TV Coverage of EPL in UK vs Outside..

[inertia8]

An article in one of our main newspapers has stated that, surprisingly, countries outside the UK have a far TV greater and more flexible coverage of the EPL than the UK itself. The journalist appeared to be basing this off a short visit to the UK recently and was unable to find many games on the TV due to various hotels only having one cable service and not the other etc, they also mentioned some stations had to use still images instead of actual highlights due to rights management.

 

So let's see if it's true... this weekend, via our main cable provider FOXTEL, we have access to the following games.

 

All of these are marked as LIVE.

 

Saturday:

Stoke v Arsenal (HD)

Wigan v Newcastle (HD)

Everton v Fulham

Sunderland v Bolton

Swansea v Wolves

West Brom v Aston Villa

Norwich v Shite

 

Sunday:

Chelsea v QPR

Tottenham v Blackburn (HD)

 

Monday:

Man City v Man Utd

 

We then get a couple of EPL and lower league highlights packages shown throughout the week, replays of the games and some lower league games on delayed broadcast...

 

Is it a case that you'd have to be subscribed to multiple expensive cable providers in the UK to be able to watch any of these games or even pay per view?

 

If so, I fully understand the large demand for stream links all the time in just about any football forum!

[Louis]

The broadcast rights in the UK are split into six packages of 23 games.

 

So of the 380 games played in the Premier League, 242 will not be shown live.

 

Sky, a satelite provider and broadcaster own the rights to five packages, a total of 115 games over the season - an average of 3 games a week. This costs around £40 per month.

 

ESPN, an add-on subscription own the right to broadcast one package, a total of 23 games over the season. It costs £10 per month in addition to the £40 you already pay.

 

Match of the Day (BBC) have the rights to weekly highlights show

BBC have an agreement with Premier League to broadcast audio commentary on the radio stations.

 

The reason we don't get many games is because attendances would fall if they were shown on tv.

 

A few years ago, prior to the Government stepping in (and forcing Sky to sell at least one package to another broadcaster), they sold games on a pay per view basis.

 

Package A (Sky): 23 first-choice matches shown at 4pm on Sundays.

 

Package B (Sky): 23 second-choice matches at 1.30pm on Sundays.

 

Package C (Sky) 23 third-choice matches a minimum of 12 are at 8:00pm on Monday evenings. The rest of them can be 5:30 on Saturdays or 1:30pm on Sunday afternoons. Or at other times.

 

Package D (ESPN) Eight second-choice matches, plus 15 fourth-choice matches a minimum of 18 games at 5:30pm on Saturday. The other kick off times can be 1:30pm on Sunday afternoons, or at 8:00pm on Monday evenings. Or at other times.

 

Package E (Sky): Five first-choice, nine third-choice and nine fourth-choice matches at 12.45pm on Saturdays.

 

Package F (sky): Ten first-choice, seven second-choice and six third-choice matches between 7-13 matches on midweek evenings, or bank holidays, with the rest either at 12:45 pm on Saturday afternoons, or at 4:00pm on Sunday afternoons.

[Guest Nikica]

Good post Louis. You've highlighted the main reason why Britain doesn't get every game televised live whereas many other nations do - concerns over attendances falling. The 3pm blackout etc. There's obviously ways around that though.

[Louis]

The concern is twofold, firstly it's less income for the clubs and secondly it's impacts how the league is perceived. If you watch a game on tv and the stadium is half full, it doesn't look as attractive as it would if the stadium was full.

[Dalziel Kane]

Before Sky come to the fore and satelite TV even, I remember a fair good many games on TV you could simply watch free of charge (TV license inclusive of course) there used to always be a live game (division one up to 1991/92) on a saturday evening and sunday was it if memory serves, I saw Everton games quite often by way of this, we don't have this anymore as Sky is dominant now. Sometimes I think the change in 1992 wasn't for the better.

 

Granted they put division two games on live every now and again or on special occasions an EPL match but it was never the same as I remember it.

[Guest Nikica]

Yeah exactly. It's certainly understandable.

[Guest Nikica]

Sometimes I think the change in 1992 wasn't for the better.

 

 

I think it has destroyed football, personally. There's so much money involved in the game and a lot of that is Sky and Murdoch's doing. The game is being taken away from those who really count - the fans.

 

Also, we have a whole generation of people who think football began in 1992 and anything from the previous years should be considered an irrelevance. I'd say Sky have ruined football, personally.

[rubecula]

We can still get FA Cup games on terrestrial TV though (Unless it is a small matter of an all Merseyside semi-final at Wembley of course)

 

But ITV have got a great and awsome record of showing Everton live. (Sarcasm that by the way)

[Dalziel Kane]

We don't get the League games above all else. I remember clearly some standout games on free to view TV about 20 years ago or more, ITV wasn't so bad at the time and nothing like the awful shit it is today, commercial breaks every three minutes, leather faced and annoying irritating presenters you want to take a sledgehammer to, you could sit down on a saturday or sunday afternoon and watch top flight games at home, free to watch and this went on for some time until the big Sky domination and they were slowly made obselete or taken off for PPV purposes. On such example I remember clearly would be (Bonfire Night) 5th November 1989 when they put on Aston Villa vs Everton and we went 6-0 down, got some phone calls at the time I remember, asking 'are you watching, what's going on' etc. I kind of miss those days but was at an younger age and less angry etc. there was some damn fine games on with us involved back in the day.

[Matt]

old thread, but it will do. found an interesting site for info (not links that I can see) regarding football television coverage:

 

http://www.live-footballontv.com/football-tv-rights-uk.html

[Dalziel Kane]

That is one impressive and comprehensive link there but we can't get Sky Sports (or wish not to subscribe) and the same goes for ESPN, but can recieve Eurosport but there's never much on, unless you want to see cycling in the Pyrenees or something. ITV will get me into trouble, as will one or two other stations, but worth noting BBC Alba and S4C which we can view but there's nothing worth watching we always find. Needless to say I wouldn't watch the other premier league club's own channels.

 

Said it before but I prefered it as it was 20 or 25 years ago when they regularly put on free to view games on terrestrial TV, before the influx of big money bullshit and SKY television and PPV broadcasts, and you could see Everton featured up to half a dozen times a season, (something less apparent now) and without need for annoying fucking presenters or endless commercials on every damn five minutes. I never was much one for change.