic contracts. The overseas broadcast sale will start after the U.K. negotiations conclude around June.

Sky's Scene

Sky Sports has dominated the English soccer market since the Premier League's inception in 1992. Rival broadcaster Setanta collapsed in 2009 and paved the way for ESPN, which shares rights to England's F.A. Cup competition with ITV Plc (ITV) and also screens Italian, German and Dutch league matches.

Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, Apple Inc. and Google Inc. (GOOG) are potential bidders for the rights to the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, according to U.K. media reports.

Richard Scudamore, the Premier League's chief executive officer, said March 30 that his organization's long relationship with Sky wouldn't affect the bidding process.

"Ultimately whatever umbilical cord there might be as an ongoing working commercial relationship gets severed as the invitation to tender gets issued," he told a gathering of sports industry professionals at Bloomberg's London headquarters that included Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis. "Once we're in the process, there's nothing they can do other than being the best bidder to win those rights."

Bundesliga Record

Last month, Sky's German affiliate Sky Deutschland paid a record 2.5 billion euros, a 53 percent increase on the previous contract, to buy Bundesliga soccer rights for the four years through 2017.

Scudamore delayed releasing the tender document as his organization digested the implications of last year's antitrust ruling by the European Court of Justice stating homeowners could purchase decoders showing foreign broadcasts. The increase in domestic matches may mean a reduction in the number of games broadcast in Europe to prevent U.K.-based fans buying foreign content.

The Premier League is also inviting bids for a free-to-air highlights package.

The league said the sales structure allows the continued protection of a longstanding agreement where live games cannot be televised in the U.K. at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, when the majority of the 92 English professional league clubs play.

"The Saturday 3 p.m. 'closed window' is an agreement whereby leagues and associations do not televise matches at the traditional time football is played in their country in order to protect attendance and participation at all levels of the game," the Premier League said.

[Berserker]

I think the FA should keep the providers down to two or three companies.
You could have 5 different companies showing games which would be bloody stupid.
for example any of these could have a go at getting games.
BBC
ITV
Sky
ESPN
Al Jazeera
C5
C4

I also think the internet is an area the clubs/FA could look at games.
For a proper stream how much would you pay to watch an away game? £5-£10

Well I've started to use the radio option more as I can do other things at the same time. Also I don't have ESPN or Sky, and don't intend to get either of them.

[Mr_Moon]

Well I've started to use the radio option more as I can do other things at the same time. Also I don't have ESPN or Sky, and don't intend to get either of them.

With the Internet it's ever so easy to watch whatever game you like, it's great. We have Virgin Media (craaaap) at home but you can get ESPN for £6 or £8 a month with them, I really like it as they show football from a range of countries from it. Rather keep ESPN than Sky tbh.

[Blingo]

Dubai sports is the one to have over here, all premiership matches shown and you can actually select which one you want to watch on your TV for £100 a year. Of course you have to have a sat dish and humax box.

[Berserker]

Well I've started to use the radio option more as I can do other things at the same time. Also I don't have ESPN or Sky, and don't intend to get either of them.

With the Internet it's ever so easy to watch whatever game you like, it's great. We have Virgin Media (craaaap) at home but you can get ESPN for £6 or £8 a month with them, I really like it as they show football from a range of countries from it. Rather keep ESPN than Sky tbh.

I was talking over Virgin media with my other half but he thinks you have to have a cable in your street to link up to which we haven't

[Mr_Moon]

I was talking over Virgin media with my other half but he thinks you have to have a cable in your street to link up to which we haven't

I think we had the drive partly dug up to get a cable fixed (I'm a student so away from home) from the street. Virgin is shiite anyway but I was just emphasising my point. Saying that, I streamed the Fulham - Everton game onto my laptop then onto the TV last week and my dad who pays the bills ( :011:) was asking why we pay £X amount for Sky a month. Granted the coverage really good on Sky, it is a lot of money.

I guess it depends on what you want. I could happily go half a season or so without watching Premier League fixtures except Fulham. I did a month on English football fullstop, including us lot. Missed Pog's start including first half against Wolves (Rome derby was on).

Keeping on topic. The Premier League can only win. That woman from Pompey may have won the rights to show the games but the Premier League have won everything around it. F off football.

[MrFantastic]

none I will be watching Belgian league next season so I don't care I hope you have a good laugh