TV Rights

[SM]

His name is Cable

Oh.

Also, apologies for posting "I don't get it." I should have just googled it instead of wasting your time and taking up space in this thread.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Effectively every NFL game or at least every touchdown

No. Simply no.

fair bit of regular season NBA and most finals. Fair bit of baseball too once NBA season wraps up.

Comfortably less than 5% of NBA and MLB games can be seen on Foxtel.

They don't even show much of the NHL playoffs.

 

[bok_party]

I have Optus at home and fetch tv. Fetch has hardly anything on it but streams fine with ADSL 2. I'm moving out soon so I will just use my mums login, one for my iPad, one for FFM and my brother will use the last one. I don't like the fact we will have to stream.'seems incredibly stupid and they are heavily overpricing the whole thing. I feel they should have charged a one off cheaper joining fee for customers from other providers in order to appease them and then once that period is up, they would have to pay normal price. It's still ridiculously overpriced for one sport.

 

[Smokeless Wardance]

I would've thought that is fairly obvious - no matter the time-lines, you cannot deny the future of HD video is largely going to happen via streaming. Australia will need better internet infrastructure. You also cannot deny that the reviews and delays under the Liberals have not been helpful to either their or Labor's original time-line. I'm not sure where your problem is with this logic?

The only reason it was made free for Fox Sports users is the competition brought about by Optus taking the PL. That is what it has to do with competition.

Australia clearly needs better fixed broadband infrastructure, and this isn't the place to debate which brand of knuckleheads is most to blame for the NBN fiasco to date, but it is self evident that the NBN will not be anything close to fully built by the end of this Optus deal, nor would it have been under Labor considering their network would have taken longer to build, nor is this really even relevant to the lack of availability of a linear channel - streaming or otherwise - to anyone other than Optus subscribers.

The reason BeIN was added to the Foxtel Sports package is that it allows Foxtel to possibly pick up a few more subscribers and BeIN makes more money through a $1/sub distribution deal with Foxtel than $20 per month streaming.

Did the imminent loss of Premier League rights enter their thinking? No doubt. Would the BeIN deal have happened anyway eventually? Almost certainly. Is the consumer better off being coerced into switching telco providers and paying an extra $15 per month for the Premier League? Clearly not.

You do raise an interesting point though (in terms of both competition and funnily enough the NBN) that Foxtel in a post-NBN world, especially if Telstra sells its stake, is likely to become a major competitor to Optus in broadband and will have a pretty obvious competitive advantage by being able to bundle premium pay TV. So maybe this can be seen as a pre-emptive strike against Foxtel as well as ammunition in the war for subs with Telstra.

As an aside if you're interested in the future of pay TV / streaming and how they are converging, have a look at what Hulu is planning:

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/james-murdoch-fox-hulu-1201766764/

 

[hairy biker]

The idea here Foxtel will able to get them to show games on a same day delay is fanciful. Optus' contract would expressly forbid such a thing.

Eurosport (part of the Foxtel sports package) currently has Aston Villa TV and shows same day coverage of their PL games.
Therefore for Optus to deny same day coverage the new contract would need to have different T&Cs from the existing agreement.
Given the bidding process that change would have had to have been written into prior to the tabling of bids.

 

[Smokeless Wardance]

No. Simply no.



Comfortably less than 5% of NBA and MLB games can be seen on Foxtel.

They don't even show much of the NHL playoffs.

Every NFL playoff game is on there, every Thursday, Monday and public holiday game, and the Sunday games are covered by Redzone. It is actually not possible to cover more NFL live without more channels (although I guess they could do this). The NFL coverage is solid.

NBA there are usually a couple games per day so 5% is an exaggeration and the playoffs are mostly on. Usually the big games are shown e.g. any games between Cavs, Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Clippers this year.

ESPN barely has any hockey coverage in the states either so probably doesn't have the rights. I don't watch baseball or NHL so I am probably biased in what I consider good coverage...Definitely remember most playoff MLB games being on though.

I think that's pretty good for a casual fan. Actually more national coverage than you would get in the USA in some cases.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

nor is this really even relevant to the lack of availability of a linear channel - streaming or otherwise - to anyone other than Optus subscribers.

The fact our infrastructure is poor and that is limiting Optus' ability to deliver decent streaming is relevant. The fact they can't even supply broadband to large sections of Australia is relevant. The privatisation of Telstra and the fact it was in control of so much of the network that other companies needed to use was relevant. The way the Liberals have criticised and altered the NBN plans is relevant. If you don't like the Liberals copping some heat for their decisions over the last 20 years that have left us with an aged copper network and less ability to innovate, then take it up with the Liberals.

The reason BeIN was added to the Foxtel Sports package is that it allows Foxtel to possibly pick up a few more subscribers and BeIN makes more money through a $1/sub distribution deal with Foxtel than $20 per month streaming.

Did the imminent loss of Premier League rights enter their thinking? No doubt. Would the BeIN deal have happened anyway eventually? Almost certainly.

Disagree. It's clear the deal happened to appease fans annoyed at the loss of Premier League. The UCL and Cups had previously been lost, and Foxtel was asking people to pay for BeIn, and they were. I see no reason for Foxtel altering that position. There is also no logic to suggest that charging all users $1/mth more, just to benefit FoxSports subscribers was "almost certainly" going to happen. It's actually a very bad move as they had to do it at the same time as Netflix/Stan/Presto were tempting people away from Foxtel to their cheaper offerings.

Thanks for the link. It seems to confirm cable TV providers moving to streaming?

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Every NFL playoff game is on there, every Thursday, Monday and public holiday game, and the Sunday games are covered by Redzone.

RedZone is wicked but cutting between 8+ games is clearly not at all the same as watching them individually. If Foxtel/Optus had a RedZone for Saturday 3pm Premier League games but didn't show any of them seperately how well do you think it would go down on this board?

NBA there are usually a couple games per day so 5% is an exaggeration and the playoffs are mostly on. Usually the big games are shown e.g. any games between Cavs, Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Clippers this year.

5% is probably off but the number is so, so obviously a small minority of the total. There's 1230 games in the NBA regular season.

ESPN barely has any hockey coverage in the states either so probably doesn't have the rights. I don't watch baseball or NHL so I am probably biased in what I consider good coverage...Definitely remember most playoff MLB games being on though.

I think that's pretty good for a casual fan.

I'm talking about Foxtel not what a specific network in America does or does not have there.

Yeah casual fans. People who are content with watching random shitkicker college basketball games instead of the big stuff.

Actually more national coverage than you would get in the USA in some cases.

Maybe technically, but everywhere in America has at least one regional sports network showing the 'local' team's games in addition to games on the normal networks.

 

[bok_party]

 

[Smokeless Wardance]

The fact our infrastructure is poor and that is limiting Optus' ability to deliver decent streaming is relevant. The fact they can't even supply broadband to large sections of Australia is relevant. The privatisation of Telstra and the fact it was in control of so much of the network that other companies needed to use was relevant. The way the Liberals have criticised and altered the NBN plans is relevant. If you don't like the Liberals copping some heat for their decisions over the last 20 years that have left us with an aged copper network and less ability to innovate, then take it up with the Liberals.

Disagree. It's clear the deal happened to appease fans annoyed at the loss of Premier League. The UCL and Cups had previously been lost, and Foxtel was asking people to pay for BeIn, and they were. I see no reason for Foxtel altering that position. There is also no logic to suggest that charging all users $1/mth more, just to benefit FoxSports subscribers was "almost certainly" going to happen. It's actually a very bad move as they had to do it at the same time as Netflix/Stan/Presto were tempting people away from Foxtel to their cheaper offerings.

Thanks for the link. It seems to confirm cable TV providers moving to streaming?

Well our infrastructure IS poor and it DOES limit Optus' ability to provide a good streaming product and they knew that when they bid...whose fault that is is kinda beside the point.

To be fair Fox Sports didn't lose champions league coverage, ESPN did but I suppose the end result is the same. That actually wasn't my point though, I was saying it makes sense for beIN to get $1 per customer (or 50 cents, or 75 cents, I have no idea what their terms with Foxtel are) across 2 million subscribers than $20 per month off a few thousand. That's why the bundled model works (and will continue to work as everything shifts towards IP). So I absolutely think beIN would have ended up on Foxtel regardless of what happened with the EPL. They probably got a better deal though.

No question distribution is moving towards streaming. The content owners (Disney, Time Warner etc) will probably cream it in even more than they do now, the pure play distributors will get killed, Foxtel is a hybrid and so probably sits somewhere in the middle (if they can successfully move into broadband post-NBN I'd say more likely a winner than a loser).

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

To be fair Fox Sports didn't lose champions league coverage, ESPN did but I suppose the end result is the same. That actually wasn't my point though, I was saying it makes sense for beIN to get $1 per customer (or 50 cents, or 75 cents, I have no idea what their terms with Foxtel are) across 2 million subscribers than $20 per month off a few thousand. That's why the bundled model works (and will continue to work as everything shifts towards IP). So I absolutely think beIN would have ended up on Foxtel regardless of what happened with the EPL. They probably got a better deal though.

Foxtel would've looked at their numbers and said you're making $350K or whatever off that channel now. How about we give you $500K and make it part of our usual package. BeIn won't be getting a cut of that $1. Instead the $1 Foxtel is charging all users lets them make back the money they lost buying BeIn.

 

[Smokeless Wardance]

RedZone is wicked but cutting between 8+ games is clearly not at all the same as watching them individually. If Foxtel/Optus had a RedZone for Saturday 3pm Premier League games but didn't show any of them seperately how well do you think it would go down on this board?



5% is probably off but the number is so, so obviously a small minority of the total. There's 1230 games in the NBA regular season.



I'm talking about Foxtel not what a specific network in America does or does not have there.

Yeah casual fans. People who are content with watching random shitkicker college basketball games instead of the big stuff.



Maybe technically, but everywhere in America has at least one regional sports network showing the 'local' team's games in addition to games on the normal networks.

Trust me RSNs suck bigtime if you don't support the local team...

The amount of college basketball does irritate me actually now that you mention it.

Be honest, EPL Redzone would be awesome =)

I pay for Game Pass so I can watch Texans games in full so don't get me wrong I would love it if ESPN had all of them as it would save me money, but that's pretty unrealistic considering it is bundled in with like 10 other channels for 25 bucks a month.

Same with NBA, most of those 1230 games are on at the same time so I doubt there is anywhere in the world you get coverage of anythin other than the national game.

 

[Smokeless Wardance]

Foxtel would've looked at their numbers and said you're making $350K or whatever off that channel now. How about we give you $500K and make it part of our usual package. BeIn won't be getting a cut of that $1. Instead the $1 Foxtel is charging all users lets them make back the money they lost buying BeIn.

Not that it matters (as clearly it gets to the same conclusion) but that isn't how distribution deals work. They are on a per subscriber basis.

 

[Furn2]

The money for Bein would have come from the $25mil Foxtel isn't giving the EPL each year now.

 

[PP34]

Here I was thinking that a change in EPL broadcaster would be a good thing for EPL fans after years of being forced to either buy Foxtel's shitty packages or put up with nothing/online streams.

Can't believe that, absolute disgrace. It's too bad the EPL is a big reason behind this and don't have the sense and care about their fans to give us an option to watch EPL in a NBA League Pass type format. That's the future and it's sad that such a popular league continues to be such a pain in the arse to watch in Australia.

 

[giggler99]

lol I can already see this being a total disaster for Optus! no way are they going to get enough customers on those inflated prices for a crappy stream and clearly have overestimated the importance's of the EPL not only to Australians but also to average football/sports fans. Most casuals will be happy with the odd game on SBS, or if desperate enough find there own crappy internet stream.

Foxtel to buy the rights back off them within a year! They must be laughing there heads off right now!

 

[Schraderbrau]

Not Foxtels fault that ESPN lost the UCL rights, regardless from next season they have UCL back through beIN plus many other leagues. They've actually added extra value for no extra costs.

Sure they dropped the ball with the EPL but shit happens in silent auctions, they weren't to know Optus would blow everyone out of the water.

Ty, didn't know about that. It's still a disgrace that they lost the EPL. They charge an arm and a leg for about three decent things and then they lose one of them.

 

[Schraderbrau]

There should be a boycott of Optus just to let them know that extortion doesn't attract customers. Whoever the genius was who thought that pissing off their potential customer base is the best way to get there business should be fired. I think this is just going to drive more people to streaming and tbh the streams seem to be pretty decent these days.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Optus are a joke of a company

#flogs

 

[Billy ray]

"What have you got riding on this?"

"My company."

"What a gambler!"

 

[giantroo]

 

[Fwoy]

 

[PP34]

Also an another point which I'd honestly see anyone try to prove wrong is the delay that comes with streaming live sports. Internet and technology not even in the US has figured this out properly yet, and it can be a major pain in the arse when you want to chat to mates about a game going on or follow a thread/twitter feed. Someone trying to defend Optus might argue that you should just avoid that kind of thing, but why should we have to sit there at 4am shutting every outside thing out? Ridiculous.

Fact is Optus is trying to implement a service that is still years away from being comparable to the smooth reliable sport television feeds. I'm sure streaming will eventually be the future of sports broadcasting but the world and this country in particular have absolutely awful infrastructure to implement it.

 

[Jatz]

12am it is then...

 

[Jatz]

This better not just be the announcement that they've got the big clubs games on delays!