What comes first

[Peabody]

The interests of the paying paying fans or the interests of Sky and it's customers? With the move of our game against Sunderland to a Friday evening,bothis has upset quite a few of our paying supporters but will, in all probability, please a lot of our Sky watching fans. So again, I ask, what comes first?

[Stevieboy]

Unfortunately the only thing that comes first is money !

[toshes mate]

Like all entertainments in this day and age the needs of those owning an industry by far outweigh the needs of those who pay for it to happen.  The modest and enthusiastic risk taking of those who pay to be entertained were forgotten long ago.  If the industry cannot please you it will please someone else instead.  The breakaway groups we see these days are about exclusivity and not inclusion, a sad reflection of how damaged our species is.   

[Bill2]

Feel sorry for all those Sunderland fans who have brought travel tickets for the Saturday and now can't use them. Also those who do treck down for the game, can they get a train back. I know when going to Sunderland for a midweek game on the Club coach, got home at 6:00 in the morning. So to answer the question in an odd way is that the fans who actually go to the games come last.

[Carborundum]

Sky comes first.

For those who go the the games, the Yin Yang of it all is that when we are mediocre, Sky isn't particularly interested in Fulham and Saturday afternoon fixtures are much more common.  When we are playing great stuff, the fixtures get messed around.

Personally I like an evening kickoff. It's the lunchtime ones that irk.

[MJG]

Sky's money.
Maybe not for an individual game but their overall packages.
It really is as simple as that.

[Southcoastffc]

Sky's money.
Maybe not for an individual game but their overall packages.
It really is as simple as that.

Exactly.  It's not between "upset quite a few of our paying supporters but will, in all probability, please a lot of our Sky watching fans." It's SKY worldwide.

[Robbie]

See my other post. This is really annoying, and I live in London !

[ChesterTheTabby]

As a paying international subscriber to FFCTV Sky must come first. Fulham is a London based organization and the fact that those in England can't watch FFCTV due to television laws is heinous. I can watch the live game in the States on ESPN3 anyway. If this means those who cannot aren't the game in person can watch the Mighty Whites then so be it!

[filham]

Remember the old saying "He who pays the piper calls the tune", well the Sky money in football is enormous so they are making big decisions to suit themselves. They need to be a little more considerate though as they may find that if enough of us stop listening to their piper the tune will have to change.

[Riverside]

The answer is clearly TV money

Given how clear that answer is how far off is the live screening of 3pm Saturday matches ?
And would it really drop attendances at matches - not just those screened but others in the same league or even in lower divisions .

(I personally go to the games whether they are on TV or not . And anyway going to the 3 pm game means I cannot see the games at 12.30 or 17.30 and I don't mind) .

Take this Sunderland match as an example . I would be so much happier - and be able to go - if the match was at still at 3pm on Saturday . And whether it was on TV or not would not change or even tempt me to not go .

[Twig]

it is an inevitable result of our success.  It will be the same next season when we are in the prem challenging for a Champions League slot (sorry matron ust have given me too many pills this afternoon).  I checked and of our final 7 (yes 7) home games not one will have been a traditional 3 pm Saturday ko.  My wife and I are lucky we can get to matches whatever day and time they get scheduled for but I really miss the classic Saturday afternoon games.

[Southcoastffc]

Remember the old saying "He who pays the piper calls the tune", well the Sky money in football is enormous so they are making big decisions to suit themselves. They need to be a little more considerate though as they may find that if enough of us stop listening to their piper the tune will have to change.

'....enough of us stop listening to their piper ' is the key.  I wonder what the profile is of Sky's viewing figures worldwide?  How many UK viewers v India, South Africa, the whole of Scandinavia to name but 3 pretty fanatical areas?  A cursory look online brings this 2016 comment:

The EPL is carried by 80 broadcasters in 212 territories worldwide, and an average game is watched by over 12 million people.

[alfie]

This is a big issue, we also have to consider where a few of the smaller teams will be without the Sky money, not that they get a lot but it does help them survive, personally I like a 2pm Sunday game suits me just fine as not always easy to get to Saturday game.
We all have our preferences, so is always someone who will have a problem.

[SG]

Was to be my grandsons first game. But not now with a 10 ish finish and a 90 minute journey home

[Mince n Tatties]

Disgusting....Our final home game of the season(not playoffs) and its a Friday night...Aaaaargh

[Andy S]

Get used to it people if we get promoted the game will come a all kinds of days and times

[HatterDon]

this has been going on for at least a decade

but every time it happens, it's like it's the first time anyone has ever heard of it

[toshes mate]

this has been going on for at least a decade

but every time it happens, it's like it's the first time anyone has ever heard of it

+1
At least for as long as TV money has been calling the shots.

[King_Crud]

this has been going on for at least a decade

but every time it happens, it's like it's the first time anyone has ever heard of it

It wouldn't be so bad if they did what they do in Germany or Spain, where game times aren't given until a set period before that weekend, I believe in Germany it's 6 weeks ahead. The biggest problem here is people get the impression the game is at 3pm Saturday, make plans accordingly, then it's changed a month ahead of schedule.