Sky Sports loses rights to La Liga

[noodlehair]

I think this spells trouble coming for PL teams. These companies keep putting their prices up to reflect the bids they're making for TV rights, aren't offering anything new, and now begining to realise it isn't sustainable as people just wont pay for it.

It was easy for Sky when they had the whole lot. Now everyone wants a piece and everyone has to charge their price for getting a piece and it just isn't going to work. Cutting other TV deals like this wont fix the problem...for example it's probably tipped the balance for me as to whether I bother to renew my Sky...I don't watch much La Liga but it's gotten to the point where if I'm not even getting that, what exactly am I paying for.

 

[Thunderhead]

apparently since the final two EPL packages haven't been sold they (eleven TV) may bid for those

 

[redshaw]

I think this spells trouble coming for PL teams. These companies keep putting their prices up to reflect the bids they're making for TV rights, aren't offering anything new, and now begining to realise it isn't sustainable as people just wont pay for it.

It was easy for Sky when they had the whole lot. Now everyone wants a piece and everyone has to charge their price for getting a piece and it just isn't going to work. Cutting other TV deals like this wont fix the problem...for example it's probably tipped the balance for me as to whether I bother to renew my Sky...I don't watch much La Liga but it's gotten to the point where if I'm not even getting that, what exactly am I paying for.

BT have recently won Champions League rights again and bid a lot more than before. I don't think what you're saying is happening, people seem to cough up while I look on in amazement.

 

[Lay]

Saves money for content that people actually want to watch? The viewing figures must be bang average for them not to shell out such a tiny fee.

Honestly the sooner an Amazon type establishment comes in and takes everything away from them the better.

Like the Dutch league?

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Like the Dutch league?

Don't forget the Irish League as well or the MLS, the graveyard for past it great players or players who were never great in the first place.

 

[Chipper]

Like the Dutch league?

Probably costs less than a quid.

I'm kidding, but it must be dirt cheap and the thing with Sky is that they're not just sports of course . All of the top 10 shows on Sky 1 and Sky Living get more viewers than Spanish football by a long way, then there's the big American imports on Sky Atlantic - Westworld, Game of Thrones, Billions etc. More are interested in these too and as a bonus you don't even need the expense of a studio, host or commentator.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

So glad I use a streaming service rather than paying for Sky Sports and BT.

 

[MUFC OK]

Is this NBC online package?

Because the TSN and sportsnet packages show all games but coat over 100 dollars a month if you want all channels.

Which is why I stream with iptv. Sick of being ripped off.

I understood that you get every PL game with regular cable i.e. NBC, then its $50 for the Gold Pass. Still, it seems vastly cheaper than what it is in the UK.

 

[André Dominguez]

IPL is popular in the UK, international events like PGA and boxing will pick up a lot of viewings too. There's not much of an incentive to watch foriegn footballs when we have 2 incredibly competitive and exciting leagues here.

I guess IPL is popular in UK due to indian or indian descendents having interest in following their country league.

I think we can all say that UK lacks interest/curiousity in foreign leagues, the same way here in Portugal there are few persons who really follow NBA / Basketball. Nothing wrong with that. It's mainly a cultural thing.

 

[ivaldo]

I guess IPL is popular in UK due to indian or indian descendents having interest in following their country league.

I think we can all say that UK lacks interest/curiousity in foreign leagues, the same way here in Portugal there are few persons who really follow NBA / Basketball. Nothing wrong with that. It's mainly a cultural thing.

I don’t think It’s necessarily just British Indians that watch it, though it certainly helps.

No course not. The quality of sport in this country is at such a high standard across several different disciplines, that there simply isn’t the need to look elsewhere.

 

[Gio]

Just cancelled my own subscription. Not out of protest solely at this, but they've been leaking football rights for some time. And they don't seem to be showing anything where there is anything at stake - the Premier League, La Liga and Scottish Premiership have been decided for months. The only title race worth its salt at the top end of European football has been in Serie A, covered by BT, and the only other competition still to be decided is the Champions League, again covered solely by BT.

I don't think they help themselves with their shitshow of a mobile app and lack of flexible smart TV coverage. It all smells complacency.

 

[Rajma]

Makes no difference to us shrewdies that pay £10 a month for IPTV and get the full shebang.

This.

 

[Trizy]

Correct me if I am wrong but I read that Sky Sports pays the PL £5Bn but it says in that article that Sky Sports refused to pay the £18m that La Liga wanted.

Surely that can’t be right? Look at the collosal difference in monetary amounts.

It's because it'll be shown in another country. For example, I highly doubt all the Arabic, African, Asian, South American and American companies have to pay the 5bn that Sky have to pay.

 

[Ady87]

So now us consumers will need yet ANOTHER subscription that will cost £20+. Sky, BT and now Eleven?

An absolute joke. Offcom need to do something about this.

What do you want OFCOM to do, enforce the old monopoly? Ensure the consumer has no choice and allow Sky to do and charge what they like?

What should be happening is Sky dropping their prices to retain customer and be competitive allowing people to take on service from elsewhere. Sky, complacent as they are, aren't doing that, but it's not OFCOM's problem. If enough people trim or cancel their subscription then market forces should do their thing and see Sky act on it.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

What do you want OFCOM to do, enforce the old monopoly? Ensure the consumer has no choice and allow Sky to do and charge what they like?

What should be happening is Sky dropping their prices to retain customer and be competitive allowing people to take on service from elsewhere. Sky, complacent as they are, aren't doing that, but it's not OFCOM's problem. If enough people trim or cancel their subscription then market forces should do their thing and see Sky act on it.

The way they make a big thing out of the PL coverage, which is good, but they don't have all of it. They have everyone over a barrel, we want to watch football yet we are not even sure yet if there will be another subscription to pay just for the PL, as we don't know who is getting the remaining package. I love watching La Liga so will now just watch highlights on Bilbao's own website (not that there have been many this season). I just cannot afford to pay more money out. The same goes for the PL if another subscription channel takes those other games I will just not watch them.

I have BT, as I like the PL, but also enjoy watching other leagues, I also like baseball, so it suits me. Some of their documentaries are good as well. I have MUTV, so if anything ends up going it will eventually be Sky Sports. I actually cancelled it for a while and then managed to get it for 3 years at a reduced rate, once that ends I will seriously think about cancelling it again, as I would imagine they will find some excuse to put the cost up again.

 

[stepic]

why haven't BT paid the £18m? seems like a pittance really.

 

[stepic]

Makes no difference to us shrewdies that pay £10 a month for IPTV and get the full shebang.

what do you use to play it, a box or you just stream it to PS4 or something from your laptop?

 

[DomesticTadpole]

why haven't BT paid the £18m? seems like a pittance really.

Probably overpaid for the CL, if they had got La Liga it would have made them powerful. They have the other big leagues in Germany and Italy and also the French League. Now all Sky have apart from the PL is a bit of the Scottish PL, Dutch League, NI league and MLS, that is really poor.

 

[Chipper]

Probably overpaid for the CL, if they had got La Liga it would have made them powerful. They have the other big leagues in Germany and Italy and also the French League. Now all Sky have apart from the PL is a bit of the Scottish PL, Dutch League, NI league and MLS, that is really poor.

Not a top flight league of course, but the Championship is a big deal to whoever has those rights and that's Sky. It routinely pulls more viewers than any of the overseas leagues.

Edit:
Was just thinking what else is out there in terms of rights and remembered Freesports. Looks like they have a bit of Portuguese League, the Belgian top flight, Spanish Segunda division and the Brazilian cup. Never watched it, but I suppose it's not bad for nowt. Rights must be really cheap. They have Sporting v Benfica on Saturday.

Australian League is on somewhere but I'm not sure where, Sky?

BT have the Conference National.

You get the wonderful Welsh Premier League on S4C and random Scottish matches on BBC Alba.

 

[cyberman]

why haven't BT paid the £18m? seems like a pittance really.

Judging by the rumoured viewing figures it seems BT would be having it just to have it rather than being able to bring eyes to the channel.
If Sky are leaving this on the table by choice and not by getting outbid the the figures must be horrendous.
They do have Super League, the Championship, Darts, Golf, Wrestling, EPL, F1.
I don't think they'll be lowering the sub fee for losing a league thats probably not in the top 10 of watched, weekly programming on their platform.

 

[Carlsen19]

what do you use to play it, a box or you just stream it to PS4 or something from your laptop?

Amazon Fire TV box. You can stream through laptop/phone etc as well mind, not 100% about PS4 but I’m fairly sure you can.

 

[Addictive]

Makes no difference to us shrewdies that pay £10 a month for IPTV and get the full shebang.

tenner a month? what a rip. I pay £30 for the year for IPTV

 

[Full bodied red]

Amazon Fire TV box. You can stream through laptop/phone etc as well mind, not 100% about PS4 but I’m fairly sure you can.

Amazon Firestick - about £40 one off - plugged into the TV and then load the free sports apps.

Took me about 2 hours to set-up, find and load the app which then loads the other free apps, and just another single free app for 200 Sports Channels.

 

[FootballHQ]

I would doubt this. I'm sort of a Grimsby fan (I used to have a season ticket when I was younger, I don't care about them any more, but I still sort of follow their results) and our gates have remained pretty much completely consistent over the last 20 years. We tend to get about 4-5,000, and then 8,000 for a big game (I use the term 'big' loosely). That was the case in all divisions from what is now the Championship, which we were in when I was a teenager, to the Conference, sorry 'National League', which we were in for several years recently.

People who go to watch these teams are diehard supporters, and / or they want a bit of space from their families for a while. If they haven't found anything better to do in the diverse entertainment climate that exists today (God knows, I have) then I highly doubt one extra football match on TV will make any difference.

They were on more about grassroots e.g. leagues below the Conference and teams who get a couple of hundred on a Saturday would probably go bust if this rule came in.

I'm actually for a 3PM Saturday game (or all of them considering there isn't that many that take place at that time) if only to stop more stupid kick off times being created (like Saturday evening which shaft the match going fans).

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Down with (Sky and) this sort of thing!

 

[r3idy]

tenner a month? what a rip. I pay £30 for the year for IPTV

Damn, I thought mine was good at £7.00(ish) a month

 

[wub1234]

They were on more about grassroots e.g. leagues below the Conference and teams who get a couple of hundred on a Saturday would probably go bust if this rule came in.

They wouldn't, though, because people who watch those teams are extremely passionate / insane (delete as applicable), and having 3pm PL and La Liga games on TV won't change this.

 

[FootballHQ]

They wouldn't, though, because people who watch those teams are extremely passionate / insane (delete as applicable), and having 3pm PL and La Liga games on TV won't change this.

Yes I agree but it's always the reason trotted out by the FA.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Yes I agree but it's always the reason trotted out by the FA.

Wasn't this law roled out in the 60's when there were very few live games shown. They probably thought TV was going to be a big threat, although people would rather go to see a game live at a ground if it is within their means.

 

[68Guns]

Damn, I thought mine was good at £7.00(ish) a month

Plenty of IPTV sellers on fleabay, never pay more than £30 for a years viewing including PPV Boxing etc

 

[Neo_Mufc]

Plenty of IPTV sellers on fleabay, never pay more than £30 for a years viewing including PPV Boxing etc

What do you need, the box and an internet connection? The problem I always find is how reliable are these things, inc the lag.

I'm stuck because if I dont buy sky sports as a minimum I miss out on a lot of matches.

I hate watching games in the pub. 2 pints a takeaway n a bus will set me back £15 quid minimum. I'd rather just sit at home.

 

[Tomuś]

People from UK have little interest in consuming other countries sports leagues besides NBA, it seems.

Don't think it's the UK thing. Nobody watches La Liga where I live, sans El Clasico that is. Even Barca/Madrid fans only talk about EPL all the time, can't be arsed to watch their own league.

 

[Red Star One]

Don't think it's the UK thing. Nobody watches La Liga where I live, sans El Clasico that is. Even Barca/Madrid fans only talk about EPL all the time, can't be arsed to watch their own league.

Dunno mate, in Poland I knew and still know literally tens of devoted La Liga fans and as many followers as EPL lads. When C+ lost the rights it was a big hit for them, I think - though no doubt EPL rights are more prestigious and I’d guess NC+ pays more than Eleven does for La Liga

 

[paulscholes18]

What do you need, the box and an internet connection? The problem I always find is how reliable are these things, inc the lag.

I'm stuck because if I dont buy sky sports as a minimum I miss out on a lot of matches.

I hate watching games in the pub. 2 pints a takeaway n a bus will set me back £15 quid minimum. I'd rather just sit at home.

I got a Amazon fire stick and had IPTV put on that via Plex

 

[Neo_Mufc]

I got a Amazon fire stick and had IPTV put on that via Plex

I had a fire stick with kodi.

It was like constant buffering. On top the lag meant I was getting mesaages 2mins before a goal.

 

[paulscholes18]

I had a fire stick with kodi.

It was like constant buffering. On top the lag meant I was getting mesaages 2mins before a goal.

I have Kodi on it, mine is super slow (I have tried a few builds for it) it will take me over 10 min to put a film on but when the films stated I don’t have any problems

 

[FootyGirl88]

Can't they just put on ITV or Channel 5

 

[spwd]

I have Kodi on it, mine is super slow (I have tried a few builds for it) it will take me over 10 min to put a film on but when the films stated I don’t have any problems

You shouldn’t bother with builds on a firestick because there’s usually a lot of crap on there you don’t need, just get the particular add ons you want and use them.

Or buy a box for about £50 which is 4k compatable and put any build you want on it.

 

[Ballache]

Don't think it's the UK thing. Nobody watches La Liga where I live, sans El Clasico that is. Even Barca/Madrid fans only talk about EPL all the time, can't be arsed to watch their own league.

Literally every Barca/Madrid fan I know is the same.
They all watch the PL and their team's matches.

 

[Berbaclass]

Really interested to see pricing for the platform. I love watching La Liga and Serie A games on a weekend.