The Saturday Blackout

[RomynPG]

This popped up in my feeds - thought it might be of interest...

https://torrentfreak.com/eleven-sports- ... cy-181011/

Eleven Sports Ignores UK “Football Blackout” to Beat Streaming Piracy
BY ANDY ON OCTOBER 11, 2018

Sports streaming service Eleven Sports is defying a decades-old ban on televising live football games on Saturday afternoons in the UK. The ban has been in place since the 1960s in order to protect attendances at live games. However, Eleven Sports recently aired two European matches and says it will do it again, in order to get business from fans who are otherwise turning to piracy.

Fans in the UK looking for a top-tier football fix on a Saturday afternoon have a simple choice. Go to a football ground and buy a ticket, stream the game online illegally, or don’t watch matches at all.

This unusual situation is the product of an agreement back in the 1960s, which saw football bosses take protective action to preserve attendances at live matches. Agreeing that airing matches on TV would negatively affect the size of crowds at games, a blanket broadcasting ban was put in place.

Even today, the various leagues in the UK do not permit matches to be aired live between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays, with a few exceptions over the years to accommodate the FA Cup Final. The ban prevents foreign matches from being aired in the UK too, despite most leagues in other EU countries not observing the same restrictions as the UK.

Now, however, a new situation has upset the status quo, with UK-based streaming sports provider Eleven Sports ignoring the decades-old ban by broadcasting games from Spain’s La Liga into the UK during the blackout period.

On September 29, Eleven Sports ignored the blackout and streamed the game between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, which kicked off at 3:15pm. Last Saturday, the broadcaster breached the rules once more and according to the company, it will do so again. The aim, it says, is to generate revenue from football fans who would otherwise turn to illegal streams.

“We disagree with the ban and will continue to challenge it with the best interest of our customers at heart,” the company wrote on Facebook.

The move is supported by Spain’s top-tier league, La Liga, which says that Eleven’s actions are pushing the boundaries to challenge illegal services which currently have a monopoly on broadcasts in the UK.

“We support Eleven Sports in pushing the envelope in making matches available on Saturday afternoons,” said Joris Evers, La Liga’s chief communications officer, as cited by Bloomberg.

“People are watching football either through piracy or on betting websites anyway,” Evers added. “Upholding the ban does not make much sense.”

The broadcasting ban in the UK is seen by many as both old-fashioned and protectionist. Many fans have zero intention of attending grounds so the convenience of watching games from home is certainly attractive. It’s a market opportunity that’s exclusively exploited by illicit IPTV providers and pirate sites, which has caused the Premier League to obtain blocking injunctions in an effort to prevent viewing.

According to corporate sports law expert Satish Khandke, this revolutionary move by Eleven Sports has the potential to completely undermine the UK’s “blackout” period.

“[E]leven might argue that the blackout is unnecessary and anti-competitive, particularly as it is only operated in one EU member state, and so is unenforceable. If the blackout is not enforced or is successfully challenged, it is likely that companies having rights to show overseas games in the UK would all start to show them on Saturday afternoons,” Khandke notes.

“Once that happens, then the UK blackout would probably end as it could not be enforced selectively against some broadcasters but not others. That would mean that domestic matches could also be broadcast in the UK on Saturday afternoons – ending the status of Saturday afternoons as a ‘haven’ from televised football.”

If the “blackout” was abandoned, it would raise issues for the dozens of pirate IPTV providers currently supplying into the UK. They currently enjoy a somewhat lucrative monopoly, with many subscribers buying pirate packages to enjoy 3:00pm games.

Having official competition would certainly make life more difficult, with price becoming the only obstacle to prevent consumers from going legal.

[forestfan]

In a few months we won’t be an EU member state any more though, barring a political about-turn, so surely that particular argument goes away? And despite legal backing, the UK pubs showing Greek broadcasts of matches a few years ago didn’t get the full green light and force rights to be sold on an EU-wide basis anyway...

I know how passionate lower league and non-league fans and clubs are about the 3pm blackout, but not sure quite how much impact it has in this day and age. If you don’t fancy the trip out in the rain and snow to see your local Conference South team, is Brighton v Watford on Sky really going to be any more of a draw than Jeff Stelling and co? The big games would still get prime time slots anyway. So I suspect we will get a gradual shift away from it, perhaps a scores service where you can see PL and other goals pretty much as they happen, Soccer Saturday meets NFL Redzone.

[jimmy ching]

I've got the feeling Radrizzani’s is on the war path.

[bspittles]

Please don’t underestimate the impact of live football to non-league clubs.

This year, fans of EFL clubs can buy a match pass for £10 and stream their team’s game. So a couple of weeks ago, Shrewsbury played at Walsall while Market Drayton were home to Leek Town. It was a pretty rotten night, weather wise.

I know that many fans have a local non-league club they follow, and for Shrewsbury that tends to be Market Drayton (Telford being too much of a local rival). So if five Shrewsbury fans decided to stump up a tenner and watch their team in comfort, rather than spending that money at Drayton, that’s probably the wage of a young player on the bench they’ve lost.

Making this change for a Saturday will make a big impact on clubs like mine. Small amounts of money make a huge difference at this level.

[murf]

I've never found an illegal stream that I could bear watching with all the buffering etc but....

A bit irrational but it does annoy me that other people (outside the UK) can watch Liverpool at 3pm on saturday (when rarely absent from Sky/BT) but I can't. It's just wrong.

Has to be a way (club online PPV season tickets with, say, half the money filtering down the pyramid to lower league clubs?) to fix this for the modern era. Must be far more money in selling Premier League armchair tickets than selling real seats at Market Drayton etc.

[murf]

Having seen how many Liverpool games have just been rescheduled for satellite telly (7 between start of Dec and 3rd Jan) I don't think the 3pm thing really applies to us red fans....

[blahblah]

The Green People can zap this, as it may be inappropriate...

The 3pm streams are becoming unwatchable, but the other ones, not so.

Is there really an overflow from non top flight to Non League?

[bspittles]

The Green People can zap this, as it may be inappropriate...

The 3pm streams are becoming unwatchable, but the other ones, not so.

Is there really an overflow from non top flight to Non League?

Do you mean an overflow of fans? If so, then yes. In the past few seasons then a home game for Stoke always had an effect on Leek Town’s attendance.

[blahblah]

While I said non-top flight - I would count Stoke as such: but if they don't get promoted in a few years then some may stick with Leek?

Do you know the price differences?

[bspittles]

While I said non-top flight - I would count Stoke as such: but if they don't get promoted in a few years then some may stick with Leek?

Do you know the price differences?

I believe Stoke were among the cheapest last season, and adult prices range from £25 to £50 this year. Leek Town is £8.

[Zimmerman]

What’s the rationale for them saying “people are using illegal streams anyway” but as if they are somehow legitimate?

Would I go out of my way to watch a La Liga game at 15:00 instead of attending a U.K. game? Can’t see it.

If I’m a Blackpool or Preston fan am I really going to stay at home to watch a non-descript match between two teams I have no interest in?

United v Chelsea might be appealing to me instead of watching my own match (hypothetically) but is West Ham v Brighton? Let alone Bilbao v Deportivo or whomever

[Zimmerman]

I know that many fans have a local non-league club they follow, and for Shrewsbury that tends to be Market Drayton (Telford being too much of a local rival).

Semantics... but I think it’s more accurate to suggest the majority of attendees at a non-league match actually support someone else.

So if that someone else is on television and they’d rather watch that... is that an issue? It’s a matter of principles and preferences.

You’re only borrowing their support anyway

[Tacalabala]

It's a slippery slope though isn't it? I get the impression that actually it's the EFL who would like to show 3pm games and the Prem are reluctant because the current restricted model suits them.

What the EFL doesn't seem to understand is if they start allowing streaming of non tv games in a season ticket form (which seems logical), this may work for the time that their clubs had effective exclusivity over that time slot, but the Prem clubs would clean up as soon as they offered the same.

Would I subscribe to 3pm Colchester United or Ipswich games, for say £50 a season? Yeah probably would. But would I prefer a Man United package for double that? Definitely.

Once you have a situation like that, and casuals can get their fix in the pub or round a mate's, League 1, 2 NL attendance would plummet.

[jimmy ching]

Living in France. I'm able to watch my team when they are not on Sky, Bein etc. I am happy paying for this as the money goes straight to whom I support. I don't have contracts with any of the satellite broadcasters and it will remain that way. What is annoying me is my team have been on TV 10 times so far this season. It costs me more when they are on as I have to watch in the bar. This is what Radrizini get's annoyed about. Same product different collectors.

[Tacalabala]

Living in France. I'm able to watch my team when they are not on Sky, Bein etc. I am happy paying for this as the money goes straight to whom I support. I don't have contracts with any of the satellite broadcasters and it will remain that way. What is annoying me is my team have been on TV 10 times so far this season. It costs me more when they are on as I have to watch in the bar. This is what Radrizini get's annoyed about. Same product different collectors.

So you watch the international stream direct from the club? Which club?

Radrizzani is looking out for his own interests, frankly I'm puzzled about the business model of Eleven but there you are. Cricket and Rugby would have been better target rights for a third pay tv broadcaster I think.

[jimmy ching]

Living in France. I'm able to watch my team when they are not on Sky, Bein etc. I am happy paying for this as the money goes straight to whom I support. I don't have contracts with any of the satellite broadcasters and it will remain that way. What is annoying me is my team have been on TV 10 times so far this season. It costs me more when they are on as I have to watch in the bar. This is what Radrizini get's annoyed about. Same product different collectors.

So you watch the international stream direct from the club? Which club?

Radrizzani is looking out for his own interests, frankly I'm puzzled about the business model of Eleven but there you are. Cricket and Rugby would have been better target rights for a third pay tv broadcaster I think.

It's Leeds and it is also Radrizinis club. He's been in the screening business for a while and is trying to introduce a different model of business in sports streaming. I don't think the FL are happy but he has a valid legal point.

[jimmy ching]

Update on this Blackout.

Eleven Sports make statement.

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leed ... s-15296380

They are rejoining the blackout.

[jimmy ching]

In the mean time, all the matches Leeds play between now and the next international break will be televised by Sky.
After the international break Radrizini can show the Bristol game on his site but the next two matches to follow will be on Sky as well.
So, of the next 8 games his club play, there is only one he can show.

[bspittles]

Championship attendances for midweek games (that are now available to stream legally) are down about 5% from last year.

[Zimmerman]

What about all th other matches being played?
Isn’t the argument that a match televised at the same time as live football is detrimental?

Which is a valid point; when there is a full round of midweek fixtures... one of them is on TV. What’s the impact of this? Why is this different to a Saturday fixture schedule?

[Zimmerman]

Looks like Eleven Sports are going to cease in the U.K. understandable I guess if they are joining (or adhering to) the blackout.