Ryan Reynolds on streaming

We have the best football pyramid in the world for a reason and attendances are a huge part of that. Removing the 3pm blackout would threaten that and appease the new generation of football fans who only know football to be on the tele. The types who will eventually accept a Super League and justify it, whilst clubs like ours ever so slightly lose a few more ‘floating fans’ every year.

It wouldn’t be an immediate death, it would be a long, drawn out one.

The Tuesday streams are fine and financially are probably better for every one, Saturdays would be a disaster.

There must have been some analysis done on this. Surely the clubs would be pushing to get rid of the blackout if it would make money?

IMO removing the 3pm blackout would be a huge mistake and would negatively effect attendances.

Think about it, if the large Premier League clubs are allowed to stream their games at 3pm that would effect every lower league club. The effect would become greater over time as people become more used to it. They would throw money at advertising their matches on TV and doing what the Sky/The Premier League are good at, selling it to the masses.

The current generation of football match going fans will largely still go to matches yes but that will decrease in time. As generations move on, the younger generation is already more than happy to do everything online, the more attendances will decrease. More will watch the big sides because that is all the media will talk about and slowly less and less will care about their local teams.

Even if the lower league teams got a few thousand people streaming, it would be in near empty stadiums containing only the hardiest of fans. Remember how good empty stadiums were during covid.

Even now, if you give most of the younger generation a choice between a wet and cold Blundell Park in January over watching Man Utd/Liverpool/ Arsenal/City etc in a warm cosy pub, you know what they will choose. Someone mentioned it could be a problem for teams like Rochdale because of the number of big teams around them. If you are streaming your football match however, location doesn't matter.

Dropping the 3pm blackout will only lead to the further demise of lower league clubs in my opinion.

Sounds like the National League are working on their own alternative to iFollow - new statement

https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/vanarama-national-league-statement-live-streaming-72153

Quoted from BenBB

Sounds like the National League are working on their own alternative to iFollow - new statement

https://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/vanarama-national-league-statement-live-streaming-72153

Good news for exiles. Being overseas meant this promotion meant even more to me than last time. It was sheer ecstasy at the final whistle of the final knowing that I'd be able to watch games again having been resigned to a year of radio. Being back in the league is great, don't get me wrong, but if this streaming platform does go ahead at least there's peace of mind for exiles that we'll be able to see the team in action should the unthinkable ever happen AGAIN.

I guess the only way you’d actually know if lifting the blackout would be to ask an array of clubs to take part in a trial.

I’m not convinced you’d see much of a reduction in home games but I guess away followings would be hit, which I’m sure the authorities would probably love given their desperation to remove any real atmosphere and passion from the game.

As is, I’d argue the people that truly benefit from the blackout are the TV companies who are able to manipulate fixtures and control the game so to speak at the minute. The minute clubs have autonomy over this their power goes, that said, you’d imagine the money that is ploughed in to the game would go too. Would clubs make enough back?

I guess the betting slip types and the exiles who can’t make games benefit. Those of us that go almost every game do regardless. I’ve been to countless games that have been on TV or streamed because that’s what I do, it’s what real football fans do.

However, I do like the idea that some old folk in care homes for instance would be able to watch games of their beloved clubs.