FulhamFCTV – A warning of what could be ahead

[Rhys Lightning 63]

So, for the first time in three years, (as sung by Hello) I'm back, back in the blogging groooooove

So with my first blog back, I decided to look into the planned FulhamFCTV channel that is set to be launching soon, and look at what it means

http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=522

[JoelH5]

Good read mate

[WhiteJC]

points well reasoned  :54:

[dannyboi-ffc]

Nice one, the blog is so underused. Your article is on newsnow.

[HatterDon]

took you long enough! Well done!

[RaySmith]

Well written, incisive comments.

A very relevant blog.

[Neil D]

You need to spell this out for me: are we going to be charged to view the match highlights currently available for free on the official site?  Anyone have an idea what this charge might be?

[Neil D]

You need to spell this out for me: are we going to be charged to view the match highlights currently available for free on the official site?  Anyone have an idea what this charge might be?

Just read the other thread on this topic so am now able to answer my own question: 'Yes, you pillock, and no.'

[Nero]

Think this has nothing to do with parachute payments running out and more to do with the new bloke from man utd. So you want to see what ok how much can I charge you, you've brought a kit yes that was for the pre-season friendlies here the new league home kit

[JIMMY D]

Will this include FFC RADIO?

[filham]

OK, so the prime reason for all of this is to improve the club finances which is understandable but the bottom line for most of us is how much is it going to cost us fans, any ideas.

[MJG]

Just to say its not only about finances, its also that the FL were not happy with us showing the full games for free.

[Bill2]

An interesting read, thanks for the posting. Not sure it really tells me a great deal, it mentions how much clubs pay on average of £30 per month, a total of £360  per year. Is that really going to the difference between promotion and relegation.

The words re push for promotion are two seasons too late and with fans having put up with relegation fights for the last three seasons i think they have some cheek in what they say.

All I know for sure is that if I want to see any highlights especially for away games I am going to have have to pay for the privilege to watch a couple of minutes of poor quality video taken on someones phone while trying to dance an Irish jig at the same time from a place a considerable distance from the pitch.

Also from what I have seen what they currently show are roughly what you can see on that awful C4 highlights show.

[Rhys Lightning 63]

Just to say its not only about finances, its also that the FL were not happy with us showing the full games for free.

Yeah, you probably know more about the finances of the club than me, I was just taking 2+2 to make 5 and then adding words to it... But hey, that's modern journalism

[toshes mate]

Thanks for the blog, Rhys, it helps to know why the changes are occurring.  I would be happy to pay to watch comprehensive match coverage but if I read Sarah Brookes commentary correctly the Club is forking out an average £30 per month for the required licenses as are all others in the EFL scheme.  That is the equivalent of getting one additional fan in a seat at one home match on twelve occasions a year to cover the whole annual cost, a process much more likely to occur if a potential fan can watch a video of previous games and say 'hey must see this team live at the Cottage'.  Even if the whole cost of TV cameras, recording equipment, editing, and web posting is taken into account, the amounts involved should be manageable by a business that relies on customers.  And so there is much more to this than SB's explanation.  Fulham needs to be in the PL to survive as it is at the moment - ground in affluent area of London, high outgoings before they even kick a ball - and in an atmosphere of declining interest because of four years of failure.   The whole thing is political as well as economics and helps to put yet another edge on the Riverside development delay. 

The Club must invest in its fans before it can expect them to turn up in their droves to add to income.  It is penny pinching as it stands unless there are added benefits such as live game streaming etc. to be added to the mix.             

[hovewhite]

Great read ,not sure about the reasons and sounds cock and bull to me.

[Rhys Lightning 63]

My understanding of Sarah's wording, is that £29.99 is what the cubs charge the fans to view the content, rather than what the Football League charges each club.

I doubt the Football League would be cheeky enough to ask clubs for £360 ish a year

[NogoodBoyo]

GBP29.99 is an outrageously high monthly fee if that's what other clubs are charging.  I wouldn't pay anything above GBP10 per month.  The right sum would be between GBP5-10 per month (as per Netflix, HBO Now, Showtime, etc.  And I would argue that those subscription channels have provided much better entertainment than have FFC over the last three years.
Nogood "not worth it - to me anyway, see" Boyo

[cmg]

Ever since Greed became Good, giving stuff away for free has never been a preferred business strategy. We are lucky that the internet was established by geeks otherwise you can bet your Copa Mondials that we would have been paying through the nostrils just to access it from Day One.

All the sides that were in the Championship last year, apart from us, provided highlights and various other video stuff on subscription. The price tended to be less than £5 per month (less than that on annual subscription). So all we are doing is falling into line with the rest.

What 'our' package will include we will have to wait and see - but some teams include live coverage of u21(u23) matches.
There is no way in the world that live coverage of 1st team matches would be included. That's what Rupe and the big boys pay megabucks for. And in any case it would have an adverse effect on gates if sold in the domestic market.

It's a bit jarring to have to pay for something that we once got for free - but some have never had it for free.

I have no idea of the income from this sort of thing, but I can't imagine it would have a major impact on the club's finances.