pbrown7582
Money List Winner
when I looked at level 1 last year its was £125 but free if you are put on the course by a club.
5 BILLION Really
- Thread starter GB72
- Start date
when I looked at level 1 last year its was £125 but free if you are put on the course by a club.
It's an interesting one. Skys model relies on football so it can not afford to sail close to the wind and lose its rights there. There were rumours of other channels with Middle East money behind them bidding on this round so they were pushed into an over the top bid to make sure they kept the bulk of the football.
They may well increase their charges but don't forget this pushes them into a situation where they can not afford to lose any subscribers so if you are not happy with any increases ring them up and negotiate a reduction. Tell them you want to cancel part of your package. 99% of the time they will give you a discount for 6 months to a year. Do the same again when the deal expires. You have as much power over them as they have over you.
Where I do particularly object to Sky is how they bundle their channels. I don't watch 90% of their channels but have to pay for them. I have no interest in F1 but pay for it. It would be nice to select particular channels to subscribe to but Sky will never offer that unless forced to by the Competitions Commission.
They may well increase their charges but don't forget this pushes them into a situation where they can not afford to lose any subscribers so if you are not happy with any increases ring them up and negotiate a reduction. Tell them you want to cancel part of your package. 99% of the time they will give you a discount for 6 months to a year. Do the same again when the deal expires. You have as much power over them as they have over you.
Where I do particularly object to Sky is how they bundle their channels. I don't watch 90% of their channels but have to pay for them. I have no interest in F1 but pay for it. It would be nice to select particular channels to subscribe to but Sky will never offer that unless forced to by the Competitions Commission.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
People will quote the supply and demand principle but it is disgusting that such a huge amount of money is spent on one sport. And it'll go into the pockets of the players, agents etc. Everywhere apart from the game itself.
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Amazing the way these deals continue to increase. Maybe it's just me but I don't see an increased interest in football, quite the reverse. I used to watch the majority of live games but now I find most of them deadly dull and would quite happily live without sky sports other than for the golf.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
Totally agree. I havent got Sky Sports and wont be getting it. I follow my team, Saints, and enjoy watching / following Barcelona but everything else largely passes me by. Which is in stark contrast to when i was a kid. Ironically enough, i used to watch Saints quite often when we were in League One. Managed to rediscover my passion in the lower leagues!
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
When there was just one live game a week (maybe two on a Bank Holiday week) it was something to look forward to on TV. Now with a games every day and regularly multiple games in one day + all the games from abroad and it starts to dilute the interest and importance of any one game or even the need to see it, unless its your team
Unlike buses it doesn't matter if you miss one, there will be another 5 along any minute
JustOne
Ryder Cup Winner
How much was it for the past 3yrs?
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
£3bn
Theres a graph in the article below which shows the exponential growth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31384481
Personally, I don't think us punters will see prices increase with Sky, other than inflationary. They have a HUGE football budget (Thierry Henry on £4m a year anyone?!?!) which is about to have a huge hole in it when they lose Champs League next season. To many, their 'product' will therefore be less valuable. They simply couldn't afford to lose any of their 5 packages and that's reflected in the ridiculous price they paid yesterday.
You have to go back to the main reason for why BT has a Sport channel in the first place. Sky were eating their customers left, right and center through their bundled offering (broadband, talk, TV) - the sharp decline in this lucrative market for BT was incredible - they really had to act and compete with Sky where it would hurt them most - Sport. BT Sport is a massive loss leader from them, they don't ever see it as a profit making arm of the business, but by offering 'free' Prem football they gambled on halting and reversing the trend.
Having then overpaid for Champions League for next 3 seasons, there are some VERY worried people @ BT Sport sweating on the outcome of the Top4 this year. They are desperate for Man United to get there, and ideally Liverpool as well (although United and Arsenal wouldn't be bad). For Champions League group games, United attract 20x more viewers than City and 10x more than Chelsea. I'd think Southampton qualifying would be a complete nightmare!! If United make Top4, they will see more subscribers, advertisers etc pile in. Without them, they're in significant bother!
FWIW, I think BT are likely to be putting prices up for next season, or at the very least remodelling the 'free' access to its broadband customers. I'd be surprised if Sky prices were to go up.
You have to go back to the main reason for why BT has a Sport channel in the first place. Sky were eating their customers left, right and center through their bundled offering (broadband, talk, TV) - the sharp decline in this lucrative market for BT was incredible - they really had to act and compete with Sky where it would hurt them most - Sport. BT Sport is a massive loss leader from them, they don't ever see it as a profit making arm of the business, but by offering 'free' Prem football they gambled on halting and reversing the trend.
Having then overpaid for Champions League for next 3 seasons, there are some VERY worried people @ BT Sport sweating on the outcome of the Top4 this year. They are desperate for Man United to get there, and ideally Liverpool as well (although United and Arsenal wouldn't be bad). For Champions League group games, United attract 20x more viewers than City and 10x more than Chelsea. I'd think Southampton qualifying would be a complete nightmare!! If United make Top4, they will see more subscribers, advertisers etc pile in. Without them, they're in significant bother!
FWIW, I think BT are likely to be putting prices up for next season, or at the very least remodelling the 'free' access to its broadband customers. I'd be surprised if Sky prices were to go up.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Have Sky lost Champions League ?
When did that happen ?
When did that happen ?
ger147
Tour Winner
pbrown7582
Money List Winner
announced last year.
BT sport are already planning to chnge the free football to a subscription from next season once I starts broadcasting the CL, so as Diablo mentions I can well believe there panic on the likely qualifiers.
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
Thought BT Sport was already subscription ?
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
It is, but its free if you have BT broadband currently
GB72
Money List Winner
And here we have the problem that is rearing its head across many sports at the moment. In the interests of competition, governing bodies are encouraging companies to spread their live packages across several subscription companies. You then have a position whereby the average fan is paying substantially more for the same product either by increased subscriptions, by having to have multiple subscriptions to watch all matches or by paying the same amount for less matches as some move to another channel.
I have this problem with rugby. To see all of the matches I would like to I need BT sport for league matches and some european matches, Sky for the rest of the european matches, the LV Cup and some england matches and, in all likelihood for all england matches soon. Add to that the fact that there is only a very brief highlights package on ITV4 late night and you can see how the fans are being fleeced.
I have this problem with rugby. To see all of the matches I would like to I need BT sport for league matches and some european matches, Sky for the rest of the european matches, the LV Cup and some england matches and, in all likelihood for all england matches soon. Add to that the fact that there is only a very brief highlights package on ITV4 late night and you can see how the fans are being fleeced.
Tongo
Journeyman Pro
And they will continue to be fleeced as long as they keep stumping up the cash. The tv companies dont care one jot how much people moan as long as they keep paying their subscription. Nothing will change until people stop paying. But Football fans wont so the vicious circle continues to turn.
GB72
Money List Winner
Agreed, I made a call based on which had the most rugby on that is of interest to me so Sky went and BT stayed. Cannot say that I miss it as I go to the pub or go to the match if it is on Sky. Did not take long to realise that I could buy a Tigers season ticket and cover transport costs for less than the savings from ditching sky sports.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
I do wonder what will happen if the free to view online feeds from unauthorised sites will reach a level of reliability or quality such that folks will (en-masse) switch from the increasing cost of subscription channels to the free online sites and if this in turn will lead to less live sport being broadcast as the legitimate broadcaster won’t pay for sporting rights they can’t protect
Qwerty
Tour Winner
The sad thing about it is that clubs will still be going to the wall for the sake of a mediocre players weekly wage.
Grass roots players will still be getting changed in their cars and having to go home for a shower .
Parasitic agents will still be coining it in.
SKY and BT will spout the "more is better" mantra, while saturating TV with matches I would close the curtains for if they were played in my garden.
Football on TV is *****, it's meant to be watched live at whatever level.
It won't be too long before the middle class wannabes get fed up of "watching the footy" and find something else to do with their time. Then who is going to fill their grounds ? not the working class, they have been priced out.
Grass roots players will still be getting changed in their cars and having to go home for a shower .
Parasitic agents will still be coining it in.
SKY and BT will spout the "more is better" mantra, while saturating TV with matches I would close the curtains for if they were played in my garden.
Football on TV is *****, it's meant to be watched live at whatever level.
It won't be too long before the middle class wannabes get fed up of "watching the footy" and find something else to do with their time. Then who is going to fill their grounds ? not the working class, they have been priced out.
Hacker Khan
Yurt Dwelling, Yoghurt Knitter
Or more likely cycling.Similar threads
