Illegal sports streaming – accessing the inaccessible

[BroomhouseBear]

Noticed this, this morning. Peak Scottish football IMO.

Elgin vs Stranraer today. 274 miles apart. That's a mental 548 mile round trip and according to Apple Maps, 5 hours 20 minutes EACH WAY, assuming no hold ups.

Now if you're a Stranraer fan that doesn't fancy almost 11 hours in the car you can watch it on Elgin's club Tv channel for only £4. Decent deal IMO. But hang on, because of the c*ck eyed SPFL rules around televising games at 3pm on a Saturday, that's only available if you live outside the UK.

I know you can use a VPN etc etc. but why the f*ck make things so difficult for fans?

Yes, the viewing figures would be tiny regardless. However it's the kind of fixture that the ten or twenty away fan stalwarts (nutters?) would attend anyway. Why not give other supporters the legal and easy option of watching from the comfort of their house or the local supporters club?

It's the same with the Gers game today. Recent figures have shown tickets for our away fixtures are many times over subscribed. Why not give the rest of the support the option of watching from the comfort of their own home or their local the opportunity to show it legally? There are supporters scattered all over the UK who'd much prefer the opportunity to pay Rangers for an online ST or buy matches individually (like www did during the lockdown season). Attendences would not be affected.

Done properly the live streaming of 3pm Saturday games could be a real money spinner for ourselves and even the smaller clubs could make a smaller but steady flow of income.

Instead you'll have swathes of the Gers support using Firesticks or other illegal streams to watch today with no money making its way back to the club or the league.

 

[Donsky]

Our problem is there is no Scottish based broadcaster, we leech off English networks, therefore we are forced to pay for crap we have no interest in watching in order to see our team. Once you get into a scenario like we currently have, people simply cannot afford, or in my case can't be bothered paying for 3-4 different services when all I am interested in is Rangers and Scottish football.

 

[hurlock22]

I'm of the opinion that if the legal steaming was at a fair price most people wouldn't resort to illegal streams.
To watch the EPL in the UK you need subscriptions for Sky, BT and Amazon and that doesn't get you the 3pm Saturday games.
Stay overseas and you can get every game with one normally cheaper subscription.

Spot on, I remember my Father in law coming over from South Africa and being baffled that he couldn't watch his beloved Spurs despite being in the UK. Where in Cape Town he could select any game he wanted to watch.

 

[Hipster Dashie]

Nailed it, Spotify/Apple Music is easier than downloading rips and at a cost you don't miss

They have this for football and we all sign up.

Doubt they ever would though

Look at the effect Spotify and Apple Music have had on warnings for musicians though. Football won’t want less income. That though is the inevitable conclusion.

 

[BroomhouseBear]

Our problem is there is no Scottish based broadcaster, we leech off English networks, therefore we are forced to pay for crap we have no interest in watching in order to see our team. Once you get into a scenario like we currently have, people simply cannot afford, or in my case can't be bothered paying for 3-4 different services when all I am interested in is Rangers and Scottish football.

Spot on. It's why I'm not subscribing to the likes of Viaplay.

I've only a real interest in watching the Gers on TV, the odd top of the table clash in the EPL, the latter stages of the CL etc. I'm not forking out to watch a CL group game between, for example, Club Brugge and Eintracht Frankfurt, or a Scottish Cup Quarter final between the scum and St. Mirren.

 

[Valley Bluenose]

While this is true, you only save cash if you are only interested in watching Rangers.

If you want to watch the EPL, like loads do, then you need a Sky Sports subscription, plus BT, plus Amazon if you want full coverage.

So it’s easy to see why so many love their firestick.

Of course. I wouldn't dispute that. The poster I responded to did say he solely subscribed to watch our games (apart from his Prime subscription). If you are big into EPL stuff, for example, its a different kettle of fish.

 

[scottishpoet]

Noticed this, this morning. Peak Scottish football IMO.

Elgin vs Stranraer today. 274 miles apart. That's a mental 548 mile round trip and according to Apple Maps, 5 hours 20 minutes EACH WAY, assuming no hold ups.

Now if you're a Stranraer fan that doesn't fancy almost 11 hours in the car you can watch it on Elgin's club Tv channel for only £4. Decent deal IMO. But hang on, because of the c*ck eyed SPFL rules around televising games at 3pm on a Saturday, that's only available if you live outside the UK.

I know you can use a VPN etc etc. but why the f*ck make things so difficult for fans?

Yes, the viewing figures would be tiny regardless. However it's the kind of fixture that the ten or twenty away fan stalwarts (nutters?) would attend anyway. Why not give other supporters the legal and easy option of watching from the comfort of their house or the local supporters club?

It's the same with the Gers game today. Recent figures have shown tickets for our away fixtures are many times over subscribed. Why not give the rest of the support the option of watching from the comfort of their own home or their local the opportunity to show it legally? There are supporters scattered all over the UK who'd much prefer the opportunity to pay Rangers for an online ST or buy matches individually (like www did during the lockdown season). Attendences would not be affected.

Done properly the live streaming of 3pm Saturday games could be a real money spinner for ourselves and even the smaller clubs could make a smaller but steady flow of income.

Instead you'll have swathes of the Gers support using Firesticks or other illegal streams to watch today with no money making its way back to the club or the league.

Their fear is that if they make 3pm Rangers games available is that nobody would turn up at games like Elgin v Stranraer.

They are not worried about the attendance at the Rangers game. They know people will attend that game.

I have gone to Dumbarton games which i would not have gone to if i could have watched Rangers online.

I agree allowing Elgin to stream their games in the UK would not affect attendances elsewhere.

 

[WATP]

Why do you think Rangers promote a VPN in the shape of NordVPN? Using a IOS tablet device and mirroring it to the big screen is much more secure than a windows pc.

 

[A1bertz]

Their fear is that if they make 3pm Rangers games available is that nobody would turn up at games like Elgin v Stranraer.

They are not worried about the attendance at the Rangers game. They know people will attend that game.

I have gone to Dumbarton games which i would not have gone to if i could have watched Rangers online.

I agree allowing Elgin to stream their games in the UK would not affect attendances elsewhere.

A consumer should have the right to tune in and watch what they want. Feck Elgin v Stranraer. Far too many shitty wee teams in Scotland that we stupidly try and pander to.

 

[Cooperfan]

I get Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ free from my family. I subscribe to RTV. For anything else it's dodgy sites.

I don't have much spare money so needs must.

 

[B33ADHD]

TV companies take the piss with the subscription costs hence the illegal streaming.

That “risk to users” statement is scaremongering nonsense, you are not going to get a virus watching an IPTV stream. If you go searching on google and install some crap of the internet that could happen - it’s ok to be a little silly sometimes.

I think it’s more than 4% of people that watch illegal streams, it’s 4% of the people on that survey.

Want to stop illegal streams? Lower your prices!

 

[GazzaLegend]

If you want to watch Scottish football you have to subscribe to Sky, BT, and Premier. It’s ridiculous.

A monopoly would be a good thing for once.

And Viaplay for the Scottish cup. your correct mate, they have the packages set up so they all get a a cut.

I am totally legal. I will be getting rid of some of my subscriptions in the near future though, it’s way too expensive now and I will be looking at ‘other options’

 

[Camdenbear]

The big question is how much are people willing to pay for Scottish football, assuming that collective rights are here to stay (I don't think the SPFL will surrender that one), how much would you pay and what would you expect?

An SPFL channel launching at £15 a month for home users, would you expect every Rangers game, so in effect every league game for all clubs to be broadcast live? What do we reckon, 300,000 subscribers, so before costs you pull in £4.5 million a month. However you have to pay VAT on that, then provide coverage for 24 matches (ok not exact, may be more/less), provide the infrastructure to allow the channel to be delivered to the user and the billing interfaces.

If you are lucky you end up with £800k a month to distribute to clubs for 10 months, all clubs in the SPFL getting their share. The smaller SPFL Premier clubs who potentially lose more fans through the turnstiles due to games being live will ask for a larger share.

Then there are the elephants in the room, there are a few:

- The big games in Scotland are now only available on the SPFL channel, so no exposure anywhere else in the UK.
- SPFL channel, is it UK only or worldwide? Does Rangers lose their RTV channel and the income?
- Pubs and clubs, this one is a big one, will a pub pay another subscription to watch SPFL? There is also the expense to provide it, as you will need a secure delivery method which means a satellite channel at this time, more costs to a limited audience.

£30 a month makes more financial sense for the clubs, but would you pay £30 a month for 4 games that interest you (unless a season ticket holder then 2) and no other leagues to distract you when bored.

Also the people running our game just now, how long till the SPFL channel would simply be known as Scumtic TV on here?

 

[Ubik]

What’s the stream quality like on DAZN as they have now got the NFL GP ?

Stream quality is fine, maybe not from the likes of some (no names mentioned) but they have the NFL for this coming season.

I love boxing and the NFL (until the playoffs become unrealistic around for the raiders) so for £100 a year i think it's great value.

 

[tazzabear]

Anyone paying for all the available subscriptions has far too much money.
Sky, Virgin, bt are a shower of robbing bassas.

Sky, Viaplay, RTV is enough for me.
Viaplay cancelled as required.

 

[JeffreySpauIding]

Every game should be available to watch legally. Times have changed and people want content and will pay for it.

The whole thing about reducing attendances is nonsense aswell. The season after lockdown all games were available online and people still went. I can watch every game illegally but choose to go to the game as it's a completely different experience to watching at home.

Scrap the 3pm rule, create an SPFL streaming service and show every game. Make it good and people will pay for it.

 

[W 2]

would never partake in such a thing

i'm happy to pay £160 per month to the big companies, for a near flawless service that fills all my needs

 

[Yorkshire Bear]

BT don’t show any Scottish games.

There is Europe though

 

[a_weir]

Our problem is there is no Scottish based broadcaster, we leech off English networks, therefore we are forced to pay for crap we have no interest in watching in order to see our team. Once you get into a scenario like we currently have, people simply cannot afford, or in my case can't be bothered paying for 3-4 different services when all I am interested in is Rangers and Scottish football.

Sky, is known as ‘British Sky Broadcasting’.

They’re not an English broadcaster.

BT Sports are ‘British Telecoms’

 

[crmpicco]

Want to stop illegal streams? Lower your prices!

End the greed and the dodgy streams disappear overnight. Whilst our games are split over half a dozen services wanting to dip our accounts every month then the status quo remains.

Neil Doncaster is to blame for allowing alot of this to happen.

 

[springbok blue]

Spot on, I remember my Father in law coming over from South Africa and being baffled that he couldn't watch his beloved Spurs despite being in the UK. Where in Cape Town he could select any game he wanted to watch.

while this can be true of the EPL and spanish and italian leagues and European competitions not so with scottish football. One supplier DSTv control all. Some scottish games via espn on same channel.
Some time we get rangers games and sometimes the other team.

 

[Smkz23]

End the greed and the dodgy streams disappear overnight. Whilst our games are split over half a dozen services wanting to dip our accounts every month then the status quo remains.

Neil Doncaster is to blame for allowing alot of this to happen.

How is Doncaster to blame? If anything he’s done what you want as our league games are shown by 1 broadcaster rather than 2 as it was.

 

[Scott grfc72]

Sky, is known as ‘British Sky Broadcasting’.

They’re not an English broadcaster.

BT Sports are ‘British Telecoms’

Aye but who owns them

Comcast and Warner bros Americans

 

[Smkz23]

Sky, is known as ‘British Sky Broadcasting’.

They’re not an English broadcaster.

BT Sports are ‘British Telecoms’

BT haven’t been “British Telecom” for about 30 years and Sky haven’t been “British Sky Broadcasting” for about 10 years.

 

[hurlock22]

while this can be true of the EPL and spanish and italian leagues and European competitions not so with scottish football. One supplier DSTv control all. Some scottish games via espn on same channel.
Some time we get rangers games and sometimes the other team.

Tell me about it bud, was always a frustration for me when living in Cape Town.

 

[Donsky]

Sky, is known as ‘British Sky Broadcasting’.

They’re not an English broadcaster.

BT Sports are ‘British Telecoms’

British broadcasting which only seems to the benefit English football despite collecting subscriptions from across the UK. Is that any better for you?

I don't mind having a single UK wide broadcaster, but there has to be a fairer share of the subscription money paid across the regions.

The money generated here that goes to Sky is clearly being used elsewhere when it should be going back into Scottish football. I don't think anyone can argue that the money generated here Sky could easily cover all elements of our game (league, cups, women's game) and provide vastly superior coverage than what we currently have.

 

[EL CD6]

Noticed this, this morning. Peak Scottish football IMO.

Elgin vs Stranraer today. 274 miles apart. That's a mental 548 mile round trip and according to Apple Maps, 5 hours 20 minutes EACH WAY, assuming no hold ups.

Now if you're a Stranraer fan that doesn't fancy almost 11 hours in the car you can watch it on Elgin's club Tv channel for only £4. Decent deal IMO. But hang on, because of the c*ck eyed SPFL rules around televising games at 3pm on a Saturday, that's only available if you live outside the UK.

I know you can use a VPN etc etc. but why the f*ck make things so difficult for fans?

Yes, the viewing figures would be tiny regardless. However it's the kind of fixture that the ten or twenty away fan stalwarts (nutters?) would attend anyway. Why not give other supporters the legal and easy option of watching from the comfort of their house or the local supporters club?

It's the same with the Gers game today. Recent figures have shown tickets for our away fixtures are many times over subscribed. Why not give the rest of the support the option of watching from the comfort of their own home or their local the opportunity to show it legally? There are supporters scattered all over the UK who'd much prefer the opportunity to pay Rangers for an online ST or buy matches individually (like www did during the lockdown season). Attendences would not be affected.

Done properly the live streaming of 3pm Saturday games could be a real money spinner for ourselves and even the smaller clubs could make a smaller but steady flow of income.

Instead you'll have swathes of the Gers support using Firesticks or other illegal streams to watch today with no money making its way back to the club or the league.

That's bananas.
The current broadcast deal always looked terrible in theory but it seems like every week there's a new example of how bad it truly is in reality.