Really interesting Grace, thanks for writing on this topic.
It is definitely a cost-free way of looking like the good guys. I wonder if there is any data from the other big European leagues or from international rights that are driving this PL position.
My own view is that as VR technology becomes more sophisticated there will be a development of overseas 'matchday experiences' at themed cafes/restaurants. Eventually they will refine that concept and make an (additiona)l fortune from that. I suspect the big clubs will try not to categorise this as 'broadcast' revenue and there will be a clamour to introduce them to the UK. Whether they are classed as broadcast or not it will normalise remote watching of all games and - if it hasn't already - the curfew will disappear.
As an American, I had no idea about this antiquated rule. US football used to have a blackout in the old days that covered the team in your viewing area. There were apocryphal stories of New York Giants supporters who used to drive over to Connecticut so they could watch the game on television as there were no seats to be had at the stadium. One of the finest pieces of fiction written in the 1960s, Frederick Exley's "A Fan's Notes" covers this in part. US football eventually changed things so that games could be televised in the viewing area if there was a sold out stadium. Of course with cable television and subscription services all games are available.
While it is not entirely legal, Internet Protocol TV services do exist and for a modest fee you can get thousands of channels world wide. Websites can direct you to EPL games that could then be streamed in real time.
Putting in my 2 cents as an outsider (an American living in Germany), taking a comparative view might be helpful given that other European leagues have drastically different broadcast rules/environments. In Germany, there are no limits on broadcasting live matches (at least as far as I'm aware), and live attendance appears to be thriving. I went to a fifth-tier match in Germany this past weekend, which drew 5000 and the stadium was nearly full. The match kicked off mid-afternoon and was competing with live Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga (not to mention Premier League) games on TV (broadcast via much more affordable packages than in the UK). I don't know how things look in Spain/Italy/France/etc., but I think the pro-blackout crowd is under-estimating the continued draw of live entertainment. We can all stream any song/artist whenever we want virtually for free, but people continue to pay real money to go to live concerts.
I thought it was interesting when the Premier League experimented with spreading out kickoffs during Project Restart; I believe there were at least a couple of weekends where every match had a different kickoff time and no more than one match was played simultaneously.
Much as I love the Premier League’s RedZone-esque Goal Rush service that cuts between multiple live matches to show every 3pm goal as it goes in -- the benefits of living outside the UK! -- I thought spreading matches out was a fascinating experiment and genuinely thought we’d see fewer 3pm kickoffs as a result. That they’ve returned to the status quo rather supports your point.
Really interesting Grace, thanks for writing on this topic.
It is definitely a cost-free way of looking like the good guys. I wonder if there is any data from the other big European leagues or from international rights that are driving this PL position.
My own view is that as VR technology becomes more sophisticated there will be a development of overseas 'matchday experiences' at themed cafes/restaurants. Eventually they will refine that concept and make an (additiona)l fortune from that. I suspect the big clubs will try not to categorise this as 'broadcast' revenue and there will be a clamour to introduce them to the UK. Whether they are classed as broadcast or not it will normalise remote watching of all games and - if it hasn't already - the curfew will disappear.
As an American, I had no idea about this antiquated rule. US football used to have a blackout in the old days that covered the team in your viewing area. There were apocryphal stories of New York Giants supporters who used to drive over to Connecticut so they could watch the game on television as there were no seats to be had at the stadium. One of the finest pieces of fiction written in the 1960s, Frederick Exley's "A Fan's Notes" covers this in part. US football eventually changed things so that games could be televised in the viewing area if there was a sold out stadium. Of course with cable television and subscription services all games are available.
While it is not entirely legal, Internet Protocol TV services do exist and for a modest fee you can get thousands of channels world wide. Websites can direct you to EPL games that could then be streamed in real time.
Putting in my 2 cents as an outsider (an American living in Germany), taking a comparative view might be helpful given that other European leagues have drastically different broadcast rules/environments. In Germany, there are no limits on broadcasting live matches (at least as far as I'm aware), and live attendance appears to be thriving. I went to a fifth-tier match in Germany this past weekend, which drew 5000 and the stadium was nearly full. The match kicked off mid-afternoon and was competing with live Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga (not to mention Premier League) games on TV (broadcast via much more affordable packages than in the UK). I don't know how things look in Spain/Italy/France/etc., but I think the pro-blackout crowd is under-estimating the continued draw of live entertainment. We can all stream any song/artist whenever we want virtually for free, but people continue to pay real money to go to live concerts.
Great article Grace
I thought it was interesting when the Premier League experimented with spreading out kickoffs during Project Restart; I believe there were at least a couple of weekends where every match had a different kickoff time and no more than one match was played simultaneously.
Much as I love the Premier League’s RedZone-esque Goal Rush service that cuts between multiple live matches to show every 3pm goal as it goes in -- the benefits of living outside the UK! -- I thought spreading matches out was a fascinating experiment and genuinely thought we’d see fewer 3pm kickoffs as a result. That they’ve returned to the status quo rather supports your point.