Should Premier League Saturday 3pm matches should be shown live on TV

[Grapo2001]

A blackout for the local area would just mean all United fans get to see their team and we would miss ours...

 

[SpursManChris]

Virgin Media chief executive says Yes , agree ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-on-TV-says-Virgin-Media-chief-executive.html

All Saturday 3pm Premier League kick-offs should be shown live on television with a “regional blackout” for local fans, the chief executive of Virgin Media has argued.

Tom Mockridge proposed the move as part of a campaign to get every top-flight match shown in the UK, something which saw the company lodge a formal complaint with Ofcom just over a year ago

That prompted Ofcom to launch an investigation last November into how the Premier League sells its broadcast rights, a probe that is ongoing and may not conclude for another 12 months.

Virgin argue the current arrangement, which sees only 41 per cent of matches shown live, are in breach of competition law and have contributed to the spiralling cost-per-game for broadcasters.

The last two UK television deals have witnessed 70 per cent surges in the amount paid by Sky Sports and BT Sport, with the latest contract worth a staggering £5.136 billion.

Some of that increase has been passed on to consumers, including customers of Virgin, which shows both of its rivals’ channels.

Mockridge claimed all matches being made available would reduce the cost-per-game for both Virgin and all armchair fans, warning that doing nothing risked another 70 per cent increase in two years’ time.

There has been a blackout on Saturday 3pm kick-offs being shown live since the 1960s amid fears broadcasting top-flight games at that time would adversely impact on attendances, particularly in lower leagues.

Mockridge suggested amending that to a “regional blackout”, which would prevent Saturday 3pm Manchester United games being shown in the Greater Manchester area and Arsenal fixtures being shown in London.

“We have the technology,” he said, pointing out the National Football League employs a similar system in the United States.

Mockridge branded the current arrangements as “an analogue deal in a digital age” and “a bit nanny state”, arguing consumers should have the choice whether to attend games or watch them on TV.

He rubbished suggestions that would lead to an epidemic of empty seats, claiming the extra money would allow clubs to reduce ticket prices.

“The single biggest impact on attendance is the ticket price,” he said.

Mockridge also argued any drop in attendances at Football League clubs could be offset by bigger solidarity payments from the Premier League.

The joke is, you guys don't even get more than 2 measly games even when it is a mid week round! You only had 2 in the round just gone! Sky has 5 channels plus BT Sport, so its hardly a channel capacity issue for simultaneous kick-offs. Unless lower leagues also had a mid week round on Tuesday/Wednesday, then it would seem to me like there was nothing preventing all matches on TV. The final day of the season too is pathetic, only one or two matches but it is on a Sunday. So I think having all Saturday 3pm matches on TV is not looking likely for you.

 

[SpursManChris]

A blackout for the local area would just mean all United fans get to see their team and we would miss ours...

I think the Mancunian locals would have something to say about that!

 

[nailsy]

I think the Mancunian locals would have something to say about that!

It was a joke Chris. United fans are famous for not coming from Manchester.

 

[SpursManChris]

It was a joke Chris. United fans are famous for not coming from Manchester.

Yeah, I figured he was making a connection to the bandwaggon fans. But I was just making a counter that they are obviously the real fans.

 

[TallBlokePH]

I would definitely get rid of the blackout - and I'd go one further and knock exclusivity on the head too. You sell rights for any match to any company, and anyone else who wants to show it on their channel should be able to buy in too. There really needs to be some competition here as the rulings that led to both BT & Sky having PL rights completely missed the point. It was looked at too much as one overall product, whereas with sports like football the audience is generally more looking for a specific game/team I'd wager. At current, any given game - with a tiny number of exceptions - is only ever on one channel, so there's no real competition between providers.

 

[Tucker]

I would definitely get rid of the blackout - and I'd go one further and knock exclusivity on the head too. You sell rights for any match to any company, and anyone else who wants to show it on their channel should be able to buy in too. There really needs to be some competition here as the rulings that led to both BT & Sky having PL rights completely missed the point. It was looked at too much as one overall product, whereas with sports like football the audience is generally more looking for a specific game/team I'd wager. At current, any given game - with a tiny number of exceptions - is only ever on one channel, so there's no real competition between providers.

You then end up with the bigger teams wanting an even bigger cut of the deal then. I think all the matches should be shown though. Its archaic that they aren't all available.

 

[TallBlokePH]

You then end up with the bigger teams wanting an even bigger cut of the deal then. I think all the matches should be shown though. Its archaic that they aren't all available.

I think you could shape it appropriately. Sell all the rights centrally still, and distribute an even cut to all teams? It's roughly what happens now, so from that standpoint you're just increasing the number of games televised. Might even mean people watch their own team rather than say one of the bigger sides (were it not for the internet, if I was given a choice between match X and nothing, I'd watch the match that was on. But give me choice between match X and Spurs, and I'm watching the Spurs game) and so that would balance out a little more maybe.

 

[Tucker]

I think you could shape it appropriately. Sell all the rights centrally still, and distribute an even cut to all teams? It's roughly what happens now, so from that standpoint you're just increasing the number of games televised. Might even mean people watch their own team rather than say one of the bigger sides (were it not for the internet, if I was given a choice between match X and nothing, I'd watch the match that was on. But give me choice between match X and Spurs, and I'm watching the Spurs game) and so that would balance out a little more maybe.

The trouble is, the "competition" that splitting the rights between but and sky was supposed to bring just means fans have to pay for the premier league twice. Splitting it again will just amplify that problem even more, sure it's great if you only want to watch the matches of one team. But a lot of people enjoy watching all the matches that are on.

 

[TallBlokePH]

The trouble is, the "competition" that splitting the rights between but and sky was supposed to bring just means fans have to pay for the premier league twice. Splitting it again will just amplify that problem even more, sure it's great if you only want to watch the matches of one team. But a lot of people enjoy watching all the matches that are on.

And that's where getting rid of exclusivity comes in - multicast has been around for years now and I'm willing to bet that the pictures being shown on the different stations worldwide is all coming from one central source so I can't see any real technical barriers. I have no doubts competition would drive a couple of major broadcasters to want to get full coverage, and would then also need to compete on price.

It's scarcity that causes the multiple expenditure from a fan perspective, whereas what I would want to do is make the supply more abundant, in order to get both more of the games people want, as well as a reduction in price from increased competition. I wholly agree that the way it's been done doesn't achieve this - it never addressed the scarcity/abundance point, it just split what little there was between multiple providers.

 

[Tucker]

And that's where getting rid of exclusivity comes in - multicast has been around for years now and I'm willing to bet that the pictures being shown on the different stations worldwide is all coming from one central source so I can't see any real technical barriers. I have no doubts competition would drive a couple of major broadcasters to want to get full coverage, and would then also need to compete on price.

It's scarcity that causes the multiple expenditure from a fan perspective, whereas what I would want to do is make the supply more abundant, in order to get both more of the games people want, as well as a reduction in price from increased competition. I wholly agree that the way it's been done doesn't achieve this - it never addressed the scarcity/abundance point, it just split what little there was between multiple providers.

That makes sense. Sorry I thought you meant just splitting the deal up between more rights holders, but now I get what your saying.

 

[CoopsieDeadpool]

Why not just get one of these things & watch ANY game at ANY time?

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/28189586773...18&_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_mwBanner=1

I got one in the summer & it was a cracking little buy. Almost anything can be found (even films in the cinema) and lots/most of it can be watched in HD.

OR have I broken site rules by posting this?

 

[SpursManChris]

And that's where getting rid of exclusivity comes in - multicast has been around for years now and I'm willing to bet that the pictures being shown on the different stations worldwide is all coming from one central source so I can't see any real technical barriers.

Yeah, every single Premier League match these days has a live international uplink,
all centralised at Premier League Productions at IMG Studios in London, with channels all over the world taking every match feed simultaneously, some even through a single channel, giving viewers a red button selection. Given that Sky has 5 channels plus red button, I can't see any technical barriers at all.