Football Media Landscape

[riverholmes]

The football media landscape has altered dramatically thanks to the internet. It’s the case for media generally, of course.

It all seems very fragmented now. However, one thing is clear, the volume of football media content has grown immensely. You have new broadcasters, online streaming, fan channels, club channels, podcasts and still have the online forums and websites chuntering on. And then there’s the small matter of the “content fruit machines” of social media pushing junk or bite size portions of this content on social media to the world, including children.

The negatives and the bad examples are clear, I think. We've got used to the control broadcasters have over fixture dates and the expansion and takeover of the game by tournaments like the Champions’ League. There is nowadays the torrent of mindless content now flowing on phones.

On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed seeing fan channels give a voice to fans, challenge clubs and their owners, in some cases. I’ve enjoyed seeing the mainstream media forced to shift. Though, the threat of demonitisation and loss of sponsors means that some of the more fundamental issues are still avoided. So maybe, this new dawn won't be realised without more changes.

 

Edited June 28 by riverholmes

[Upside Down]

It's more of a mine field than a landscape.

 

[Mattyblue]

Our crowds have totally missed the boom that has occurred across England this past decade (highest league crowds since the 1950s) - for obvious reasons.

However, as always, the authorities will kill the golden goose. We’ve seen it already with the collapse in midweek away followings (and crowds generally though masked as ST holders still get counted in figures) since the red button, and next season will see *five* live Championship games every weekend, including *every* opening game, last game and bank holidays.

The high watermark for EFL football has probably now been hit… we were just ahead of the curve, nice one Venky’s!

[riverholmes]

Is this Euros the first major international football tournament of the podcast age (aka, online self-broadcast age)? It might be that I wasn't online as much the last time and it was comparable.

However, it's really odd to go online (on my phone, usually) and see likes of Gary Lineker and Ian Wright not only on match TV coverage but also in adverts and podcasts. My first thought is that they're filling their boots, but, then, I wonder if traditional TV roles pay as much because of changes in the media world. I guess it'll be a lot but maybe not as much.

Podcasts do offer more time and thoughtful discussion than the typical TV punditry. They're also less censored - though still limited by Youtube's rules, for example. So, overall, it's an improvement but there is just so much content being churned out and the same people appearing, its creating a sort of new reality TV. The biggest issue is the volume and the targeting. It's got to be unhealthy to be targeted in social media, especially, for those who a more vulnerable.

And, it's probably creating new problems for the players (who are, of course, all over the adverts). Lineker called England's performance "sh*t" in a podcast, I believe - probably, after a wine or two, and that was put to Harry Kane in a press conference by a journalist.

Overall, I'm a bit confused as to what to make of it as there are pros and cons for the average watcher. I guess, ultimately, it's about how it's "consumed", as with most things. You could probably watch content 24/7 with everything that's coming out. And you have to be discerning about finding shows. Some of the stuff is just mindless banter, which is fun for those in the room but watching it from a "window" feels a combination of creepy, demeaning, dull but fascinating at the same time.

Edit: A really key issue, I feel, is that with all this content, the fundamental issues regarding the governance of football are overlooked, either because they're deemed not commercial - or, concerns about demonetisation or deplatforming. There's a lot to critique, from financial fair play, the football regulator to the endless expansion of tournaments but it's often shrugged off. 

Which suggests that whilst content has grown exponentially, the range of perspectives and subjects has not, and not because, in my opinion, they're not interesting. 

 

Edited June 28 by riverholmes

[Forever Blue]

Linekers BBC salary is about £1.4m. 
 

Punditry is awful these days. Every pundit has a team and they are openly more interested in it than any other team - Shearer with Newcastle, Lineker with Leicester, Richards with Citeh. Just a load of smug fanboy banter.