Cutting the cord: Sky are fostering their own downfall

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Last week we discussed a Bloomberg article on the increasing availability of premium quality, pirated, broadcast content, made possible by set-top boxes.  In short, products are available to make any amount of premium sports or movie content available to users without subscription, with little the law can do about it.

Quite apart from pirate viewing, subscription broadcast numbers are under pressure from legal streaming services, such as Amazon Instant Video and Netflix, a drift known as Cutting the Cord.  A survey published this week reports that 8.2% of US broadcast subscribers ditched their service in 2014 in favour of streaming.  More significantly, 45.2% of US subscribers report they cut back on content they paid their broadcast supplier for.

UK satellite and cable TV subscribers pay some of the top prices in the world for sports and other premium content.  A dysfunctional market has emerged due to the controlling position of two players:

BSkyB, who dominate subscription TV supply in the UK
The FA Premier League, who own the key content for the UK market

Within this market there are winners and losers.  The winners are English and Welsh football clubs who earn enormous revenues from the FA Premier League TV deal, and subsequent trickle-down monies.  The losers are UK subscribers, who paid a fortune to keep the BskyB-FA Premier League contract in funds, and, of course, Scottish football clubs, who are excluded from the England and Wales league system.

Scotland is 8% of BskyB’s business, significant enough to make a dent in its revenues, but more importantly, if a US-style drift from expensive subscriptions is fostered in Scotland, it will move south soon enough.

I’ve been looking into this since we discussed it last week and will report back.

Shocked and stunned to read in the Daily Mail that Dave King met Sports Direct on the morning of his club’s EGM, as reported by Phil MacGiollaBhain a week ago.  That will explain the lack of denial, I suppose.  The interesting question is: Who gave the Daily Mail the story?  Dave King, or through his PR company?

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583 Comments

  1. mullet and co 2 on

    Or if Sports Direct own Murray Park and their intended use is to lease back to Rangers thm there is no community/ public access in their intended use. The users would be Rangers who may well still allow public access. In the event that it is sale and lease back, newco would be het for the £650k?

  2. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    dontbrattbakkinanger

     

     

    07:31 on 25 June, 2015

     

    Whither the cash strapped scrofulous hillbillies the day?

     

    >>>>>>>>

     

    Where have you been ……? …welcome back, bhoyo

  3. Mullet & Co

     

     

    Is it not the Albion Car park, which is required for chess, so the Club Deck can open, if not available, no Club Deck ?

     

     

    MirdochAuldand Hay, great work bhud, now need our finance & legal bhoys to interrogate :-))

     

     

    Hail Hail

  4. paisley bhoy on

    phyllis dietrichson

     

     

    08:55 on 25 June, 2015

     

     

    Because the security shifted to sevco. There is a transfer document from 2012.

     

     

    Of more significance is why the need for the 2012 and 2015 security documents.

     

     

    Sport Scotland (SS) gave the grant to a football club to build a training complex. It was over that club’s asset (Auchenhowie) that SS took a security. If the club playing out of The Asbestosdome and training at Auchenhowie is the same one as that in the original contract, then why the need for the 2012 and 2015 securities?

     

     

    Simple really. The original agreement has been transferred to the new club.

  5. To be fair, England U-21’s best two players weren’t available. Berahino and Sterling.

     

     

    That said, you watch England teams at all levels and know exactly why they won’t win anything. They never have a central midfield with the touch and intellegence required at the top level.

     

     

    Sure Stevie G was a great player. Usually taring about like a blue arsed fly in a free role. He was always at his best when he had the likes of Alonso and Mascherano looking after the ball.

  6. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    green man

     

     

    09:07 on 25 June, 2015

     

     

    In Ronny we trust ….!!!!!!!!

  7. The Green Man on

    67Heaven

     

     

    A striker would not go amiss, and I believe we are short in that department….no?

     

    What if Leigh Griff is injured….who will score the goals.

     

    Would it not be slightly silly to go into the CL unprepared(again).

     

    I don’t think its asking to much.

     

     

     

    HH

  8. Morning – what’s the latest?

     

     

    Big VvD to Barca and Ramos + £10m coming the other way???

     

     

    :-)

  9. Praecepta,

     

    Aye and Ramos says he’s happy to take £10K a week but PL kyboshed it saying he was trying to hold the club to ransom :)

  10. Cowiebhoy in regards to the golf day, do you think there would be a space for the Tommy Gemmell CSC to put in a team??? HH

  11. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    If the loan has no fixed repayment term, then they don’t have to repay it unless they go into admin ….!!??

  12. a light insanity on

    Had a lie-in this morning so missed Jobo’s weather report. However nothing has changed in old E.K. I might go and turn the traffic direction signs on the roundabouts to brighten everyone’s day.

  13. Morning All

     

     

    Another day another sevco saga.

     

     

    Wish they would just feck off and really be DIE

     

     

    go on BIG MIKE take them away from us, and let us all have peace.

     

     

    Going on holiday for two weeks all forms of communication OFF

     

     

    HH

     

    HH

  14. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    green man

     

     

    09:18 on 25 June, 2015

     

     

    Absolutely…..I think we actually need 2 strikers…..all I’m saying is that I trust Ronny to get 1 or 2, without rushing into it ….need to be careful….worse if we rush into it, and end up with a dud. . …..HH

  15. Scepovic and Griffiths are here already.

     

     

    We are looking to sign another. Like Vossen.

     

     

    3 strikers for 1 spot is probably enough for the qualifiers.

  16. The Green Man on

    67Heaven

     

     

    I agree…I trust Ronny

     

    But, im still worried about Big Peter…as he must be itching to unveil another dud.

     

    Lets hope Ronny prevents him.

     

    Big Peter makes me nervous, he is capable of negligence when it comes to players.

     

    But due to his making Wee Jay a Celtic Ambassador….I will cut him some slack this season, as I do know his heart is in the right place.

     

    When it comes to transfers and players, he should leave it to the manager.

     

     

    HH

  17. The Green Man

     

    09:18 on

     

    25 June, 2015

     

    67Heaven

     

     

    Go into CL unprepared?

     

    It’s what we do.

  18. BRTH

     

     

    Just read your Arthur Ashe piece. Excellent as usual.

     

    His book is added to my Amazon wish list.

     

    I have been off the reading but am back on it. I am on Archie MacPherson’s autobiography at the minute. Wooooooffft

     

    Very decent read to be fair.

     

     

    LB

  19. thomthethim for Oscar OK on

    Just watched the YouTube, posted by Murdoch Auld,etc., of Janko.

     

     

    Looks a useful, modern wingback, but what struck me most was his movement.

     

     

    It is so reminiscent of the great Danny Mc.Grain.

     

     

    The way he turns and robs his opponent of the ball, like a pickpocket, was straight from the McGrain Book of Tackling.

  20. The Green Man on

    quonno

     

     

    Maybe recent failure under the guidance of Big Peters transfer jamboree, has shifted the goalposts, and the realisation, that Peter is not the manager, has sunk in.

     

    Im hoping Ronny…..tells Peter to get back to his office and do some administration.

     

    We should be prepared…..its foolish in the extreme not to be.

     

     

     

    HH

  21. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    green man

     

     

    09:47 on 25 June, 2015

     

     

    Correct, he should leave it to the manager, and confirm yes or no, depending on the finances, as ever

     

     

    Oh no Qhonno….hahahaha . You’ll be telling us next Peter doesn’t really want us to qualify for the CL …. :)

  22. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    Green man…..it’s not easy and, if you get it wrong (as many do), it can be white costly

  23. The Green Man on

    67Heaven

     

     

    Id have Big Sami back at CP in a minute.

     

    Good player to have for CL….loves Celtic.

     

    We could do a lot worse.

     

     

     

    HH

  24. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    Green man …… The recent transfer jamborees have gotten us a great team / squad

  25. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar...... Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    green man

     

     

    10:01 on 25 June, 2015

     

     

    ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON……….!!!!!!!!

  26. The Green Man on

    67Heaven

     

     

    Im thinking of Derk, Pukki, Amido, etc, and so on.

     

    But recently under Ronny….we seem to be learning(I hope)

     

    But Derk needs to go….pronto

     

    Adam Matthews…..not one id bother about losing.

     

    However…onwards and upwards.

     

     

    HH

  27. embramike says "the Huns are Deid" on

    From the STV article re Murray Park …

     

     

    Sportscotland, at the time known as the Scottish Sports Council, gave the Rangers oldco £650,000 towards construction costs in the late 1990s.

     

     

    State Aid anyone ???

  28. Samaras

     

     

    Anyone put up his record for last few seasons ? He was basically a man short most SPL games .. Big gentleman who did the club proud but he had his time here.. Big no no from me.

  29. The Green Man on

    proudbhoy

     

     

    Don’t think it will happen anyway.

     

    But….I have seen Big Sammi play wonderfully well in the CL

     

    Id suggest that’s where he would be used to most effect.

     

     

     

     

    HH

  30. I don’t think Sammi is Ronny’s type of player but if Ronny wants him back he must have a plan for him which is encouraging.

  31. The green man

     

     

    So have I but doing it in the CL only is not good enough .. Wages be spent better elsewhere.

     

     

    Really hope we can get vossen and janko in asap and I’d be happy with that for qualifer.. If we still have big VVD obviously .

  32. Neustadt-Braw on

    Big Sammi playing his heart oot for wee Jay………….

     

     

     

    awfy braw …..

     

     

     

     

    braw

  33. I think we could do better than re-sign a player we KNOW won’t score enough goals

     

     

    Do we even sign players who are 30?

  34. The Green Man on

    proudbhoy

     

     

    Yeah…id rather have Vossen and Janko

     

    But…will that happen either.

     

    Lets see.

     

     

     

    HH