General : ESPN, BT, Euro, Premier and Sky Sports news

[vincerooney]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

Speaking personally I would like to have Eleven Sports as part of my Sky Sports sub BUT I would not pay any amount of money as a stand alone channel because they're just not offering enough of what I like. I sub for BT Sports because I want to see English Premier league games,FA Cup games and Champions League games.

From what i've heard they're already sort of struggling and are surprised by the lack of subscribers. They must have thought based on the stupid amounts we pay we'd pay EVEN MORE to watch italian and spanish league and are now sat there stupidly scratching their heads

Hope its true as it'll maybe warn off other companies who come in to try and make some quick cash

[batchain]

Originally Posted by vincerooney

From what i've heard they're already sort of struggling and are surprised by the lack of subscribers. They must have thought based on the stupid amounts we pay we'd pay EVEN MORE to watch italian and spanish league and are now sat there stupidly scratching their heads

Hope its true as it'll maybe warn off other companies who come in to try and make some quick cash

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...ort-heads-top/

Watson disagrees. “We don’t need to do those deals [with Sky, BT] but we would like to because we think it makes sense for customers and at the end of the day it is the customer that is the boss.”

A boost may be imminent. It is understood Virgin Media is close to agreeing terms to offer Eleven as part of its pay-TV packages.

Ioris Francini, the co-president of minority shareholder Endeavor, says direct-to-consumer sales have progressed “better than expected” and that Endeavor intends to increase its stake. Ownership of subscription streaming services is one way in which Endeavor aims to use its strength as a talent agent, representing top sports stars, to take a bigger share of income. He believes that UFC’s lucrative pay-per-view fights could be the key to distribution deals with BT and Sky.

“We are not without leverage,” says Watson. “We are not some little guy fighting to succeed.”

[telegramsam]

Eleven Sports aren't going to admit it if they are struggling to get subscribers as it will put others off,plus it would make then look less attractive to Sky and Virgin.

[Mad Max]

Why would you subscribe to them anyway, what do they offer that Sky Sports doesn't? If they got the rights to the EPL at a lower cost to the customer, then great, but that's never going to happen.

[batchain]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

Eleven Sports aren't going to admit it if they are struggling to get subscribers as it will put others off,plus it would make then look less attractive to Sky and Virgin.

There's no reason to admit to struggling if sales have progressed "better than expected" or perhaps you know better than the co-president of sports and entertainment giant Endeavor or indeed Virgin Media who are said to be close to agreeing terms. If you have evidence that they are struggling then maybe you should provide it.

---------- Post added at 19:52 ---------- Previous post was at 19:20 ----------

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Why would you subscribe to them anyway, what do they offer that Sky Sports doesn't? If they got the rights to the EPL at a lower cost to the customer, then great, but that's never going to happen.

Same reason why you would subscribe to any service, because they offer content that you want to watch. For Eleven Sports the draw is La Liga, Serie A, and soon UFC.

[alwaysabear]

Originally Posted by batchain

[/COLOR]
Same reason why you would subscribe to any service, because they offer content that you want to watch. For Eleven Sports the draw is La Liga, Serie A, and soon UFC.

Unfortunately for them not enough of us are prepared to pay extra, when we are used to them as part of a bigger package.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by alwaysabear

Unfortunately for them not enough of us are prepared to pay extra, when we are used to them as part of a bigger package.

But fortunately for them, if Virgin do a 'BT Sport-type wholesale deal', Eleven Sports will get a guaranteed audience (or at least income) from Virgin Media. Thus, everyone's happy. Virgin get to provide a better offering than its rivals for no extra charge on the Full House pack which will attract customers, sport fans will get more choice and Eleven builds on revenues from the UK audience.

What's not to like?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

But fortunately for them, if Virgin do a 'BT Sport-type wholesale deal', Eleven Sports will get a guaranteed audience (or at least income) from Virgin Media. Thus, everyone's happy. Virgin get to provide a better offering than its rivals for no extra charge on the Full House pack which will attract customers, sport fans will get more choice and Eleven builds on revenues from the UK audience.

What's not to like?

Plenty to like if it happens..

[telegramsam]

Originally Posted by batchain

There's no reason to admit to struggling if sales have progressed "better than expected" or perhaps you know better than the co-president of sports and entertainment giant Endeavor or indeed Virgin Media who are said to be close to agreeing terms. If you have evidence that they are struggling then maybe you should provide it.
Sorry where do I say they're struggling? Read again!
---------- Post added at 19:52 ---------- Previous post was at 19:20 ----------


Same reason why you would subscribe to any service, because they offer content that you want to watch. For Eleven Sports the draw is La Liga, Serie A, and soon UFC.

---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 ----------

What Eleven Sports are offering at present isn't enough for me to pay extra to sub to them. I like watching the occasional Italian and Spanish football match but I can easily do without then. I have more than enough football on Sky Sports, BT Sports and Free sports.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by telegramsam

---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 ----------

What Eleven Sports are offering at present isn't enough for me to pay extra to sub to them. I like watching the occasional Italian and Spanish football match but I can easily do without then. I have more than enough football on Sky Sports, BT Sports and Free sports.

This ^ ^ x100

[OLD BOY]

An altogether more positive take on Eleven Sports in this article from the Daily Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...ort-heads-top/

[Extracts]

Man who brought Premier League football to BT is out to shake up sports broadcasting once again, writes Christopher Williams “IT WAS great fun doing that,” says Marc Watson, recalling his time as the head of BT’s television business as it mounted a surprise raid on the Premier League rights auction and within months had set up a cutting-edge broadcasting operation.

“We really felt like we were changing the market. And we were.” Now he is attempting another high-risk, high-technology attack on the pay-TV market as chief executive of Eleven Sports. Backed by Andrea Radrizzani, the Italian owner of Leeds United, with further investment and production support from Endeavor, Watson is this time attempting to overhaul the sports broadcasting establishment in several countries at once.

From its base in a Mayfair backstreet, Eleven, a reference to the number of players in a football team, has assembled collections of live rights in 11 markets including Italy, Poland and Portugal, and as far afield as Taiwan. Well established in some territories, Watson is now tackling the turf he knows best in the UK. Eleven launched its streaming subscription service in August with live top-flight Italian and Spanish football, snatched away from BT Sport and Sky Sports. At the end of last month it sealed a deal with Endeavor for rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the mixed martial arts competition previously broadcast by BT Sport.

“What we’re always looking for is a gap in the market,”says Watson. “Those gaps can be different from place to place but we’re looking for something that consumers want and they’re not getting. “In the UK what we see is a gap for an independent premium sports service because there isn’t one. “There’s one tethered to BT, there’s one tethered to Sky and both of them are very premium, meaning that they’re quite expensive. There’s a gap for an independent player making the service available to everybody at an affordable price.”

Watson thinks Eleven will confound the sceptics by bringing in young audiences. They are watching less live sport on traditional pay-TV, prompting nervousness among rights holders about participation and the long-term value of their assets. “We think that young people today are just as interested in sport as previous generations,”says Watson. “Some people will tell you young people are not interested in sport, they’re just interested in watching short videos on YouTube and that’s it. You’ve lost that generation. We think that’s nonsense.”“It’s just that it’s very, very expensive to access. And frankly, as the music industry showed, if young people can’t access something at a price they think is reasonable they will just pirate it from an illegal streaming site, which are very easy to access. It’s a real problem for the sports industry.”

A boost may be imminent. It is understood Virgin Media is close to agreeing terms to offer Eleven as part of its pay-TV packages. Ioris Francini, the co-president of minority shareholder Endeavor, says direct-to-consumer sales have progressed “better than expected” and that Endeavor intends to increase its stake. Ownership of subscription streaming services is one way in which Endeavor aims to use its strength as a talent agent, representing top sports stars, to take a bigger share of income. He believes that UFC’s lucrative pay-per-view fights could be the key to distribution deals with BT and Sky. “We are not without leverage,” says Watson. “We are not some little guy fighting to succeed.” ■

---------- Post added at 15:32 ---------- Previous post was at 15:30 ----------

Originally Posted by telegramsam

---------- Post added at 11:15 ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 ----------

What Eleven Sports are offering at present isn't enough for me to pay extra to sub to them. I like watching the occasional Italian and Spanish football match but I can easily do without then. I have more than enough football on Sky Sports, BT Sports and Free sports.

They have to start somewhere, Sam.

[telegramsam]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

An altogether more positive take on Eleven Sports in this article from the Daily Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...ort-heads-top/

[Extracts]

Man who brought Premier League football to BT is out to shake up sports broadcasting once again, writes Christopher Williams “IT WAS great fun doing that,” says Marc Watson, recalling his time as the head of BT’s television business as it mounted a surprise raid on the Premier League rights auction and within months had set up a cutting-edge broadcasting operation.

“We really felt like we were changing the market. And we were.” Now he is attempting another high-risk, high-technology attack on the pay-TV market as chief executive of Eleven Sports. Backed by Andrea Radrizzani, the Italian owner of Leeds United, with further investment and production support from Endeavor, Watson is this time attempting to overhaul the sports broadcasting establishment in several countries at once.

From its base in a Mayfair backstreet, Eleven, a reference to the number of players in a football team, has assembled collections of live rights in 11 markets including Italy, Poland and Portugal, and as far afield as Taiwan. Well established in some territories, Watson is now tackling the turf he knows best in the UK. Eleven launched its streaming subscription service in August with live top-flight Italian and Spanish football, snatched away from BT Sport and Sky Sports. At the end of last month it sealed a deal with Endeavor for rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the mixed martial arts competition previously broadcast by BT Sport.

“What we’re always looking for is a gap in the market,”says Watson. “Those gaps can be different from place to place but we’re looking for something that consumers want and they’re not getting. “In the UK what we see is a gap for an independent premium sports service because there isn’t one. “There’s one tethered to BT, there’s one tethered to Sky and both of them are very premium, meaning that they’re quite expensive. There’s a gap for an independent player making the service available to everybody at an affordable price.”

Watson thinks Eleven will confound the sceptics by bringing in young audiences. They are watching less live sport on traditional pay-TV, prompting nervousness among rights holders about participation and the long-term value of their assets. “We think that young people today are just as interested in sport as previous generations,”says Watson. “Some people will tell you young people are not interested in sport, they’re just interested in watching short videos on YouTube and that’s it. You’ve lost that generation. We think that’s nonsense.”“It’s just that it’s very, very expensive to access. And frankly, as the music industry showed, if young people can’t access something at a price they think is reasonable they will just pirate it from an illegal streaming site, which are very easy to access. It’s a real problem for the sports industry.”

A boost may be imminent. It is understood Virgin Media is close to agreeing terms to offer Eleven as part of its pay-TV packages. Ioris Francini, the co-president of minority shareholder Endeavor, says direct-to-consumer sales have progressed “better than expected” and that Endeavor intends to increase its stake. Ownership of subscription streaming services is one way in which Endeavor aims to use its strength as a talent agent, representing top sports stars, to take a bigger share of income. He believes that UFC’s lucrative pay-per-view fights could be the key to distribution deals with BT and Sky. “We are not without leverage,” says Watson. “We are not some little guy fighting to succeed.” ■

---------- Post added at 15:32 ---------- Previous post was at 15:30 ----------



They have to start somewhere, Sam.

True but as I say AT PRESENT they aren't offering anything of interest to me.

[jfman]

I’m not sure every new entrant with a niche product should be encouraged to enter the market. The subset of people paying for Eleven only would be so small as to be irrelevant. The remainder adding it to other products are paying more.

The sales being better than expected is something they’d say anyway, unless it directly contradicts something in the already in public domain if they are publicly listed.

My thoughts on the biggest shareholder looking at increasing its share are that other shareholders want out. A wholesale deal with Virgin is probably the last throw of the dice.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by jfman

I’m not sure every new entrant with a niche product should be encouraged to enter the market. The subset of people paying for Eleven only would be so small as to be irrelevant. The remainder adding it to other products are paying more.

The sales being better than expected is something they’d say anyway, unless it directly contradicts something in the already in public domain if they are publicly listed.

My thoughts on the biggest shareholder looking at increasing its share are that other shareholders want out. A wholesale deal with Virgin is probably the last throw of the dice.

I think you are being unduly pessimistic about Eleven's prospects. They have established themselves in other countries and they appear to know what they are doing.

[jfman]

I accept I'm being quite pessimistic, but it's hard to see where the subscribers come from. BARB viewer numbers weren't high for the content when it had far wider distribution.

Setanta were established in other countries, but ultimately owners and shareholders won't put up with losses forever.

It's been quoted Sky paid £18m last season for La Liga alone. Eleven would need 360 000 subscribers at £50 a year to cover that ignoring taxes, other costs, etc.

I suppose if they could get a wholesale deal with Virgin, maybe 25p per XL (whatever they call that these days) would give them about £5m towards costs.