Amazon to bid for Premier League rights

[Smithy_123]

Oh great, I already pay more than ever due to BT getting the rights, now Amazon are getting involved, Netflix won't be in before long I'm sure. If it's just football then I'm okay on missing out on a few games, the issue is when they buy up the rights for Cricket (like BT have done), Tennis and other sports.

Go the American way and offer a team season pass. I only really care about watching Man Utd anyway. I've noticed some Championship sides already offer this.

 

[starman]

There are a lot of companies that get so big they can exploit customers and flob them of. I understand people getting uncomfortable with Amazon having a hand in everything, but i am fine with it, as long as they continue with their high standards, as they have always been brillant when dealing with them, so if they include football in my membership, i am all for it

 

[Bestietom]

I can see it coming. FREE streaming , about time too Sky are ripping people off.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

But how will this affect my illegal streaming?

Most likely it won't. May mean you would need to watch it through a US / Canadian channel though.

 

[AlwaysTheKop]

As a Prime member who doesn’t have any TV subscription (Freeview/Kodi user) I’m all for it! I happily pay for Prime because it’s very much worth it.

Even if they add an extra £10 a year I’d be happy I’d say... hopefully it doesn’t come as a big add on called something like Prime Plus or something though and they add a silly monthly charge onto it... then nah, I’ll stick to using Kodi or Football apps for free.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

If Amazon do in fact get these Premier League games, it makes paying for Sky even more pointless. I cancelled SkySports last year and not regretted it all. I have a good quality streaming service that shows me all the sport I can ever want for less than £10 a month.

 

[Austria-Red]

Since last year Pl games are only available through streaming in Germany/Austria. We pay 9,99€ and get one game per kickoff time. Which means that about 85-90% of United games are shown. This is a great deal as other leagues and NFL Redzone are included and next year they even get the CL.

The only drawback is that it’s not really live. It is about 90 seconds behind the live broadcast which means that some of my colleagues, who watch through eastern European channels on satellite, often text me about a goal when it hasn’t even happened on my stream

When called out about it they say that this a feature of live streaming that can’t be fixed.

 

[Number1]

What people are not taking into account is Sky have had 25+ years experience with football, people may want change for various reasons (be pricing or just change itself) but the build-ups/post match analysis and action itself is 2nd to none.

Whilst i don't like BT, they are a UK company so know how the Premier League works and what the UK customer wants, i fear with Amazon or another American giant like Netflix, the UK will get a whole 'Americanised' football experience.

Ie:- pundits/commentators randomly saying 'eat Frosties for breakfast they're grrrrrreat' or random sponsorship's popping up on the screen during the action or when the ball goes out of play, things like that.

 

[Robbo*]

I subscribe to Sky and BT too - point being that I can put no more money in the pot as a 'consumer' of football, yet cannot access the product in full - not a very efficient market outcome. Something has to change I think as, as has been said by others, people don't want to pay vast sums for games they aren't necessarily interested in while being precluded from watching games in which they are interested.

Because TV companies pay a hell of a lot of money for coverage. BBC and BT pick and choose the matches they want but they'll still want to show the highlights too.

 

[Acole9]

I subscribe to Sky and BT too - point being that I can put no more money in the pot as a 'consumer' of football, yet cannot access the product in full - not a very efficient market outcome. Something has to change I think as, as has been said by others, people don't want to pay vast sums for games they aren't necessarily interested in while being precluded from watching games in which they are interested.

Sky used to have a pay per view channel many moons ago called Prem Plus and you either get a season ticket and watch every match shown or you could pick the ones you wanted to watch. It worked well to be fair, I'm surprised no one else has done anything like this.

 

[Lennon7]

Sky used to have a pay per view channel many moons ago called Prem Plus and you either get a season ticket and watch every match shown or you could pick the ones you wanted to watch. It worked well to be fair, I'm surprised no one else has done anything like this.

NOW TV do, you can buy weekend passes and that, but it’s well overpriced.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

NOW TV do, you can buy weekend passes and that, but it’s well overpriced.

Think the Prem Plus Pass was about £40 if bought before a certain date, so it worked out a lot cheaper than NOW TV. My family used to get it. Problem with me is I like watching all games, I watch La Liga and watch all the PL games. I would actually hate paying to just watch United then not see the other big PL games. I cannot afford to pay much more. So BT might go, even though I do not pay that much for it as I am a BT customer. I hate BT for taking the CL exclusively, so putting people, whose finances are already stretched in an awkward position.

 

[Spark]

With Disney finalising the ownership of Sky (via Fox), I actually see Sky coming back and raising the price.

The bidding process isn’t just about the highest price, the Premier League also has to think about how the platform will effect viewership and therefore enable it to sell sponsorship. While Amazon has an enviable platform, they have always refused to release any reach figures, meaning that the Premier League will be in a weaker position unless they are granted access to the Amazons viewing figures - something no one has been allowed (similar story with Facebook and Netflix).

I think the final price will be ludicrous, with Sky having the majority of games and Amazon having a significant highlights package. The real losers may be Match of the Day.

 

[rcoobc]

Amazon's prime offering is a joke.

Most of the stuff i want to buy doesnt have prime delivery. Of the stuff i do want to buy, often there is a cheaper seller selling it without prime. Their add on items mean ill often wait to spend £20 before buying... So i would have got free postage anyway

Their video services are shoking. The only thing worth watching is parks and rec, and ive seen that already

But. I hope they take BTs bit because it can't be worse

 

[SirAF]

Surely Amazon having the rights will push even more people into watching streams?

Needing to have 3 subscriptions to watch Premier League Football would be absolutely insane.

However, i do think some change is needed to stop some of the "features" Sky, BT and the BBC have introduced.

The inability the show the actual ******* game and instead show me pictures of the 4th official or some celebrity in the crowd is infuriating. They have even started showing replays over live goal kicks.

Commentary has got a lot worse. Most of them just talk for the sake of it. Give me 90's Tyler/Gray back any day.

If Amazon can offer a 90 minute match with 5 camera angles, no commentary and live loud crowd noise, then i would be very happy indeed.

That’s my dream.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

That’s my dream.

I don't mind a commentator, but I am getting to the stage where I would gladly get rid of the co-commentator as I think that is how the banal drivel has come into commentating. Andy Gray, as has been said, gave insight. Now half of them talk about anything but the game. Also as half the games are filmed from a hot air balloon I appreciate actually knowing who is on the ball as half the time it is like watching ants running about.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Amazon are becoming wayyy too big for my liking. They're already a very powerful company.

Yeah can’t anyone see the similarities with Skynet. They are trying to get delivery drones going as well, that’ll be the first step towards the anhialation of the human race. It all started when they decided to move on from jus selling books to everything.

I feel like a black mirror episode brewing.

Although, if they can get past this Saturday 3pm rule and our FA cup matches not being televised and being impossible to locate I’m looking for it. Actually just give them all the matches so we can have on demand features where you just choose what game you want to watch worldwide.

 

[Guy Incognito]

Surely Amazon having the rights will push even more people into watching streams?

Needing to have 3 subscriptions to watch Premier League Football would be absolutely insane.

However, i do think some change is needed to stop some of the "features" Sky, BT and the BBC have introduced.

The inability the show the actual ******* game and instead show me pictures of the 4th official or some celebrity in the crowd is infuriating. They have even started showing replays over live goal kicks.

Commentary has got a lot worse. Most of them just talk for the sake of it. Give me 90's Tyler/Gray back any day.

If Amazon can offer a 90 minute match with 5 camera angles, no commentary and live loud crowd noise, then i would be very happy indeed.

Yes. But I said yesterday, problem with that is "live streams", the infrastructure is not in place yet. This football explainer blog I read picks up on what I said yesterday.

And what you asking for (camera angles, no commentary) is what Sky introduced way back in the 90s. Great innovation at the time.

 

[Wiltord02]

Yes. But I said yesterday, problem with that is "live streams", the infrastructure is not in place yet. This football explainer blog I read picks up on what I said yesterday.

And what you asking for (camera angles, no commentary) is what Sky introduced way back in the 90s. Great innovation at the time.

Cheers, will give the blog a read later.

Loved Sky Active. Good old Sky Digital. I think the Arsenal-United game with the Henry wonder goal was the first match they did this. I can't believe they got rid of it. Even had Fanzone on there!

Edit - Just looked and it was the United win with Keane scoring 2 goals.

 

[Scarecrow]

Since last year Pl games are only available through streaming in Germany/Austria. We pay 9,99€ and get one game per kickoff time. Which means that about 85-90% of United games are shown. This is a great deal as other leagues and NFL Redzone are included and next year they even get the CL.

The only drawback is that it’s not really live. It is about 90 seconds behind the live broadcast which means that some of my colleagues, who watch through eastern European channels on satellite, often text me about a goal when it hasn’t even happened on my stream

When called out about it they say that this a feature of live streaming that can’t be fixed.

Are you talking about DAZN? Because that's not very good, in my experience.

 

[Austria-Red]

Are you talking about DAZN? Because that's not very good, in my experience.

Yes I am. It used to be buggy for me too but since I bought an Apple TV 4K it works like a charm. Picture quality is only slightly worse than Sky HD, it works without interruption and the content is just unbeatable for that price.

I am sure that Amazon with their cloud infrastructure could do it even better

 

[Scarecrow]

Yes I am. It used to be buggy for me too but since I bought an Apple TV 4K it works like a charm. Picture quality is only slightly worse than Sky HD, it works without interruption and the content is just unbeatable for that price.

I am sure that Amazon with their cloud infrastructure could do it even better

I tried it but it kept stuttering ever so slightly (but very often) which drove me crazy. The video quality is supposed to automatically adjust to your capability but it obviously didn't work optimally for me. It kept it at 1080p which is great but I know for a fact that my internet is not fast enough to support streaming of that quality. If they optimized that or gave me the option to choose a lower resolution, I'd gladly give them the 10 euro.

Never had that issue with other streaming sites like HBO GO or Netflix.

 

[GhastlyHun]

Amazon can coun't me in as soon as they offer a PL-Bundesliga-CL combo for <15€

 

[ajay1002]

I don't understand why the Premier League just doesn't play all of its games on a Sunday to avoid the Saturday blackout. They would easily sell the rights to broadcast all of the games

 

[automaticflare]

The Premier League know that they're leaving billions on the table by persisting with the 3pm blackout. They spend a small fortune trying to block illicit streams. They'd be better served taking a slice of that pie by auctioning off simultaneous streaming rights. It's an outdated model.

They aren't losing any money
The tv companies pay the premier league
It is the tv companies losing out on subscriptions not the premier league

 

[automaticflare]

What people are not taking into account is Sky have had 25+ years experience with football, people may want change for various reasons (be pricing or just change itself) but the build-ups/post match analysis and action itself is 2nd to none.

Whilst i don't like BT, they are a UK company so know how the Premier League works and what the UK customer wants, i fear with Amazon or another American giant like Netflix, the UK will get a whole 'Americanised' football experience.

Ie:- pundits/commentators randomly saying 'eat Frosties for breakfast they're grrrrrreat' or random sponsorship's popping up on the screen during the action or when the ball goes out of play, things like that.

Sky coverage is fecking shit
Jobs for the boys
Same crap for the last 25 years
How long are we gonna be looking at souness le tissier Nicholas Thompson mcinally talking about a league they never played in or a generation

Robbie Earle and mustoe are only recently retired and I find there lack of pandering to the English quite enjoyable on NBC
I don't need to see 3 hours of shit talk about a game it offers nothing to me just product hype
Same for post game interviews with players and managers could just be holograms at this point

Show the match and piss off

 

[Jacko21]

They aren't losing any money
The tv companies pay the premier league
It is the tv companies losing out on subscriptions not the premier league

You sure?

The Premier League persist with a 60-year old rule preventing the broadcast of 3pm fixtures in the UK - abolish that and they're free to auction off new packages for 3pm games worth billions. NBC alone paid $1b for the right to show 3pm games in the US.

 

[Austria-Red]

I tried it but it kept stuttering ever so slightly (but very often) which drove me crazy. The video quality is supposed to automatically adjust to your capability but it obviously didn't work optimally for me. It kept it at 1080p which is great but I know for a fact that my internet is not fast enough to support streaming of that quality. If they optimized that or gave me the option to choose a lower resolution, I'd gladly give them the 10 euro.

Never had that issue with other streaming sites like HBO GO or Netflix.

The problem is that the app is programmed to run at 50 frames per second whereas most streaming devices are US made and therefore run at 60 fps. This leads to the stuttering you described. The new apple TV has an option to automatically adjust the frame rate to the source content which solves that problem.

If you have a smart TV then running the app directly on your TV should also work without stuttering.

Sorry for going off-topic

 

[automaticflare]

You sure?

The Premier League persist with a 60-year old rule preventing the broadcast of 3pm fixtures in the UK - abolish that and they're free to auction off new packages for 3pm games worth billions. NBC alone paid $1b for the right to show 3pm games in the US.

Exactly they can't show the games in the U.K. At that time so how are they losing money on something they cannot sell??

 

[Eckers99]

What people are not taking into account is Sky have had 25+ years experience with football, people may want change for various reasons (be pricing or just change itself) but the build-ups/post match analysis and action itself is 2nd to none.

Whilst i don't like BT, they are a UK company so know how the Premier League works and what the UK customer wants, i fear with Amazon or another American giant like Netflix, the UK will get a whole 'Americanised' football experience.

Ie:- pundits/commentators randomly saying 'eat Frosties for breakfast they're grrrrrreat' or random sponsorship's popping up on the screen during the action or when the ball goes out of play, things like that.

Amazon wouldn't be naive enough to think that they could just buy their way into showing football without doing their homework about what formats do and don't work. They could poach the best behind the scenes talents from the likes of Sky if they wanted to replicate the viewer experience. Who knows, they might even find new angles to explore that Sky have neglected.

 

[Number1]

Sky coverage is fecking shit
Jobs for the boys
Same crap for the last 25 years
How long are we gonna be looking at souness le tissier Nicholas Thompson mcinally talking about a league they never played in or a generation

Robbie Earle and mustoe are only recently retired and I find there lack of pandering to the English quite enjoyable on NBC
I don't need to see 3 hours of shit talk about a game it offers nothing to me just product hype
Same for post game interviews with players and managers could just be holograms at this point

Show the match and piss off

Why do you sound so angry?

I don't know what you are on about with Le Tissier/Nicholas and Thompson, they are the panel on Sports Saturday (Sky Sports News) nothing to do with actual games and sports suscription packages.

Carragher/Henry/Neville are the pundits during match days and they've been great, sure they have Graeme Souness but nothing is 100% perfect in life and things sure as hell wouldn't be perfect with Amazon, I've gave my fears with them above.

 

[Scarecrow]

The problem is that the app is programmed to run at 50 frames per second whereas most streaming devices are US made and therefore run at 60 fps. This leads to the stuttering you described. The new apple TV has an option to automatically adjust the frame rate to the source content which solves that problem.

If you have a smart TV then running the app directly on your TV should also work without stuttering.

Sorry for going off-topic

Thanks for the info.

 

[automaticflare]

Why do you sound so angry?

I don't know what you are on about with Le Tissier/Nicholas and Thompson, they are the panel on Sports Saturday (Sky Sports News) nothing to do with actual games and sports suscription packages.

Carragher/Henry/Neville are the pundits during match days and they've been great, sure they have Graeme Souness but nothing is 100% perfect in life and things sure as hell wouldn't be perfect with Amazon, I've gave my fears with them above.

I disagree about Neville carragher and Henry totally
Think they talk rubbish in the most part
Neville too staunch never admits when he is wrong at all even when the world disagrees. Proven he knows feck all when he went to manage Valencia
Carragher I have little time for. He is typical Liverpool fan way to partisan like Thompson
Henry literally do not like his accent and never disagrees with anyone at all about anything

 

[Scarecrow]

I disagree about Neville carragher and Henry totally
Think they talk rubbish in the most part
Neville too staunch never admits when he is wrong at all even when the world disagrees. Proven he knows feck all when he went to manage Valencia
Carragher I have little time for. He is typical Liverpool fan way to partisan like Thompson
Henry literally do not like his accent and never disagrees with anyone at all about anything

I disagree on Carragher. He's usually quite objective and sensible when he's being serious. I don't think Neville's managerial stint proves that he knows feck all but he is indeed too staunch. Him and Jaime are good together though, best thing about Sky, really.

Henry is annoying, I agree completely there.

 

[Jacko21]

Exactly they can't show the games in the U.K. At that time so how are they losing money on something they cannot sell??

Because it's their choice to uphold the 3pm blackout - it's not parliamentary law. With the agreement of the FA and the Football League, they can abolish it anytime they like.

 

[automaticflare]

Because it's their choice to uphold the 3pm blackout - it's not parliamentary law. With the agreement of the FA and the Football League, they can abolish it anytime they like.

Right so you agree it something they can't sell so they can't lose money on it

 

[clarkydaz]

Surely Amazon having the rights will push even more people into watching streams?

Needing to have 3 subscriptions to watch Premier League Football would be absolutely insane.

However, i do think some change is needed to stop some of the "features" Sky, BT and the BBC have introduced.

The inability the show the actual ******* game and instead show me pictures of the 4th official or some celebrity in the crowd is infuriating. They have even started showing replays over live goal kicks.

Commentary has got a lot worse. Most of them just talk for the sake of it. Give me 90's Tyler/Gray back any day.

If Amazon can offer a 90 minute match with 5 camera angles, no commentary and live loud crowd noise, then i would be very happy indeed.

this is what most want and would eliminate the need to overpay a panel of annoying pundits. The stuff that BT do after a match and just make general football topics up to talk about is a waste of time and customer money

 

[Number1]

Amazon wouldn't be naive enough to think that they could just buy their way into showing football without doing their homework about what formats do and don't work. They could poach the best behind the scenes talents from the likes of Sky if they wanted to replicate the viewer experience. Who knows, they might even find new angles to explore that Sky have neglected.

Maybe but Amazon bidding for Premier League rights would be for pure business purposes to make money, make no mistake of that.

If they don't raise suscription packages considerably to pay for the billions it would take to secure Premier League rights, along with all the money and tech it would take to broadcast, they would make money back another way and (as said) my money's on Americanizing things and having a bunch of advertisements, splattered all over the screen whenever they can and have the commentors say random stuff like "sponsored by McDonald's I'm loving it" like they do in the UFC and WWE.

They are an Americain company all said and done and know how things work over there, It's got disaster wrote all over it.

 

[clarkydaz]

What people are not taking into account is Sky have had 25+ years experience with football, people may want change for various reasons (be pricing or just change itself) but the build-ups/post match analysis and action itself is 2nd to none.

Whilst i don't like BT, they are a UK company so know how the Premier League works and what the UK customer wants, i fear with Amazon or another American giant like Netflix, the UK will get a whole 'Americanised' football experience.

Ie:- pundits/commentators randomly saying 'eat Frosties for breakfast they're grrrrrreat' or random sponsorship's popping up on the screen during the action or when the ball goes out of play, things like that.

BT Sport is bloated, and we pay for it

 

[Jacko21]

Right so you agree it something they can't sell so they can't lose money on it

"Leaving billions on the table" - as in they're not getting all the money they could. Which is the point you picked up on.

I think you misunderstood my original point.