Premier League TV finances face ruin due to piracy ...

Southernlion

Well-Known Member
was the headline of an article in yesterdays The Times.

Basically it was a warning by the CEO of beIN Media being given today predicting that the value of TV rights is about to "drop off a cliff". beIN has suffered from organised piracy from Saudi Arabia and because of that they have already decided not to renew deal with F1, value £200m

This year the domestic rights of EPL dropped by £9.2b but this was compensated by a rise in the overseas rights. However if piracy flourishes then the overseas rights will drop in value.

beIN complains that every Champions League & World Cup finals match they broadcast was pirated.

If the bottom dropped out of the TV market I am not too sure as to how I feel. Perhaps it might be the ruin of football or perhaps the saviour for fans
 
But this isn't quite the same issue you think it is.

beIN's complaint is that there is a state-sponsored effort by Saudi Arabia to pirate beIN's content, on the basis of the ongoing, uh, "difficulties" between Saudi and Qatar.

beIN is a pretty unique situation. The market for worldwide sports TV distribution is solid for now.
 
But this isn't quite the same issue you think it is.

beIN's complaint is that there is a state-sponsored effort by Saudi Arabia to pirate beIN's content, on the basis of the ongoing, uh, "difficulties" between Saudi and Qatar.

beIN is a pretty unique situation. The market for worldwide sports TV distribution is solid for now.

I wouldn’t be so sure.

there is a lot of companies changes ownership and their current content being reviewed. It’s not piracy that will kill it but the lack of interest or competition
 
I wouldn’t be so sure.

there is a lot of companies changes ownership and their current content being reviewed. It’s not piracy that will kill it but the lack of interest or competition
People are always going to pay for sports through TV until another equally as reliable method of watching them comes through.

What would you do if you weren't watching sports? The alternatives don't bear thinking about.
 
article here.....

The head of the world’s largest investor in managed television rights will warn this week that professional sport is facing potential financial ruin because of online piracy.

Yousef Al-Obaidly, the CEO of the Qatar-based beIN Media Group, will give a keynote speech tomorrow at the Leaders Week London 2019 summit, predicting that the value of television rights around the world is about to “drop off a cliff”.

BeIN has a $15 billion (£12.16billion) portfolio of sports rights, broadcasting across ten live HD sports channels from what, in Doha, is the world’s largest sports television studio complex.

But since Saudi Arabia led a blockade of Qatar two years ago over its alleged support of terrorism, beIN Sports has been banned in Saudi Arabia, and customers have been offered alternative beoutQ boxes for a fraction of the price, using stolen beIN output.

A Fifa-funded investigation concluded that “without question” a Saudi Arabia-backed satellite provider had played a vital role in the piracy operation and the impact on beIN has been considerable. Its executives have estimated the cost is already in the billions, forcing it to lay off 18 per cent of staff.

BeIN has decided not to renew its £200 million deal with Formula One and predicts that the situation could have a devastating effect on other rights deals, including the Premier League’s overseas rights packages that are due for renewal in 2022.

This year, the value of the Premier League broadcast rights soared by 8 per cent to £9.2 billion for the 2019-22 cycle, which meant the simultaneous drop in the value of the league’s domestic rights was offset by overseas broadcasters.

However, Al-Obaidly and his colleagues in Doha believe that the Premier League and other major sports organisations have been slow to grasp the seriousness of the situation. “Our industry and rights-holders in particular are still sleep-walking towards a financial precipice,” one observer said.

A subscription for beIN to watch top-flight football costs about £20 a month. For a fee of $90 a year (about £73), the Saudi-backed broadcaster has made it possible to buy an illegal beoutQ box that uses simple satellite technology to broadcast stolen beIN output acquired from a variety of managed sports rights packages. A beoutQ box provides access to 10,000 channels and the Saudis need only one beIN box to steal their output.

Illegal streaming is a major problem. Recent BBC research revealed that 50 per cent of fans in the UK were accessing Premier League streams through unofficial providers online, with more than 30 per cent of them not even realising that it was against the law.

A concern for beIN is the fact that beoutQ boxes and other illegal streaming devices (ISD) are being purchased beyond Saudi borders. Only last week a London retailer was convicted for selling ISDs that provided access to beoutQ. Ammar Al-Silawi was found guilty on two charges of copyright theft and two charges of fraud for selling the devices from his store on London’s Edgware Road.

Last year, there were an estimated 190 billion visits to pirate sites to watch sports and Duncan Walkinshaw, a former Sky executive who is the director of programmes at beIN, echoes Al-Obaidly in predicting a bleak future for sport unless the piracy is stopped. “There will be no value in TV rights,” Walkinshaw told The Times. “Why would anyone pay for it when it is being stolen and given away for nothing?

“For the last two years they’ve stolen every Champions League game we’ve broadcast, and it was the same for all 64 games of last year’s World Cup in Russia.

“We are being mugged every day but this isn’t about some TV station in the desert bleating about losing money. This is about the global impact this could have on sport. Governments as well as governing bodies need to wake up to the seriousness of this situation.”
 
Good, bring the English Premier League down, too many servers charging ie, Sky, BT, Premier, etc.

Most people can't pay for all these channels and I've only mentioned a few
 
I think they'll have to adapt in the future imo. People are smarter and can get their live sport for cheaper and other means.

On the other hand people just can't afford over a ton a month for sky/btsports.
 
People are always going to pay for sports through TV until another equally as reliable method of watching them comes through.

What would you do if you weren't watching sports? The alternatives don't bear thinking about.

Not sure that's true matey. Avast me hearties.
 
Being selfish as a Rangers fan I don’t think I’d care if it collapsed. Now would be perfect while we’re equipped to deal with it as well as any club.
 
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It's not 'professional sport' that is facing ruin, is it ? It's his money that he's worried about.
 
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All of the emerging markets will have a very strong piracy as that is how they manage to watch most of their stuff now!!
Club TV will be the way forward!!
 
there was a massive IPTV bust about 2 weeks back which wiped almost every one of them out..

but they are all coming back already. it simply wont go away

Correct, there will always be some sort of piracy , why because it’s big money .

Just the same as world governments will never get on top of narcotics, again because its big money
 
I've been saying this for years, it's not a matter of IF it's WHEN pirate streaming changes football back to something like the way it used to be.

The turning point is now fast approaching when enough people become absolutely sick and tired of being ripped off paying £100pcm to pay for the wages of some overpaid arseholes you never watch.

Subscription tv for football will have to adapt and charge a proper price like music has with spotify to stay viable.

I expect big changes in the next 5 years which can only be good for the mighty Glasgow Rangers! ;)
 
This will be a major issue for rightsholders moving forward - faster internet speed for the masses and a more savvy user will hit them hard in the pocket eventually especially if prices continue to be pushed upwards.

It is well policed in the UK but anytime you go abroad every bar, cafe and restaurant have their dodgy system on full display.
 
Africans

they’re nuts for English football in most countries there

there was a cinema in Mombasa showing a Man U game when I was there years ago
Aye so one guy who owns the cinema buys the package and circa 2k pay pennies to get in...Not many in Africa will be paying for a package that's for sure.
 
I've been saying this for years, it's not a matter of IF it's WHEN pirate streaming changes football back to something like the way it used to be.

The turning point is now fast approaching when enough people become absolutely sick and tired of being ripped off paying £100pcm to pay for the wages of some overpaid arseholes you never watch.

Subscription tv for football will have to adapt and charge a proper price like music has with spotify to stay viable.

I expect big changes in the next 5 years which can only be good for the mighty Glasgow Rangers! ;)

A very valid point. Music piracy was massive in the early days of Napstar et all but with the legitimate providers having brilliant setups at a sensible monthly cost people have moved away from stealing the music. Amazon have just changed the game again offering HD and ultra HD quality streams at 15 quid a month which may wipeout a few providers.

Without digressing too much when the Amazon's, YouTubes etc get serious about streaming football I am hoping that it actually drops the price rather than pushing it higher as the sheer size, scale and wordwide reach of these providers would scoop up enough customers paying to legitimately watch if it was reasonably priced.
 
Technology will only get better as well with streaming being much easier.

This along with the hyperinflation in England will send them back to the stone age.
 
All of the emerging markets will have a very strong piracy as that is how they manage to watch most of their stuff now!!
Club TV will be the way forward!!
The problem is that it's easy to get club TV illegally as well
 
People are always going to pay for sports through TV until another equally as reliable method of watching them comes through.

What would you do if you weren't watching sports? The alternatives don't bear thinking about.
it would bring back attendances and also a level playing field in regards to finances,wages and transferes. Roll on I say.had
TV money spoiled the game and for real fans they know their is very little chance of ever winning a trophy due to the bigger clubs getting a bigger cut of the pie.
Just look back at attendances before the Tv revolution.
 
I've been saying this for years, it's not a matter of IF it's WHEN pirate streaming changes football back to something like the way it used to be.

The turning point is now fast approaching when enough people become absolutely sick and tired of being ripped off paying £100pcm to pay for the wages of some overpaid arseholes you never watch.

Subscription tv for football will have to adapt and charge a proper price like music has with spotify to stay viable.

I expect big changes in the next 5 years which can only be good for the mighty Glasgow Rangers! ;)
100% correct. ;)
 
was the headline of an article in yesterdays The Times.

Basically it was a warning by the CEO of beIN Media being given today predicting that the value of TV rights is about to "drop off a cliff". beIN has suffered from organised piracy from Saudi Arabia and because of that they have already decided not to renew deal with F1, value £200m

This year the domestic rights of EPL dropped by £9.2b but this was compensated by a rise in the overseas rights. However if piracy flourishes then the overseas rights will drop in value.

beIN complains that every Champions League & World Cup finals match they broadcast was pirated.

If the bottom dropped out of the TV market I am not too sure as to how I feel. Perhaps it might be the ruin of football or perhaps the saviour for fans

Can’t see much changing , however , a more level playing field would make European competition football more interesting
 
it would bring back attendances and also a level playing field in regards to finances,wages and transferes. Roll on I say.had
TV money spoiled the game and for real fans they know their is very little chance of ever winning a trophy due to the bigger clubs getting a bigger cut of the pie.
Just look back at attendances before the Tv revolution.
It wouldn't, because clubs with bigger stadiums would have more money to spend.

If we're interested in bringing in a level playing field with regards to finances, we can do that very easily. But it wouldn't be advantageous to us.
 
Sky sports is becoming a harder and harder sell. They cant charge the same money as before. wait for a special offer and you will be paying £16 a month for the whole set.
 
It wouldn't, because clubs with bigger stadiums would have more money to spend.

If we're interested in bringing in a level playing field with regards to finances, we can do that very easily. But it wouldn't be advantageous to us.
I agree, but they would not be getting £100 million for being relegated.
 
A load of rubbish both owned by Murdoch . This is just to get more people grassing other people in. Murdoch anti British republican.
 
As everyone has been posting the money had to run out at some point then what are these billionaires from Russia, Asia and the UAE going to do "l've played with my subbuteo team now I'm bored ach I'll just buy another super yacht"
 
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