[Football] Why is Illegal Streaming So Popular

[US Seagull]

 

[Albion my Albion]

Let's see, people like football & they like to keep their money and it ain't all that hard to access. The fact that providers think of it as losing money instead of people not having enough funds to pay them is an interesting situation.

 

[Cotton Socks]

Even if people can afford SKY, BT & Prime you still can't watch all teams, especially #teamslikeBrighton.

 

[US Seagull]

It does seem to me that the blackout has long since stopped making sense, if it even ever did.

Maybe there was a case where people would actually go to games if the game they'd rather see wasn't on the TV, but I can't imagine there are many fans now, especially the more plastic ones, saying "oh, the Man City game isn't on the TV? Guess I'll go watch my local non-league Bumblefuck United instead then!"

They could probably fix a decent chunk of illegal streams is they actually provided a legal alternative.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

The cost and the fact that Saturday 3pm games aren't shown live. Pushes you down the illegal streaming route. I've got Sky and Amazon Prime but not BT so if I'm not at the game I'll use the paid service if we are on that, but otherwise I might seek out a stream.

 

[beorhthelm]

It does seem to me that the blackout has long since stopped making sense, if it even ever did.

Maybe there was a case where people would actually go to games if the game they'd rather see wasn't on the TV, but I can't imagine there are many fans now, especially the more plastic ones, saying "oh, the Man City game isn't on the TV? Guess I'll go watch my local non-league Bumblefuck United instead then!"

They could probably fix a decent chunk of illegal streams is they actually provided a legal alternative.

the strongest argument was top tier on TV would affect people going along to lower tiers. football imposed the restriction, Sky etc go along because a restricted market seems beneficial. they'll happily sell you all you can watch or a match by match options, which will still cost more than a free bootleg option.

 

[southstandandy]

It's so simple. I'm of retirement age and even I can find live streams most weeks for our matches. It's not rocket science.

 

[Eeyore]

Even if people can afford SKY, BT & Prime you still can't watch all teams, especially #teamslikeBrighton.

Quite. I've got the lot. Hardly see Albion though. Good job I like cricket and rugby.

In the Championship, 17 of the 46 matches in our promotion season were on the box. Obviously not so exciting now.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Using the NFL model, games are available on TV but if ticket sales locally drop below a certain level, then it cannot be shown locally. That would reduce concerns about locals not going to see their teams while also making games available legally to more people.

 

[US Seagull]

the strongest argument was top tier on TV would affect people going along to lower tiers. football imposed the restriction, Sky etc go along because a restricted market seems beneficial. they'll happily sell you all you can watch or a match by match options, which will still cost more than a free bootleg option.

Right, but did that ever really make sense? And does it make sense now, especially with the internet and a world full of illegal streams?

Games aren't really fungible. A fan of a particular club isn't going to just shrug and go watch a different team (especially a lower league team) instead if denied the ability to watch their favorite team.

So maybe that's a question? Has anybody here ever actually gone to a different game because they couldn't watch the Albion on TV?

 

[Weststander]

The cost and the fact that Saturday 3pm games aren't shown live. Pushes you down the illegal streaming route. I've got Sky and Amazon Prime but not BT so if I'm not at the game I'll use the paid service if we are on that, but otherwise I might seek out a stream.

Simply this.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If there was a service where I could watch all Albion games I’d pay for it.

As it is, in the UK, you have to sign up to three different broadcasters to then only get some of the games. A right costly faff for only a portion of the games. This is why, a friend of mine, uses other means.

 

[RandyWanger]

As above, only want to watch our games and would happy pay to watch all our away games on a pay per view type stream or subscription.

 

[Wozza]

As above, only want to watch our games and would happy pay to watch all our away games on a pay per view type stream or subscription.

This model would KILL Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.

(Or, at least, aspirations to achieve any kind of success.)

 

[Official Old Man]

I watch the occasional ECL games and the odd untelevised games. With Albion I go to most away matches but the odd 'long distant' match is a stay at home. I pay a lot for Sky & Amazon and blowed if I'm spending more for BT.

 

[amexer]

Apart from very occasional game only interested in watching Albion.

 

[nickbrighton]

They needed a survey!

Its quite simple, it costs too much, and not all your teams games are avaoable legally

The video says the streams are poor quality, however I haver found that they are usually comprable to standard def TV, with the occasional buffering issue for a few seconds everynow and then. Certainly not bad enough to make it even close to unwatchable

I can watch every Brighton Prem League away game (I go to every home game) plus the vast majority of cup games (carabao early rounds excepted), plus virtually any other game i want to

I would happily pay a reasonable amount to do that legally, but 1, I cant, and 2, even at current subscriptions its simnply too much

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Ideally the blackout should be scrapped.

If not, clubs should be allowed to beam back away games, provided they sell their full allocation first.

 

[albionalex]

As above, only want to watch our games and would happy pay to watch all our away games on a pay per view type stream or subscription.

Unfortunately, if this was applied then we would be buggered.

United, Liverpool, Chelsea etc. would be raking it in compared to us and further increasing the financial gap.

 

[US Seagull]

This model would KILL Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.

(Or, at least, aspirations to achieve any kind of success.)

True, if the per club subscription model gave all the income for club X to only club X. But it wouldn't necessarily have to be that way. You could conceive a model that shared revenue more equably. After all, there are no games without the other 19 teams to play against.

Of course, the "big" clubs wouldn't agree to it "for the benefit of the game". They are only really concerned about the "benefit to them".

It's ironic that the most American of American sports leagues, the NFL, is so egalitarian in sharing revenue.