[ad_1]
Streaming Premier League matches on pay-per-view will cause fans to watch illegal broadcasts, says a soccer finance expert.
Premier League clubs see the “stopgap” as a way to keep people watching their teams, but some fans have criticized the £ 14.95 charge.
“It’s going to lead people to piracy,” Kieran Maguire said.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the Price Of Football author described the Premier League pricing scheme as a “public relations disaster”, adding: “It discriminates against clubs that are not usually on Sky Sports or BT with so much frequency”.
Spectators have been unable to attend Premier League matches since football was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the 2019-20 peak season resumed in June, the remaining 92 matches were streamed live via Premier League streaming partners, and that has been the case so far in this period.
Some fans have criticized the planned price: a similar scheme for English Football League clubs costs £ 10 per game, others are already paying subscription fees to BT Sport and Sky Sports, and season ticket holders at some clubs. they are paying for tickets even though they are not allowed in the stadiums.
“The argument from the Premier League, which is that EFL clubs are charging £ 10, so we should charge more because we have more cameras, it is also flawed,” Maguire said.
“The cameras were already going to be there because the matches would have been shown in the Match of the day anyway, so setup costs would be minimal.”
Top-level clubs voted 19-1 in favor of the pay-per-view scheme on Friday, with Leicester City the only one voting against it, but Maguire says it “goes against the grain” of government advice.
“Families and friends are going to get together, which goes completely against what we are trying to achieve by dissuading people from entering other people’s houses,” he added.
“If they got the price right, it might have been fine, but no one really knows what’s going on with the money.
“Is it going to be a center pot? Is it being used to bail out lower-league clubs? Or will the individual clubs that are playing these particular games keep it?
“Everything seems to be a little bad thought.”
The Premier League declined to comment on the piracy issue. However, last month he announced that he had obtained “enhanced” powers to shut down illegal streaming services, known as “Super Block”.
‘People don’t have the money’
The Premier League has said so and its clubs “remain committed to the safe return of the fans as soon as possible.”
The Premier League and the UK government had hoped to bring supporters back to stadiums from October 1, but those plans were scrapped following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Former Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports expert, said on social media that it was a “bad move” by the Premier League.
Sue Watson, a member of the West Ham United Independent Supporters Association, echoed those comments, telling BBC Radio 5 Live that the plan “is not going to work.”
“It in no way reflects the financial realities that a large number of supporters find themselves in, with the fragility of jobs,” he added.
How did you react to
Friday’s story about the Premier League clubs’ decision generated a lot of fan comment. This is what some of you said:
Sebastian: It will encourage people to view it illegally online.
Joe: Squeezing every last penny out of the gambler, I think I’ll stick with the radio!
Emmsea: Wear them for free, or at least for an optional payment. This is not the time to get money from loyal fans.
Gild-Ath: Premier League clubs should organize their own coverage and broadcast it to their own fans for a decent price.
Marcus: To be fair, the traditional games on Saturdays at 3pm could never be seen and that’s always annoying when your team is playing at that time (especially on the day when you only saw the vidiprinter score or on the radio), so if you want to see your team, it’s a great idea … IF IT WAS A FIVER!
SCDFanatic: Maybe it’s a good thing. I’m a Sunderland fan and maybe more PPV Premier League matches will free up more airtime on Sky and BT for League One and League Two clubs that need more money from TV coverage.
Small town: Sky Sports would normally have had 128 games this season, BT 52, so you are not losing, you are just not getting the additional bonus games that we have become used to seeing since football returned.
cpaulc: Trying to figure out what the complaints are about the prices. You would pay double the minimum to go to the same game live and that without trips.
