Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

Nobody is saying they can’t “afford” to do it, just questioning if they can develop a business model to support it long term.

Sky/BT are established in the market, it’s hundreds of hours of content for what’s is relatively loose change absorbed across millions of subscribers who are already interested in sports content.

The same challenges would exist for a new entrant third party on Sky, Virgin or online.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

I didn't say they would give it away. That would be a bit of a stretch! But they may come up with a better deal for the punters.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

There’s the small matter to of the £4.5bn.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

BT are relative newcomers, but they have managed it. If existing providers are making a profit from showing Premiership football, then so can Amazon.

Clearly, if football subscribers to Sky Sports and/or BT Sport no longer find their matches broadcast there, they will migrate to whichever company then delivers the service. That's pretty obvious to me.

There is no secret magical formula that makes Premiership football work for existing broadcasters screening the sport but not for others.

---------- Post added at 11:43 ---------- Previous post was at 11:36 ----------

There are different ways Amazon could decide to play this. For example, it is quite possible that Amazon may make this a loss leader and charge less than is required to make a profit to draw more people into the Prime service. They may decide to top up their income from selling the rights to certain matches to the terrestrials.

My point is that Amazon could make this work and it is crazy to believe that only Sky or BT can pull this off. There is absolutely no reason to believe such a thing.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

No shareholders worth their salt are going to sign off on a £4.5bn loss leader in a single market of 27 million homes.

There’s actually a very good reason to believe Amazon couldn’t pull it off it’s that they didn’t make any meaningful bids for any of the packages last time round.

Selling to the terrestrials is a non-runner. Be lucky to get a couple of million per game for it.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

This is one of the big things we're all waiting to find out about, but the fact that Amazon has dipped its toes into Premier League and the fact that many of the PL teams are recognised globally, would seem a perfect fit for a global streamer.

If Amazon, Apple, Google etc decide to get involved in premium sports in a big way, they will blast away all existing pay tv companies, literally, as sports is one of the main linchpins of pay tv.

TBD - to be decided.

---------- Post added at 12:19 ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 ----------

They had almost know "original" content of their own then, so it wouldn't have made much sense and why the single market?? Lots of markets on the globe.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

What are you on? I never said they would give it away for free, did I? But they may make it cheaper to subscribe, which of course will attract more subscribers. Nor did I suggest that they would allow the terrestrials to screen all the matches - of course they won't. They will want to ensure that as many people as possible take out a football subscription with them. But that doesn't mean they need to hog it all for themselves. They might do a deal with YouTube, for example, to show highlights - there are all sorts of things they could do to make more money from the Premiership rights.

It remains to be seen whether Amazon would aim to make a direct profit, break even or make a loss from such a venture, but if they went for a loss, it would be with the aim of increasing their overall profit across the business.

Not having made a serious bid last time around doesn't mean to say they won't do so next time.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

There are a lot of markets indeed, I think it’s quite arrogant to assume Amazon would seek to use England and it’s relatively expensive football rights as a test bed for this.

There’s other European countries with on average faster broadband, and cheaper football rights.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

I can assure you Amazon could afford that no problem if and it's a big if they went for more Premier league rights.
£4.5billion is what Amazon make in 6 months.
Another potential one to watch out for is Facebook with the launch of Facebook video they may and again it's a big may want to piece of the football pie.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

Ah another poster who confuses having money and having a business model to get a return on investment. They’re not a charity, nor do they engage in philanthropy.

---------- Post added at 12:46 ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 ----------

It was only last year. There’s a lot of speculation and “it remains to be seen” but no real insight on offer as to how they turn £4.5bn burning a hole in their pocket into £6bn+.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

What precisely is it about their business model that prevents them from bidding for the football rights? You seem to have a very blinkered approach to this. Obviously, Amazon exists to make a profit, but how precisely they achieve that objective isn't as black and white as you seem to think.

---------- Post added at 12:54 ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 ----------

Well, according to your rigid view of commerce and economics, Netflix shouldn't exist with all these 'originals' it is putting out. And yet...it does. It will be many years before they turn a profit, and similarly Amazon will not be concerned with the very short term implications of investing in UK sport.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

What prevents them bidding is no plan for a return on investment. How many times do I have to repeat it? They know it themselves (hence no meaningful bids and Sky getting more for less than in the previous auction).

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You can repeat it ad nauseum but l somehow doubt it would change his intransigent stance on it.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

I'm sure we went over all this last month or so, but if Amazon "do" premier league properly, it would be on a global basis, their streamer is global, it wouldn't be limited to one country all the time.

Re: Netflix/Streaming Services
 

True, but there's another £1bn, and you're not selling 'must have' content to the rest of the world. You're selling the equivalent of La Liga to us.