Football 8/03/15

what have sky lost?

Champions league from next season

Originally Posted by That Boy Ronaldo!

Sky's coverage of European/International Football is a shambles, they launched the Sky Sports 5 b****cks months ago, and half the games aren't even on. La Liga on a Friday/Monday is a no-go, instead they show repeats of previous games.

MLS isn't even on that channel either, why didn't they have the Gala/Fenebache game on yesterday, and some of the other big European games that BT don't have.

Aside from Graham Hunter, their bunch of 'experts' and commentators are woeful, too. Same guys they've had for years. Totally complacent, while BT have this huge roster of freelance journalists to enhance their continental coverage.

Never understood why they can't purchase games like Gala-Fener on and individual basis. MUTV did so last season when they showed one or two of Olympiakos' league games in the build-up to our tie against them. So it can't be that pricey.

I'm not sure Sky are massively worried about the 10k and less viewing figures that BT are getting for their German, French and Italian football. Really is a drop in the ocean, comes nowhere near the La Liga viewing figures and is obviously absolutely dwarfed by any domestic football.

Gala/Fenebache ffs, yeah would really pull in the viewers

Originally Posted by Ethers

I'm not sure Sky are massively worried about the 10k and less viewing figures that BT are getting for their German, French and Italian football. Really is a drop in the ocean, comes nowhere near the La Liga viewing figures and is obviously absolutely dwarfed by any domestic football.

Gala/Fenebache ffs, yeah would really pull in the viewers

Probably more than the average MLS game, imo.

Last season BT's Bundesliga figures were up 70% on the season before. That's the point, Sky failing to realise that interest is growing. Besides, their viewing figures are always based on a very small sample size. Lots more people are watching European football atm.

Obviously more people watch La Liga than the others because fewer people actually have BT. But that stuff is helping BT grow, nqat.

Originally Posted by Ethers

I'm not sure Sky are massively worried about the 10k and less viewing figures that BT are getting for their German, French and Italian football. Really is a drop in the ocean, comes nowhere near the La Liga viewing figures and is obviously absolutely dwarfed by any domestic football.

Gala/Fenebache ffs, yeah would really pull in the viewers

The Champions League is the kick in the balls for Sky. The ratings for the matches with English teams are really high.

La Liga aside, nobody really gives a shit about the rest of the European rights.

Originally Posted by Lok

The Champions League is the kick in the balls for Sky. The ratings for the matches with English teams are really high.

La Liga aside, nobody really gives a shit about the rest of the European rights.

There'll be plenty of people who didn't bother with Sky's European channel precisely because they have BT and other leagues.

BT put a lot of effort into their European coverage. Fair to say based on recent events they know what they're doing, imo.

Did this happen?

Originally Posted by Ethers

I'm not sure Sky are massively worried about the 10k and less viewing figures that BT are getting for their German, French and Italian football. Really is a drop in the ocean, comes nowhere near the La Liga viewing figures and is obviously absolutely dwarfed by any domestic football.

Gala/Fenebache ffs, yeah would really pull in the viewers

s/siders loves his obscure foreign football

Originally Posted by Ginners

s/siders loves his obscure foreign football

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Probably more than the average MLS game, imo.

What about games featuring Gerrard or Lampard? A combination of Liverpool/Chelsea fans, the curious, and the nostalgic, plus the nonstop promos they'll run, and I'm sure the viewing figures would obliterate a football-purist game like Gala-Fener.

Sky are playing the long game. MLS will make a huge play for Rooney and Ronnie eventually, and every other aging big name, and they'll keep getting some of them.

Originally Posted by Grimson

What about games featuring Gerrard or Lampard? A combination of Liverpool/Chelsea fans, the curious, and the nostalgic, plus the nonstop promos they'll run, and I'm sure the viewing figures would obliterate a football-purist game like Gala-Fener.

Sky are playing the long game. MLS will make a huge play for Rooney and Ronnie eventually, and every other aging big name, and they'll keep getting some of them.

I don't think anyone in the UK really gave a shit when Beckham was there, I don't see it being much different. But maybe that's wrong. Perhaps with a growing contingent of big names it could generate more interest.

But I think BT are playing the smarter long game. If they play it right, their general coverage of the Champions League should already be greatly enhanced by their attention to the wider European game. A roster full of European experts, compared to Sky's usual getting Jeff Stelling to ask Paul Merson and Jamie Redknapp how good Messi and Ronaldo are.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

I don't think anyone in the UK really gave a shit when Beckham was there, I don't see it being much different. But maybe that's wrong.

Nobody had even heard of MLS then. You couldn't put most MLS games on TV when Beckham first went there. The games were played in American football stadiums, with American football lines, small crowds...anyone who tuned in would have switched it off straight away.

Anyway it's not that Sky have won out by getting MLS, certainly not compared to Champions League or any other major competition. It just gives them a small niche that might grow.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

I don't think anyone in the UK really gave a shit when Beckham was there, I don't see it being much different. But maybe that's wrong. Perhaps with a growing contingent of big names it could generate more interest.

But I think BT are playing the smarter long game. If they play it right, their general coverage of the Champions League should already be greatly enhanced by their attention to the wider European game. A roster full of European experts, compared to Sky's usual getting Jeff Stelling to ask Paul Merson and Jamie Redknapp how good Messi and Ronaldo are.

BT are spreading themselves too thin imo. Part of the reason Sky have had so much success with La Liga is that they've been able to build up the brand and manufacture interest in it. BT are unable to do that effectively when they show so much football. They'd be better off cherry picking fixtures or leagues for now.

I'm not sure I share your optimism for the CL either, because their domestic coverage is absolutely horrific, and they will surely go down the same populist route.

This Liverpool replay date been confirmed then?

Back in the day the replay would be 3 days later!

Originally Posted by Grimson

Nobody had even heard of MLS then. You couldn't put most MLS games on TV when Beckham first went there. The games were played in American football stadiums, with American football lines, small crowds...anyone who tuned in would have switched it off straight away.

Anyway it's not that Sky have won out by getting MLS, certainly not compared to Champions League or any other major competition. It just gives them a small niche that might grow.

Fair enough, but it does appear to have taken BT's arrival for this to happen. They spent twenty years maintaining that fairly parochial footballing view relative to the money and power they had. Then BT take the Champions League and Sky immediately get the Coppa Italia, Erevidisie and MLS. I still think that they could have closed the market better.

Originally Posted by Ethers

BT are spreading themselves too thin imo. Part of the reason Sky have had so much success with La Liga is that they've been able to build up the brand and manufacture interest in it. BT are unable to do that effectively when they show so much football. They'd be better off cherry picking fixtures or leagues for now.

I'm not sure I share your optimism for the CL either, because their domestic coverage is absolutely horrific, and they will surely go down the same populist route.

I think the only reason Sky have had success with La Liga is that it's the most glamourous league in the world, due to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Generally their coverage is shocking. They've had Gerry Armstrong as their main man for twenty years purely because he spent a brief spell at Mallorca. It's far worse than their domestic production values, which have improved a lot with Neville and Carragher.

With BT, I agree they are the other way around. Good foreign coverage; awful domestic coverage. The main Champions League games involving English teams will be poor if they persist with Michael Owen etc, but the follow-up show that Sky made a mess of should be better if they give it to James Richardson. The show he hosts on Sunday evenings is better than anything Sky have done.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Fair enough, but it does appear to have taken BT's arrival for this to happen. They spent twenty years maintaining that fairly parochial footballing view relative to the money and power they had. Then BT take the Champions League and Sky immediately get the Coppa Italia, Erevidisie and MLS. I still think that they could have closed the market better.



I think the only reason Sky have had success with La Liga is that it's the most glamourous league in the world, due to Barcelona and Real Madrid. Generally their coverage is shocking. They've had Gerry Armstrong as their main man for twenty years purely because he spent a brief spell at Mallorca. It's far worse than their domestic production values, which have improved a lot with Neville and Carragher.

With BT, I agree they are the other way around. Good foreign coverage; awful domestic coverage. The main Champions League games involving English teams will be poor if they persist with Michael Owen etc, but the follow-up show that Sky made a mess of should be better if they give it to James Richardson. The show he hosts on Sunday evenings is better than anything Sky have done.

Who do BT have for the foreign coverage? Im guessing they put Owen, Savage, James etc to shame

Originally Posted by Switching Off

Who do BT have for the foreign coverage? Im guessing they put Owen, Savage, James etc to shame

James Richardson and pretty much everyone on the Guardian Football Weekly Podcast roster

Marcotti does some of the Italian stuff, I think. They've had guys like Shevchenko in the studio, but he was shite

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

James Richardson and pretty much everyone on the Guardian Football Weekly Podcast roster

Marcotti does some of the Italian stuff, I think. They've had guys like Shevchenko in the studio, but he was shite

Class. Its a shame Richardson is marginalised but at least he's doing something.