Pay TV or Not?
PAY TV OR NOT?
I have read a lot recently from people who are getting fed with Sky's obsession with the Old Firm and are close to cancelling their subscription with the Digital TV company. Of course, this is everybody's right to do so, but those who are thinking about should think about their actions.
Why are the TV companies thinking of reducing their offers for the rights to TV football, because ratings are down and advertisers won't put as much in! In the current environment who will suffer in the long run, the clubs who will get less money from this cash cow. The terrestrial TV companies cannot provide the same coverage or money. I too am bored rigid with the Old Firm coverage but I choose not to watch, BUT I will keep my Sky dish as there is more than Scottish football behind my desire to have digital TV. I actually enjoy the Premiership football, Spanish football, American football and, sadly, their cricket coverage! This without taking into consideration Bravo and Men and Motors!!
One thing I will not give into is Pay Per View football, I believe that I pay enough already for my Sky subscription without having to pay more for individual games. I got a phone call from Sky trying to sell me a Premiership Plus season ticket, and they were telling me they had done football fans a favour by finding these extra games from the Premiership and the £50 would be money well spent. The poor girl couldn't understand why I wasn't prepared to pay another penny to watch these "special" games!
On a wider look at live football on TV, I now find myself getting bored with some of the games that are on as believe it or not I now believe there is too much football on TV. The TV companies (all of them) seem to have gone for the old adage of quantity rather than quality! I would rather have less games available knowing that what I am going to watch is meaningful and being played between two sides with something to play for. From this point of view I am glad that ITV digital took all the Nationwide football away from Sky as this leaves the football choice in my house a lot less cluttered. Although it does mean I cannot follow the progress of the Wigan trio as they fight relegation from the Second division. But this is no great loss really.
We should all remember that it was Sky that revolutionised TV football in this country, with the excellence of its coverage, which BBC Scotland and STV still don't match, and the realisation of the importance of football to broadcasters. The choice of matches we currently have wouldn't be available at all if it hadn't been for Sky.
Graham Barsntaple
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