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Loss of Sky's TV monopoly

A large portion of our income comes from 'media' (63%) which is the money received from the sale by the EPL of the viewing rights to Sky.

With that pub landlady in Plymouth winning her case in the European Court for the right to choose to subscribe to a Greek service instead of the overpriced Sky, surely this will affect all clubs in the future as there'll be no such thing as 'sole rights'?

I can't see Sky paying huge sums for viewing rights in UK when they no longer have a monopoly.
Eric Myles, Map Ta Phut, Thailand Posted 11/02/2011 at 03:56:21

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Shaun Brennan
1 Posted 11/02/2011 at 14:13:34

What she has won the case????

Eric Myles
2 Posted 11/02/2011 at 15:01:57

Yes she won, but Sky are expected to appeal.

Eric Myles
3 Posted 11/02/2011 at 15:16:32

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-12361168

Not the original report I read which made it seem a more clear cut result than this report does.

Eric Myles
4 Posted 11/02/2011 at 15:17:31

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12355022

Maybe it will herald the dawn of TV negotiating directly with clubs for broadcast rights?

Chris Wright
5 Posted 11/02/2011 at 15:41:47

Eric, I have for a time believed that, within 5 years, the top 4 would break the joint bargaining agreement and go it alone. I think it would vastly increase their income ? particularly in the foreign markets. It's what has happened with Madrid and Barca, and in America with the Baseball. With the new Uefa rules, clubs will looking to maximise incomes... where this will leave the Premier League overall and the rest of the clubs does not bare thinking about.

KPR Williams
6 Posted 11/02/2011 at 16:01:23

Does anybody know what law stops anybody from showing live games at 3:00 on a Saturday?
EVEN SKY!!!

Tony Waring
7 Posted 11/02/2011 at 16:22:10

I can see where you are coming from, Chris (#5), and I guess the next step would be a European League. At least everyone other than the 3 or 4 top brands would then be on a level playing field. I reckon we'd top the Zingari League then ? if it still exists! Money is the root of all evil.

Nelaj Behajiha
8 Posted 11/02/2011 at 17:05:34

Sky TV is stupid and unfortunately too many idiots think it benefits Premier League clubs, it doesn't. Everton are hardly ever on TV anymore so therfore we're not making that much money from Sky compared to let's say United or City who always seem to be on TV.

Tony McNulty
9 Posted 11/02/2011 at 17:14:08

I wonder how many non-Merseyside based fans would pay a TV season ticket to watch us live? I am London based and I would willingly pay for this. You could limit the range to say fifty miles outside Merseyside so as not to discourage locals. It would surely boost revenues ? trouble is, the Shite would just get even more money if you extended this to all clubs. And I guess London clubs would moan that they would be losing potential fans from their catchment area.

It's bollocks of course. I would pay to watch Everton on TV, but that doesn't mean that I would head for Spurs as the alternative.

Liam Reilly
10 Posted 11/02/2011 at 17:25:34

KPR # 6 ? The rule is that Live Football cannot be shown live at 3 p.m. on a Saturday to protect lower league attendances. This one actually makes sense.

I'd imagine if all teams had rights to broadcast their own games, the gulf between the 'cash rich' clubs would only increase and the likes of Everton would do well just to thread water.

We just don't have the Global image to close the gap and a European breakaway league would be the final nail in the coffin for the Club, as we?d only exist in a second tier league with little hope of rejoining the elite.

Karl Masters
11 Posted 11/02/2011 at 18:09:09

The pub is in Portsmouth, not Plymouth, but what really matters is that there is far too much money at stake for the Premier League and Sky for this ruling not to be got around somehow. One way or another they will overcome this. You can bet Scudamore and Murdoch will be smiling to themselves like J R in Dallas as they plot this one out. That landlady will probably end up pickled in a barrel of Spitfire somewhere. :)

John Talbot
12 Posted 11/02/2011 at 19:32:37

Of course no-one watches the football on the internet for free any way do they??

These broadcasts are all foreign provided by Sky.

This will be the end of the gravy train as we know it. Cheaper for us to watch but a disaster for teams on a shoestring budget like Everton.

Dick Fearon
13 Posted 11/02/2011 at 19:57:29

Not the disaster everyone thinks because the first effect will be an exodus of foreign players or at very least them taking a massive pay cut. Should, for instance, City, United, Chelsea and Arsenal hive off into a super league, only two English cities would be represented. Other clubs would very quickly lose their attraction for would-be 'investors'.

That would be one way of achieving the much vaunted 'level playing field'. Everton would benefit from that situation because financially everyone would be dragged down to our level.

David Hallwood
14 Posted 11/02/2011 at 21:37:51

Tony Waring (#7) ? let them have a European super league if they wish because it's doomed to fail.

Consider the EPL, that's 'active' sometimes the last kick of the season with teams either fighting to win the title or Champions League, or Europa (Yeah, alright) or relegation, and it keeps the interest alive and the football competitive.

A European super league would at a stroke make at least 50% of the fixtures meaningless with football to match. A terrible idea.

Sean Patton
15 Posted 11/02/2011 at 21:54:48

Tony, that is the spirit.

All Everton need to do is sign the most popular player in China give him a few games a season then get the pay-per-view people involved.

£1 a game with an audience of 200-300 million and hey presto, our money worries are over.

Dennis Stevens
16 Posted 11/02/2011 at 22:03:17

A barrel of Spitfire, Karl? The Red, White & Blue is a Fullers pub, formerly Gales, so a barrel of HSB would be more appropriate!

I can't see this European super league ever getting off the ground. All the likely members of the league are big fish in their own pool ? would any of them be happy as also-rans in a bigger pool? Also, it would exacerbate one of the criticisms of the CL format ? it's just the same teams playing each other every season & the lack of variety makes the competition less enthralling.

As for each team negotiating their individual tv rights ? would a majority of the clubs vote for it? I think most would fear a handful of clubs taking the lion's share & making the league even less competitive.

Dick Fearon
17 Posted 11/02/2011 at 22:46:37

A handful of clubs bagging individual viewing rights could not work unless their opponents also get to share the spoils.

Say for instance that Chelsea had its own arrangement with TV. When each of their home games is televised their opponents would demand an equal share of the SKY cash. 19 times per year other clubs will benefit from Chelsea's TV deal.

Multiply that by the number of clubs in on such a scheme and we are almost back to square one.

Ultimate winners would be SKY who could deal individually with clubs and hold them to ransom.

Nathan Ward
18 Posted 11/02/2011 at 23:10:41

This court case could have several interesting effects to the EPL.

Not all, however, are bad ? one potential solution is that, instead of the EPL being sold to different broadcasters around Europe, as per now, you actually sell to just one.

The price then goes through the roof....

Another option is that clubs deal directly with broadcasters and keep their own share of the pennies.

Eric Myles
19 Posted 12/02/2011 at 00:56:49

Nelaj (#8), I live in Thailand and Everton seem to be on every week, Viet Nam is a problem for me to see them though, and forget about Korea.

Tony (#9), I would pay for a TV season ticket living overseas, I sort of did when I lived in Seoul, I subscribed to Everton TV so I could at least get the highlights.

Matt Traynor
20 Posted 12/02/2011 at 02:09:03

Sean (#15), appreciate your comment was in jest, but we already tried signing Chinese players, epic fail!

Plus TV rights in China are worth jack shit. People won't pay, so the TV company that originally had the EPL rights flogged them off to an ISP, that broadcast for free, with paid ads bringing their revenue.

Similar story with World Cup games. The rights in the foreign market are only worth what people will pay ? where there's no competition, there's no money.

Hence why the Greek TV deal at the root of this story was cheaper.

James Flynn
21 Posted 12/02/2011 at 03:15:35

Please Steinbrenners buy this team. A Cash Cow waiting to happen. Why do you think the Red Sox purchased the RS? The revenue streams available in soccer are way better than in baseball. You think you make a lot of money owning the Yankees? Look into the money in EPL soccer. It's not even close.

Tony Waring
22 Posted 12/02/2011 at 09:03:59

I'm not actually advocating a European Super League, just trailing what might happen if ever Sky was given the heave-ho. If they were forced out by circumstances ? i.e. not having the whole shebang to themselves ? I could see the likes of Scudamore out on his backside and suddenly there's nothing to pay the inflated, obscene salaries which Premier League players are currently getting.

No owner, no matter how rich, is going to keep putting his hands in his pockets for ever without the back-up of Sky money to use for petty cash and prawn butties at half time. Money is the curse of football and a lot more besides.

James I'Anson
23 Posted 12/02/2011 at 10:00:56

I wrote an article on this about a year ago called 'The Sky Deal'. Basically a good idea but will probably make the bigger clubs even stronger. I live in Scotland and would pay to watch Everton every week but I can't. Flawed business plan if you ask me, a TV season ticket.

To the overseas fans that watch Everton every week for free, that's because Sky sell the rights to the foreign TV companies. This wouldn't happen if the clubs were selling their own TV rights. You would have to pay, just like everyone else.

James I'Anson
24 Posted 12/02/2011 at 10:17:09

Meant to say above, this would only be a good idea if there was a wage cap alongside it. Worldwide and imposed by FIFA. Who would disagree? The players? This way the bigger clubs would be richer but players would only be attracted to clubs on merit and not by cash. This would most definitely level the playing field and I reckon would also attract more investment to the clubs.

Investors could have a realistic business plan if they new what they were dealing with long term.

Derek Thomas
25 Posted 12/02/2011 at 11:51:22

Sky lose monopoly, well boo-hoo. It might be a short-term knee-jerk reaction and the following situation might be worse, but this current one is doing most of the participants no favours.

Guy Hastings
26 Posted 12/02/2011 at 17:41:29

There are enough streams coming in to get decent-ish coverage of 80% of Premier League games. OK, you might lose a stream and then have to fuck about for 5 mins to get another but, when you're paying nowt, you can live with that...

Chris Milligan
27 Posted 12/02/2011 at 19:12:20

I agree with Guy (#26); I live in Mallorca and watch EFC every match and, except for last week's Blackpool game, have always had a reasonable picture. Without these streams and as an EFC fanatic, life (which is hard enough trying to make a living out here) would seem a lot harder.

Eric Myles
28 Posted 13/02/2011 at 04:24:24

James #24, I don't watch Everton for free in Thailand, I have to subscribe to the local satellite / cable provider (the local Sky equivalent).

I expect many overseas counties have the same equivalent service.

James I'Anson
29 Posted 13/02/2011 at 10:11:36

Good point, Eric. Do you get to watch most Everton games though?

It's just that I will not pay a Sky subscription to watch Man Utd every week.

Anyway, I watch it on the internet and although the streams can sometimes be shit, they are getting better. I can only see them improving.

Another missed opportunity?

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