Just noticed from the first 11 pay per view matches we're on 3 of them....luckily they're only allowed to show any one team 6 times in a year....you can guarantee that we'll be shown 6 times cos they know they'll make money out of it....

I noticed Spurs v Southampton.....wonder what the viewing figures for that one will be!!

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Answers

Does that mean that US based toon fans will get to see the games also?? I am thinking that since its PPV it should be worldwide access

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Are the games away from SJP? If so will I be able to watch them in the pub?

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Why aren't Man U in the list of games, nor Sunderland or Boro? Are they on some other rival scheme? I don't think I saw Arsenal either in the list.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Personally I think pay per view is the greatest rip off of all time. You pay your Sky subscription then you pay again. If I can't get to the games I will grit my teeth and simply refuse to pay the subscription. I think it is in the interests of ALL football fans that pay per view is an abject failure.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Got to agree Jacko - hell will freeze over before they get me to pay for this rip off, and I hope most footy fans will do likewise.

This is precisely what happened in the US - all premier sports events gradually diappeared from terrestrial, free-access TV onto pay channels. When revenue from that source was fully tapped, ppv appeared as the next rip-off.

Perhaps ciara could tell us whether ppv has proven to be successful over there.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Actually there's been no change to the major sports tv coverage over here since the advent of ppv. Regional teams have always gotten pretty consistent coverage on local stations(subject to blackout restrictions depending on a certain percentage of seats sold by the 72hr cut off time), with a select number of games picked up for national broadcast. The only change is which network concentrates on which division of which sport.

If anything those lucky enough to have satellite dishes or good digital cable service can pay extra and get 'season ticket' packages which include coverage of nearly ever game in whichever sport they've chosen throughout the season. It's actually good value if you're into watching that much. I'd have gotten the MLS package(every televised MLS match from around the country) if the local cable companies weren't dithering idiots who can't even install digital cable properly much less actually offer programming designed to use the technology.

PPV is primarily used for 'special events' not generally picked up by the free networks. WWF, Boxing and Concerts being the usual premium ppv fare. Prices are from about $14.95 and up. For some reason the money grubbers at Setanta jacked the Sunday Sky matches up to $14.95 per match last season, while dropping pub prices to $5-6 per head. I'd love to know what their numbers were like compared to the season before. I don't personally know anyone who purchased more than a handful of matches because of that increase. While pubs got more popular or folks just didn't watch much more than whatever team they supported. No word yet on what will be offered this season or how much they'll charge. I'm hoping they drop the prices to something realistic enough to afford on a weekly basis.

The Euro2000 ppv package on offer last summer was a disaster. Not sure how many subscribers they got, but there were tons of problems where matches either weren't shown, were shown with no sound, or extra time and pks were cut off. Early word on next year's World Cup is that it definitely will NOT be on ppv in the US. Mainly because most of the matches will be shown on free Spanish-language networks which reach most of the US audience. Guess I'll have to brush up on my Spanish! Their coverage is usually much better than most of the American announcers, even though I can't understand a word of Spanish. Hopefully they'll have Andreas Cantor calling matches! GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL*coughsputter*LLLLLL! :-)

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2001

Do we have any home games on Saturday between now and Christmas? I bought my season ticket (2 actually) to watch footie on Saturday, most of the time, not any day but Saturday. To add insult to injury I do the return London/Newcastle drive for the privilege. Driving back on Saturday is okay - no traffic on the M1 after 7:00pm Saturday. Driving back on Sunday evening is a nightmare, every bugger and their granny is on the road. So I am now on the horns of a dilema. Either stay in London and pay £10 per match on top of the monies already paid for ST's, or travel to St James and spend 6 hours in the car for the return journey. I wouldn't have bothered renewing if the finalised fixture list had been available first. If this is the pattern for the future, I definately won't be renewing next season. In fact, anyone want to buy 2 tickets for this season?

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

From the first 11 which are until 4th N0V we feature 3 times. The first one away at Stamford Bridge. Then the 30th sep at home to Liverpool 2pm KO, followed by October 21st V Spus 2pm KO. There could also be other regular sky broadcast games meaning more games moved to Sunday and Monday night. If I were you i'd get in touch with the guy who is on the waiting list James? on another thread.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Ciara-just heard from setanta. Although nothing confirmed yet, they are quite upbeat about showing the games in question.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

A conditional 'woohoo' from me then. :-)

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

ciara,
Does that Irish geek - Seamus Somebody - still provide the "expert" commentary on footy games on ESPN? He was such a sanctimonious turd - used to annoy the hell out of me.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Seamus Malin? Yeah, also for Fox New England He's actually one of my favorite commentators as he's one of the few who really seems to know the game. Nice guy, too.

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2001

Can somebody tell me - is this PPV on Sky or OnDigital? What equipment do you need (!!) to receive it if not Sky?

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Screach, ... all of the above. I believe it's shared across all the digital service providers

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

I hope you're right Geordie (there has to be a first for everything). I'm getting Digitised tomorrow (Sky) and would hate to miss the opportunity of watching PPV (selectively) if I haven't got a digital TV. Hopefully the new Sky box will suffice.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Crikey, Geordie was right. Thanks Bonnie Lad. I found this in Tuesday's Ronnie:

The PPV games will be available via satellite, digital terrestrial and cable through four licensees - BSkyB, Premium TV (ntl), ONdigital and Telewest.

Former Arsenal boss George Graham will work as a summariser for BSkyB's Premiership Plus programme, which will be hosted by Marcus Buckland.

The full list of PPV games are (Sunday games at 2pm):

Sun Aug 19: Chelsea v Newcastle Wed Aug 22: Blackburn v Man Utd (8.00pm) Sun Aug 26: Aston Villa v Man Utd Sun Sep 9: Tottenham v Southampton Sat Sep 15: Everton v Liverpool (12.00pm)* Sun Sep 16: Charlton v Leeds Sun Sep 23 Leeds v Derby Sunday Sep 30: Newcastle v Liverpool Sunday Oct 14: Blackburn v West Ham Sun Oct 21: Newcastle v Tottenham Sun Oct 28: TBA Sun Nov 4: Arsenal v Charlton.

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

so how much are they charging for this feast of soccer? Tossers!

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Think many have mixed feelings about this. Hell will freeze over was my first reaction. But will those of us who are "exiles" resist when the time comes?

Suppose danger, as mentioned elsewhere, is of "prime" games eventually moving to PPV...after we've all accepted the principle of shelling out. New ITV contract from August would poss prevent that... but we're not just talking about the next five / ten years, are we?

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Dunno - but I'll warrant it's cheaper than getting to Stamford Bridge along with the entrance price ;-) I'd have thought that of all people, you would understand the lasw of supply and demand Clarky. Footy fans a re a captive audience. Yes, I know about wedges and thin ends, but they also know about supply and demand. I won't do it every week, but I will for selective Toon games. You're welcome to call round ;-))

-- Anonymous, July 04, 2001

Surely if we accept the whole SKY thing then PPV is no worse and at least you only pay for the matches you want instead of coughing up for all of them?

Personally, I don't accept the SKY thing. I reckon the increased TV millions have been very bad for the game and the fact that matches are scheduled to suit tossers who won't get out of their armchairs, to the inconvenience of the people who actually attend matches is a disgrace. I don't subscribe to SKY and will not for the forseeable future. I might watch it in the pub only if the Toon are playing but would rather go to the beamback (which is effectively a PPV arrangement)

Match of the Day was as much TV as the game ever needed in my own Luddite opinion.

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2001

I think that for the sake of the game we love this PPV experiment MUST fail. It's bad enough that football fans are subscribing to Sky which has done so much to destroy football as a live spectator sport but PPV will wreak havoc if adopted wholescale.

We as fans wield less and less power through our ticket money. If the balance shifts further then Sky will call ALL the shots and the football supporter who actually bothers to go to the games will be mere background entertainment for the couch tatties.

Do we really want:

Games shifted to every day of the week and time.

Players paid even more.

More foreign players in The PL.

Andy Gray kept in employment.

4 quarters in a game to allow for adverts.

A Euro league where we can watch Manu play Bayern Munich six times a year.

If the answers no then TELL SKY TO STUFF PPV.

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2001