Man, people love using the word 'content' don't they.
Man, people love using the word 'content' don't they.
Originally Posted by The Dunster
None of those 3 clubs are in the top four. Exactly what are they leading?
OK
you need to relearn what big clubs are. They who have the puffiest chest. k
revenue
They actually have 24/7 channels.
another player in the market is undoubtedly a good thing, but this would be disastrous in my opinion if this occurred.Optus enters the fray for A-League, Socceroos broadcast rights
Max Mason
Published: May 16, 2016 - 12:00AM
Optus is pursuing broadcast rights for the A-League and a number of Socceroos matches to bolster its football offering as it faces criticism for limiting its English Premier League coverage to its own customers.
Chief executive Allan Lew told Fairfax Media that Optus is running its ruler over Football Federation Australia's broadcast rights.
"We're looking at it seriously," Mr Lew said. "If it makes sense and it adds value to what we are providing football fans, at a commercial deal that we feel is fair, then we will see how we can bring it across. But, it's early days and let's see what happens."
Optus is creating a 24-7 dedicated football channel that will be available on Optus TV with Fetch - signing the A-League and Socceroos matches would provide more valuable content for that offering.
"Having got EPL we will build a content suite around people who are football fans," Mr Lew said.
"We will be building something around that to engage football fans when there is no live game, or nothing interesting to watch in terms of football."
Key differentiator
Optus has faced criticism over its planned coverage for the EPL, which it secured as part of a $189 million deal. The service will only be available to Optus customers and Mr Lew was adamant that the telco would not revisit that strategy.
"One principle that we will always stick to is that you have to be an Optus customers to get it because it's something that is a key differentiator for us. I cannot move away from that principle," he said.
"On an individual basis, we will see what we need to do to solve some of these problems for customers."
However, the fight for A-League broadcast rights is unlikely to be a walkover for the telco.
It is understood that the Ten Network is keen on a Saturday night A-League game and chief executive Paul Anderson has publicly declared his interest in the competition.
Sources said that subscription providers are open to free-to-air television playing an important role in the new deal.
Important property
Optus signed a deal with SBS, following the telco operator's acquisition of rights to the EPL, that allowed the television broadcaster to show one match per week on Saturday nights for the next three seasons.
The agreement with SBS gave Optus broadcast rights to FIFA events, including the 2018 men's World Cup and the 2019 women's World Cup.
The FFA has been engaging with a number of interested parties and official negotiations began in late April, as first revealed by Fairfax Media.
Incumbent rights holder Fox Sports, which is keen to hold onto the rights, has first and last rights and has held rights to the A-League since its inception in 2005.
Fox Sports chief executive Patrick Delany told Fairfax Media that the A-League is an important property to the pay TV sports provider.
"We have been an unfalteringly strong supporter of Australian football and specifically the A-League and that dates along way back to the time when the A-League was only a glimpse in the eye of Frank Lowy," Mr Delany said
"We're committed to continue to work with the FFA and the football community to build on what's happened in the last 10 years and continue to mission of making football more popular in Australia."
The majority of World Cup qualifiers, many of which are owned by World Sports Group (WSG), will be played out before the current deal expires.
WSG owns round three World Cup qualifiers as well as the Asian Champions League and Asia Cup.
Market surprised
The current $40 million per season, four-year deal, which expires in mid-2017, sees Fox Sports show all matches, including the weekend's higher rating derbies and rivalry games. SBS has rights to show one Friday match live each week, and the finals series on delay.
Prior to the beginning of the A-League season, which just finished with Adelaide United winning its first grand final, it looked as though SBS might sell its current free-to-air rights to a commercial broadcaster such as Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media or Network Ten. However, a deal failed to materialise.
SBS's desire to exit the A-League may see a deal finalised before the current rights agreement expires.
Oliver & Ohlbaum are advising the FFA on the negotiations. They were recommended by City Football Group, owners of English Premier League giants Manchester City and 80 per cent of A-league club Melbourne City.
Fairfax Media revealed in January last year that the FFA were confident of an uptick in the value of broadcast rights, potentially as high as $80 million per year. However, this would be contingent on bidders believing they could achieve higher ratings than the sport currently gets.
In November, Optus surprised many in the market by swooping on rights to the EPL and agreeing to pay $63 million annually, which is understood to be more than double the $20 million a year that Fox Sports is currently paying.
Foxtel responded to the loss of the English Premier League by signing new deals with six of the competition's biggest teams to broadcast the clubs' own channels, as revealed by Fairfax Media.
Foxtel, which is 50-50 owned by News Corporation and Telstra, will broadcast matches, on delay, for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
The pay TV provider also struck a deal with beIN Sports to move its high-definition channels over to the regular sports package, providing Champions League, Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A.
This story was found at: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/busi...13-gotuig.html
we need to grow as a sport, and sitting behind a paywall won't help us get the casual viewers in (I consider foxtel does assist with casual sports viewers, but not casual viewers)
the next deal has to include a component on FTA, on the main channel, with loads of advertising.
Fek off Optus, we don't want your shite streaming services.
Ruining EPL is enough, don't ruin the A-League and Socceroos too.
You do realise this is actually a good thing??
More people bidding more competition for the rights puts the value of the TV deals up and will also see better coverage.
So the fans win and the clubs win and the game win
Yet you are moaning as you may have to change your TV Package or Phone Plan??
First world problem.
Get to grips with it
Competition is always good thing, as long as Optus DONT win the deal.
Putting our game on a lesser service (Optus streaming) in which you have to be an Optus customer (fek that), is not a good thing.
We go from being on an almost even playing field (FTA TV aside) to NRL/AFL to being an exclusively online streaming service, that no one will switch to, just for A-League (EPL a bonus?).
You will NOT get new people watching our game on an Optus exclusive streaming service, that has very little reach into pubs/clubs.
We need to be focusing on more highly accessible platforms and FTA rights, not less.
Yeah, Sorry member. Having us on Foxtel which is already in about 1,600,000 homes vs having us on Fetch which is currently in about 54 houses in Australia is a no-brainer. Are you going to pay $1680 over 2 years just to watch it on your mobile? Or $1980 over 2 years to watch it on a TV?
No I will illegally streaming the ****ing thing like anyone with half a brain will be doing.
That also being said the dynamics of viewing is changing.
Sure as shit normal TV and newspapers have not died of yet. They are though a dead end industry moving forward if they don't evolve.
This streaming content is going to be a bigger goer in the futre.
Technology changes shit.
Who would have though ****s would make I Tunes successful when you had to pay for products. It worked fine spite the thousand other torrent like sites offering it for free
I not to worried about Optus and the EPL
It will work itself out one way or another.
All I can say is I am loving BeIn Sports and the wide variety of football I am getting. Shame the Euro season is winding up but I liking this offer from Foxtel much more than the in comparison garbage EPL product they have offered in recent times
Jeez it's cringeworthy when some local reporter asks every visiting big name footballer "so can you see yourself playing in the A-league one day?"
Some idiot asked Torres yesterday. Bloke was so gracious without pissing himself laughing.
Tonight's EPL kickoff will be very interesting to see how the Optus network handles the load
Subscribe to The Jetstream Podcast http://www.newcastlefootball.net/podcast
"See".....Ha....Joke of a situation......
Hopefully better than the ABS!
How did Optus go?
Flawless for me - watched on a fetch tv unit. Top notch coverage, same pq as Foxtel and the Goal Rush program was a great way to keep up to date with the other simultaneous games.
Seems that for some people, they were having issues watching via browser.
Subscribe to The Jetstream Podcast http://www.newcastlefootball.net/podcast
Mobile coverage OK - quality not as good as SBS HD and a 1 minute delay.
I think one of the problems is that it isn't a simple case of flicking a switch anymore and it is a bit complicated for many.
For example I have to take my phone out the back where 4G reception is good and connect it via MHL to the TV - its OK but not as sharp as Fox HD.
Will probably hop across to Optus for NBN and get a Fetch box, but again it isn't straightforward.
That said the actual coverage itself is excellent, but I found SBS easier on the eye.
The epitome of capitalism.
Disgrace.
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