[Archived] New TV Deal

[HowieFive0]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4874698/Championship-midweek-games-shown-live-Sky-Sports.html

[Dreams of 1995]

Wow. This is exactly why it is majorly important we get into this league.

The divide between the bottom two leagues and the top two leagues is increasing at an alarming rate. There'd definitely be a bigger incentive for a takeover with this TV deal.

As a side note though, way to put an end to the midweek travelling fans. Who's going to make a 400 mile round trip when they can watch it at home now? Sky is taking over football incredibly quickly by being able to throw incredible amounts of money at a business that is clearly addicted to it. In that sense what a shame.

[HowieFive0]

Just now, Dreams of 1995 said:

Wow. This is exactly why it is majorly important we get into this league.

The divide between the bottom two leagues and the top two leagues is increasing at an alarming rate. There'd definitely be a bigger incentive for a takeover with this TV deal.

My sentiments too .but.just what it would do for attendances midweek though will be interesting.

[Dreams of 1995]

Just now, HowieFive0 said:

My sentiments too .but.just what it would do for attendances midweek though will be interesting.

Yep. I made that note in an edit. Sad in that respect.

[davulsukur]

Venky's seem to have a habit of dropping us out of a league just before a massive TV deal kicks in.

[HowieFive0]

Just now, Dreams of 1995 said:

Yep. I made that note in an edit. Sad in that respect.

Will clubs have to reduce season ticket prices in the knowledge that possibly 4 home games a season are going to be poorly attended ?

[JHRover]

1 minute ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

Wow. This is exactly why it is majorly important we get into this league.

The divide between the bottom two leagues and the top two leagues is increasing at an alarming rate. There'd definitely be a bigger incentive for a takeover with this TV deal.

As a side note though, way to put an end to the midweek travelling fans. Who's going to make a 400 mile round trip when they can watch it at home now? Sky is taking over football incredibly quickly by being able to throw incredible amounts of money at a business that is clearly addicted to it. In that sense what a shame.

Sky Sports are going to make the Championship into Premier League 2. Nowhere near Premier League levels of money but on a different level to Lges 1 and 2 and the gap will widen. All because they've lost their monopoly on the Premier League/Champions League and need something else to fill up their schedule.

Of course the last thing on the list of concerns is the impact upon away followings across the country. The beating heart of English football - people going to great lengths to travel the miles midweek - will be eroded as the cost/hassle of travelling will eventually be outweighed by the convenience of sitting in a pub or on the sofa. £25 to pay on the gate at Scunthorpe tonight in a dump of a ground in the 3rd division = ridiculous. League organised midweek fixtures to Ipswich, Norwich, Cardiff and Brighton at Premier League prices already sees away followings of 200-300 from Rovers. An opportunity to watch it all on Sky Sports will probably halve that again.

[Dreams of 1995]

8 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Venky's seem to have a habit of dropping us out of a league just before a massive TV deal kicks in.

It's even more important that we get promoted this season because of this. The fact we missed out on that PL money must surely ring home to them. If I was the owner of a football club I'd be looking at serious January investment to ensure I receive this money next season. 

4 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Sky Sports are going to make the Championship into Premier League 2. Nowhere near Premier League levels of money but on a different level to Lges 1 and 2 and the gap will widen. All because they've lost their monopoly on the Premier League/Champions League and need something else to fill up their schedule.

Of course the last thing on the list of concerns is the impact upon away followings across the country. The beating heart of English football - people going to great lengths to travel the miles midweek - will be eroded as the cost/hassle of travelling will eventually be outweighed by the convenience of sitting in a pub or on the sofa. £25 to pay on the gate at Scunthorpe tonight in a dump of a ground in the 3rd division = ridiculous. League organised midweek fixtures to Ipswich, Norwich, Cardiff and Brighton at Premier League prices already sees away followings of 200-300 from Rovers. An opportunity to watch it all on Sky Sports will probably halve that again.

What an incredibly sad, but true, assessment. With each new deal the 'Against Modern Football' movement grows in numbers, however local English fans are left by the wayside because of nature of worldwide broadcasting. They'll make their money from people buying Sky like the 'fans' of the big club that reside in every corner of the country except their own or from fans from half way across the world because of the worldwide fascination with the Premier League. It's contributed to the downfall of English managers, coaches and players in the PL and, certainly, a bumper new deal for Championship clubs will increase the haste to bring in foreign talent and subsequently leave us with two leagues absent of any sort of "English" presence. 

Small clubs or town clubs are an irrelevance to them. It's all about "big". A global league for a global audience and unfortunately Barry from Blackburn gets in the way of that. It seems that way anyway.

[HowieFive0]

14 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Sky Sports are going to make the Championship into Premier League 2. Nowhere near Premier League levels of money but on a different level to Lges 1 and 2 and the gap will widen. All because they've lost their monopoly on the Premier League/Champions League and need something else to fill up their schedule.

Of course the last thing on the list of concerns is the impact upon away followings across the country. The beating heart of English football - people going to great lengths to travel the miles midweek - will be eroded as the cost/hassle of travelling will eventually be outweighed by the convenience of sitting in a pub or on the sofa. £25 to pay on the gate at Scunthorpe tonight in a dump of a ground in the 3rd division = ridiculous. League organised midweek fixtures to Ipswich, Norwich, Cardiff and Brighton at Premier League prices already sees away followings of 200-300 from Rovers. An opportunity to watch it all on Sky Sports will probably halve that again.

Its just the start i reckon. 

Premier Leagues one and two ..swiftly followed by two sides from Scotland into Premier League Two.

Leagues One and Two will become League Division North and South with only one team promoted to Premier Two. Closed shop. IMO of course 

[JHRover]

21 minutes ago, HowieFive0 said:

Its just the start i reckon. 

Premier Leagues one and two ..swiftly followed by two sides from Scotland into Premier League Two.

Leagues One and Two will become League Division North and South with only one team promoted to Premier Two. Closed shop. IMO of course 

If we look at the present day Championship it is littered with 'big' clubs with substantial support bases many of whom have successful histories - Leeds, Villa, Wolves, Sheffield Utd, Sheffield Wed, Forest, Derby, Sunderland - these are the 'marketable' clubs - the ones which can be 'sold' to audiences around the country by the League and Sky partnership. They are the 'prized assets' and they are going to wrap them up and sell them. Once upon a time 'weight' would have dragged the majority of these clubs into the top league at the expense of smaller clubs but thanks to the Sky money these days things like club size, fanbases are becoming irrelevant,

You only have to watch the dreadful coverage provided on Friday nights and Saturday tea times e.g. Sheffield Wednesday v Forest on Saturday - all the talk from the commentators is about the size of the clubs, the history of the clubs, the support of the clubs bla bla bla. No mention that these days they are run of the mill 2nd division sides clinging to distant glories who haven't been in the top division for a generation.

It no doubt hurts the Sky/Premier League establishment to see the likes of Burnley, Stoke, WBA, Swansea, Watford, Bournemouth and co. not only in the Premier League but established in there or surviving in there. These aren't the 'marketable clubs'. They don't get 30,000 turning up every week and haven't got any success to hark on about.

IMO it is actually the case that the likes of Leeds & Wednesday get the 'old school' atmospheres and 'proper' support precisely because they haven't been in the Premier League for so long. They have floated around this league for 10-15 years and as such they haven't been infected with the Premier League sterility that has taken over at City, Liverpool, United etc. with the prawn sandwich brigade. If Leeds/Wednesday etc. get promoted and survive it will only be a matter of time before they succumb to the same fate as the other Premier League clubs.

We'll gradually see the Championship migrate towards the Premier League and away from Lges 1 and 2. Foreign owners who have arrived on these shores for one thing only - access to the Premier League - won't want to keep pouring money into a loss making club in the Championship. If they can't get into the Prem they'll want the next best thing which is to make the Championship as close to it as possible.

Reading the statement put out by the League this morning it is clear they only have one interest and one motive and that is £££. Anyone hoping fans, traditions, club wellbeing etc. are on the agenda will be disappointed. If the cheques keep coming and keep going up in value they are happy.

[MarkBRFC]

The Championship becoming a PL2 with 20 clubs and the doing away with league's one and two to make two "regionalised" leagues is something I have thought might happen for ages.

Not sure on the logistics of getting it to that stage but surely something like this is only around the corner.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Leagues 1 & 2 are included in this deal from what the article states. Midweek matches only but surely its only a matter of time before all matches are shown live.

 

[tomphil]

It's good money for clubs but as we know it goes straight through into agents and players pockets so this will no doubt be the catalyst for every bog standard championship player to ask for 25k pwk.

A killer for the crowds and atmosphere as well.

Basically it's another Sky death knell for football.

[JHRover]

Just now, tomphil said:

It's good money for clubs but as we know it goes straight through into agents and players pockets so this will no doubt be the catalyst for every bog standard championship player to ask for 25k pwk.

A killer for the crowds and atmosphere as well.

Basically it's another Sky death knell for football.

In essence it seems clubs are putting the tv cash above attendances. Make no mistake this will also harm home crowds and not just the travellers.

I suppose its all hunky dory for the money men as long as Sky keep on renewing this deal for the long term, but in the meantime I can see real, probably irreversible damage being done to support bases in English football. Will kids go to watch a match on a schoolnight when they can be kept at home, watch it on tv and go to bed earlier? Will people on limited incomes channel their spare cash into coach travel/train travel/expensive tickets to watch Rovers at Scunthorpe or Portsmouth on a Tuesday when they can have their tea and then watch the game as part of their Sky subscription once Emmerdale has finished?

I can see this being another worrying and damaging development. A fat cheque dangled before clubs with limited incomes will win them over for the time being, but what happens in 10-20 years time if Sky give up on the League and a generation of supporters have been missed as they prefer to sit at home rather than go to games?

[tomphil]

Crowds don't matter to the Sky men just look at the state of the empty stadiums for Sat/Sun dinner time kick offs but as long as the advertisers pay their money the TV men are happy.

They'll run out of options in a bit probably after we've had tea time Tues night kick offs and Sat 10.30 am ones to grab the kids TV market slots.

Very good point on the next gen JH as whilst we'll see almost zero away followings and even more empty home seats the real damage will only come to light in years to come when even quid a kid doesn't draw them in anymore on a Weds night.

[HowieFive0]

Just now, tomphil said:

Crowds don't matter to the Sky men just look at the state of the empty stadiums for Sat/Sun dinner time kick offs but as long as the advertisers pay their money the TV men are happy.

They'll run out of options in a bit probably after we've had tea time Tues night kick offs and Sat 10.30 am ones to grab the kids TV market slots.

Very good point on the next gen JH as whilst we'll see almost zero away followings and even more empty home seats the real damage will only come to light in years to come when even quid a kid doesn't draw them in anymore on a Weds night.

The early morning Saturday/Sunday KO times have  already been mentioned for our friends around the world 

 

La Liga already in discussions about playing a number of league games abroad ..Premier league will be next .

 

[tomphil]

Just now, HowieFive0 said:

The early morning Saturday/Sunday KO times have  already been mentioned for our friends around the world 

Yeah I forgot about that although that'll probably be aimed at the Prem only, getting desperate if they want to show Barnsley v Bolton to China on an English Sunday morning

[HowieFive0]

Just now, tomphil said:

Yeah I forgot about that although that'll probably be aimed at the Prem only, getting desperate if they want to show Barnsley v Bolton to China on an English Sunday morning

But going under the hype of Premier league Two ..repackaged etc ...owts possible !

[Athlete]

Tickets won't be reduced Sheff wed charged forest £43 for that dross last Saturday tea time live on sky 

[Roving Mick]

It's on its way!

Cyber Rovers

[Mike E]

The talk above is why I actually WANT the smaller, less fashionable clubs to do well (including the b*****ds). And so often they do because they are REAL clubs, not pampered by the media but still get a slice of the pie.

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, Athlete said:

Tickets won't be reduced Sheff wed charged forest £43 for that dross last Saturday tea time live on sky 

Indeed some clubs will whack them up probably to rinse as much as possible out of whoever travels unless 20 is plenty finally reaches the Championship.

[Oldgregg86]

I think this is a great idea. 

If you can't make the game you can watch at home. 

More live football to watch regarding other teams you wouldn't pay to go and watch. 

Extra revenue for smaller clubs

Due to the fact it's on TV and the attendances will be affected tickets prices will eventually have to be lowered with the tv money covering losses for midweek week games which are usually not that well turned out to start with.

I don't see a problem. The heart , soul and old values and traditions have long gone ( sadly I add) and this is the new era. I would much rather see more teams profiting and being shown than just the premier league continually growing as a brand and the gap ever increasing. This deal helps the chasing pack stay closer imo

[Biddy]

Putting the new contract into context, £600m over 5 years is only £120m per year.  This is only actually £32m more than the previous contract.  It's not exactly going to make all the Championship clubs super rich.

Also, the deal is for the EFL overall so this renews the already pitiful amount of games that League 1 and League 2 get shown.  The new deal does say a minimum of 20 L1 and L2 will be shown out of 150 set to be broadcast across the EFL.

[Dr Awesome]

23 hours ago, tomphil said:

Yeah I forgot about that although that'll probably be aimed at the Prem only, getting desperate if they want to show Barnsley v Bolton to China on an English Sunday morning

You say that but it seems to depend on the club what kind of following they get abroad - Fulham vs. Charlton in the Championship was on a big screen at Times Square when I was over there a few years ago. I didn't understand why at the time until I realised that Fulham are owned by Shahid Khan, an American business magnate. It seems that the influx of foreign owners to the Championship could well see the early kick offs spreading down there as their teams increase in visibility abroad.