How tempted will football be to continue live I-Follow games after the Rona's gone?

[@owlstalk]

2 minutes ago, Lombardo said:

Well... I was a season ticket holder and made the 270 Mike round trip to most games , even midweek. 
But now I may well pick and choose which games to attend which may well be less than half...

However once the buzz kicks in I may change my mind

 

That's the thing

Football could (and should) make a massive buzz around football 

There should be more hype and advertising and publicity than ever before about and around games

 

Before The Rona it was taken for granted that Wednesday only had to open their gates and fans would come 

e.g when was the last time you saw Wednesday really push a game or promote one? Or advertise or publicise it?

Football will need to step up it's act big time off the pitch

Upgrading facilities is inevitable too IMO

[@owlstalk]

2 minutes ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 Clubs can't commit to that loss long-term 

 

 

 

You're going on current levels of player wages etc though

I honestly can see some kind of wage reset happening

[bolton9owl]

1 hour ago, Derbyshireowl3 said:

I’m a season ticket holder.. but only get to a few away games a season, I personally will always go to the games, cus its my time away from the mrs and kids (as much as I love them) it’s my escapism. 
 

I can definitely see the attraction with it been a live stream tho, and I genuinely think we will lose the odd fan to it. 

There’s nothing worse than driving home after a dull, awful game especially on those dark winter nights when it’s lashing it down with rain. Two hours behind a steering wheel listening to idiots ringing in to ‘Praise or Grumble’ is enough to bear despite the long journey home. So I must admit after being a season ticket holder for  years and years the prospect of being able to watch the game on iFollow or any other streaming service does have its appeal.

 

That is until you join in the roar of the crowd when we score and soak up the atmosphere when the supporters know the players are up for the challenge then there is just nothing better. The atmosphere that develops from within the old Hillsborough stadium when our team is on the attack will never be experienced by just watching the game on iFollow at home.

 

All that said the stadia catering does leave a lot to be desired as week in week out the supporters are constantly grumbling very justifiably about the terrible service and the quality and selection of food available on the concourses . The catering at Hillsborough definitely needs to be greatly improved as it’s been below standard for years.

 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

 

You're going on current levels of player wages etc though

I honestly can see some kind of wage reset happening

 

Wages are the main reason clubs are losing money every season but they will not want to reduce how much money they generate, regardless of what level wages are at.

 

Viewing figures for I-follow suggest the uptake is not that great and the numbers include all subscriptions, such as season ticket holders with credit/free passes.

 

In September for example, the most screened match in the Championship attracted 12,500 subscriptions. Seems not that many are actually paying to watch games.  

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8800133/Streaming-giving-EFL-clubs-lifeline.html

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by Guest

[@owlstalk]

1 minute ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 

 

In September for example, the most screened match in the Championship attracted 12,500 subscriptions. 

 

 

Hang on...

If that's true how come we have more than that giving their opinions on player performances after games?

 

 

[smhouston]

Absolutely missing going to the games. Watching at home just doesn't even come close!!

 

If people are happy to just watch games at home for good, then they'd be happy watching a play off final or cup final etc at home too.....can you imagine that? Despite not getting many of those days I would definitely want to be there...play off finals at Cardiff and Wembley are events I will never forget

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

 

Hang on...

If that's true how come we have more than that giving their opinions on player performances after games?

 

 

 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether they watched it with their own eyes, based it on what John Pearson or Brian Laws has to say or get their 'facts' from the match day thread and twitter!

 

 

Whatever, selling less than 13,000 I-follow passes when nobody in the ground and they are available for £10 suggests this is not a viable alternative. 

[@owlstalk]

Just now, smhouston said:

If people are happy to just watch games at home for good, then they'd be happy watching a play off final or cup final etc at home too.....can you imagine that?   

No because it's just not true
Given the choice fans might want to watch us play away at Millwall on a rainy tuesday night on the TV, but will definitely want to go to a cup final

There's nothing wrong with that either - it's how it's always been and always will be

[Shoots but cant hit]

Cant wait to go back to the stadium.  Missing the banter with everyone round me.   I have given up iFollow   not because its rubbish, its actually quite good,  but  40,000 empty seats and no noise makes it depressing.  Its football Jim but not as we know it.  

 

Bring it back soon. (when its safe of course)

[Ever the pessimist]

I have not opted for I-follow, I just felt it would be soulless and depressing (not unlike most home games at S6 to be fair). Would much prefer the whole scenario of going to games, as I expect most do. 

The clubs with lots of armchair fans would be the ones who would benefit most from continued live streaming, however most of these already have a good proportion of their games televised. It may be that this does give them the platform to make their games broadcast in-house rather than having to share broadcast revenue with the other clubs in the divisions.

[smhouston]

1 minute ago, Ever the pessimist said:

I have not opted for I-follow, I just felt it would be soulless and depressing (not unlike most home games at S6 to be fair). Would much prefer the whole scenario of going to games, as I expect most do. 

The clubs with lots of armchair fans would be the ones who would benefit most from continued live streaming, however most of these already have a good proportion of their games televised. It may be that this does give them the platform to make their games broadcast in-house rather than having to share broadcast revenue with the other clubs in the divisions.

I'll tell you something.....when Rhodes goal went in last night I jumped off the sofa punching the air!!

[Lime Tree Heros]

Very interesting question.

 

Lots of comments about how I-follow could reduce crowd numbers once crowds return. Whilst I expect crowds to reduce when they return, I expect that'll be more down to an individual's finances than whether or not a game is on I-follow.

 

Live football in the ground is a completely different 'product' to football on a screen.

 

However, if you look at it from another viewpoint there is potentially a huge opportunity for us, broadly at Wembley we could have sold 60,000 tickets, whilst averaging a home gate of 25,000 - so we've got 35,000 'big game's fans. (I use that phrase as I hate the phrase 'part timers').

 

I'm one of them, live 200 miles from Hillsborough, get to a couple of homes a year and ~5 aways which are more 'local' to me. However due to I-follow I've already watched Wednesday 'live' 8 times this season, but once crowds are back, I'll be one of them.

 

Imagine if we could get half the 35,000 to watch a few games on I-follow each season. It would be basically free income (the costs are already accounted for) - what we need is sensible pricing and a good and sustained marketing campaign.

[geriatricowl]

I am an old cogger now with a few medical issues so Ifollow as been great for me as I can no longer get to away games. I have fond memories of all the away days with my mates in years gone by. It was always a good day out even if the result didn't go our way. I miss the banter, a few pints and good company. Wish I could do it all again. 

[stevie snerklebox]

Many supporters will be on vastly reduced incomes when they re-open stadia. Because of that and when you think that it'll be well over 12 months since anyone last physically attended a game, many will have gotten out of the habit of going and some may even now prefer watching from the comfort of their own homes - lets face it Man U fans have been doing that for nearly 30 years! Clubs need to be much more careful when pricing the product on offer, be it tickets to the ground or for a service like ifollow which will surely be maintained for all non-match attendees in the UK aswell as just overseas like before C-19.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

2 hours ago, S36 OWL said:

 

I watched the game last night with the Radio Solvent commentary. No idea why, was just what I got from the feed I found. 

Lay off the glue.

[@owlstalk]

3 minutes ago, stevie snerklebox said:

Many supporters will be on vastly reduced incomes when they re-open stadia. Because of that and when you think that it'll be well over 12 months since anyone last physically attended a game, many will have gotten out of the habit of going and some may even now prefer watching from the comfort of their own homes - lets face it Man U fans have been doing that for nearly 30 years! Clubs need to be much more careful when pricing the product on offer, be it tickets to the ground or for a service like ifollow which will surely be maintained for all non-match attendees in the UK aswell as just overseas like before C-19.

 

I wonder how clubs are going to price tickets

I honestly can't see how they can decide without having some sort of conference with every other club to fix the prices (which in itself doesn't seem legal?)

For example imagine if Wednesday set their prices at £30 a match and published the prices and than an hour later every other club announced their prices at £10

Can't see that happening which is why I think at some point all clubs (or all clubs in a division) will have to communicate with each other and agree to fix a price across that division - but arent' there laws around that sort of thing?

[Dunkstar]

Watching at home on the telly will never replace the in person match day experience at Hillsborough for me. As many others have said, it's not just watching the game, it's the social aspect, the communal experience that can't be replicated.

 

The same goes for away matches although as a 5 or 6 away games a season man, I have to admit I never watched away games on i follow before lockdown but since football restarted I don't think I've missed one. That could be the growth area once we're allowed back in.

[stevie snerklebox]

2 minutes ago, @owlstalk said:

 

I wonder how clubs are going to price tickets

I honestly can't see how they can decide without having some sort of conference with every other club to fix the prices (which in itself doesn't seem legal?)

For example imagine if Wednesday set their prices at £30 a match and published the prices and than an hour later every other club announced their prices at £10

Can't see that happening which is why I think at some point all clubs (or all clubs in a division) will have to communicate with each other and agree to fix a price across that division - but arent' there laws around that sort of thing?

I guess that this is where that wonderful organisation - THE EFL - really need to step in and at least try to impose some form of pricing rationalisation. I guess that clubs could agree to price home games in some kind of tier system which could be linked to their league position from the previous season or something? Whatever happens things really need to change on pricing and potential live streaming to UK audiences.

[@owlstalk]

Just now, stevie snerklebox said:

I guess that this is where that wonderful organisation - THE EFL - really need to step in and at least try to impose some form of pricing rationalisation. I guess that clubs could agree to price home games in some kind of tier system which could be linked to their league position from the previous season or something? Whatever happens things really need to change on pricing and potential live streaming to UK audiences.

 

 

Agreed

I'm hopeful of a brighter future

 

I'd love it if all wages were seriously restricted meaning the game was less lucrative and clubs could then go back to being run in the community and with less risk of going out of business/bustt

[2soon]

3 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

I think if I-Follow or TV was to offer a season ticket for home and away games for all matches in a season it's going to be a hard sell for Chansiri to tempt many fans back to the ground with it's empty warehouse atmosphere, overpriced drinks, out of stock food etc

I forget where I heard/read this, quite a few chairman are looking for the EPL to create a Netflix type subscription for the whole league. Something along the lines of the subscriptions total paid out as a percentage of people watch a teams games.