Issue 38 - Netflix And Skill

It may be international week, but the newsletter does take rest breaks. Plenty to chew over in issue. TV rights, England, Rangers plus the return of the Filter Five. Issue 38. Go.

Champions League Bidding

Now that the Champions League is back in full swing, the discussion regarding its broadcasting rights has come to the fore and with plans in place to sell the matches on a global rather than country to country basis being discussed, the landscape of European football could change once again.

For those who do not know how it previously works - let me give you a rough explanation.

Every three years, UEFA invites broadcasters from each of its member countries and also international territories to bid for the chance to show the Champions League on their channels.

For example, in the UK there may be a bidding war between the likes of BT Sport, Amazon and ITV. The rights may be split across broadcasters but ultimately they go to auction to the media mogul with the deepest pockets.

That scenario is then replicated across Germany, Italy, France etc and broadcasters such as Sky or Amazon may decide to bid for a number of different countries at once.

Therefore, there could be a scenario why Sky show the Champions League in Italy and Germany but not the UK.

Still with me?

Repeat the auction many times over and it means plenty of money for UEFA.

However, as we all know by now, plenty of money is still not ever enough and this is where a change of tact in selling the Champions League (and its sister Europa League and Europa Conference League tournaments) has been reported.

Because instead of all these sub-actions taking place - which in turn take a lot of the time, it would be far easier to sell the rights on a global basis. One single broadcaster wins the rights to show the Champions League and everyone buys that service.

Non Traditional Broadcasters

Which is where the likes of Disney+ and Netflix enter the picture and with the former already having recently won the opportunity to show the Women’s Champions League on a global basis, they may soon have the opportunity with the men.

Because for as deep pockets as the likes of TNT Sports in the UK or CBS in the US have, they are not quite as deep as the streaming platforms that sit above them. This is where the eye-watering sums are spent for content and UEFA want to start crying for the right price.

However, there is something of a catch in all of this. Yes, the global rights may soon be on sale but only for one single game per matchweek.

How would this work?

Let’s go back to the UK example of TNT Sports. In the league phase, they are always going to show English teams as their first pick of the night - the same being said for as long as there is English representation in the competition.

Logically this makes sense as this is where there audience but because of the English bias that comes with game selection, they may have to overlook an early megaclash such as the one between Barcelona and PSG only recently.

This would not be the case with Netflix though. If they had the global rights, they could pick the hottest fixture of the night regardless of the nationality of clubs involved.

You may get Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid beamed from London to Lagos.

You may get Chelsea vs Liverpool beamed from Manchester to Manilla.

The point is, that is top tier game per matchday is not going to come cheap as UEFA expect all their rights sales to be sold for an eventual total of £4.3bn - yes that is right billion.

Near parity with the Premier League but with lesser games in total and the layer of global rights that is not yet afforded to the top tier of English football.

Not afforded yet and if this idea does get off the ground and the likes of Netflix want to splash the cash for Europe’s elite, it may set off an arms race to be the sole supplier of content to the Premier League.

Because with the evolution of club owners going from local business man to international investor to nation state, there are no richer people left to come into the game. The only way it can be propped up is through TV money.

Which is why the likes of UEFA and the Premier League have to find more ways to sell the same rights with each cycle. The latter have already pulled the lever of offering more for the same money to broadcasters, there are not many levers left to pull.

Enter Netflix.

Imagine a service called Premflix. Where you can watch any of the 380 Premier League games from anywhere in the world? Sounds like a dream doesn’t it. A dream that may not be all that far away.

The US streaming giant has already signed deals with WWE and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Its dip into showing sports, is because less of a toe and more of a foot and because of this, they could be one step ahead traditional broadcasters.

Undertake a test and learn concept with everyone watching the same Champions League game on Netflix and a replica of this service for the Premier League, may be in the offing sooner than you think.

With UEFA looking for an uplift on all the TV revenue that they hope to collect, the big winners as always will be the big clubs. Already the gap between the haves and have nots is chasm in size, this move may make the gap seem more like a gulf instead.

Restart The Band

In the previous issue I mentioned the sacking of Russell Martin by Rangers.

In relation to that, I was glad to receive a new piece of ‘mail’ to the mailbox

Ross agreeing with my sentiment regarding the pressure of the job at Ibrox and with a new manager needing to be found, Rangers need someone who can handle that pressure - someone who has maybe been in charge of the club before?

With that criteria in place, the sample size is rather small but it still places Steven Gerrard as the current frontrunner to return to the blue half of Glasgow. Talks are meant to be taking place and if I were the Rangers’ board, I would be trying to conclude them A.S.A.P.

The man who stopped Celtic’s bid for 10 titles in a row.

The man who needs to rebuild his own stock after a forgettable stint at Aston Villa and the cash grab in Saudi Arabia.

Admittedly, Rangers fans were pretty miffed when Gerrard upped sticks to swap Glasgow for Birmingham but time is a healer and football fans have rather short memories - especially when it a state of relative desperation.

One-time earmarked as the natural successor to Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool midfielder could still one day pull the strings at Anfield.

If that is to be the case, he needs his next job to be a huge success and the easiest way to achieve that may be getting the band back together at Ibrox.

What An Atmosphere

England friendlies are always something of a tough watch. Even more so when the Three Lions are 3-0 up well before halftime and with the game wrapped up early on, Thomas Tuchel referenced a lack of atmosphere at Wembley on Thursday.

Was this something of a misstep from the former Bayern boss or does the Champions League winner with Chelsea have a point? Maybe the blame should land at the feat of the FA?

Surely we are at the point where the new Wembley has been paid for and more. Therefore, the England team should be given the opportunity to take to the road as many times as possible.

There is absolutely no reason why the clash between England and Wales could not have been played at somewhere such as Everton’s new ground.

The reason why it was played at Wembley is rather simple - £££££

Don’t get me started on FA Cup semi-finals being played at Wembley either.

The Filter Five

Five is the magic number

Big International Wins

For those who reckon international qualifiers are pointless, this result will no doubt place fuel on your fire. San Marino are known as the whipping boys of European Championship or World Cup qualifying, they have not been lashed like this for a long time.

A miserable night for anyone who is San Marinese but it must be said, there is something pleasing about when a team wins by double figures. Kind of like when the game clock ticks over to 100 minutes. That unchartered territory within football.

Reflection Of Perfection

In a recent BBC interview, PGMOL referee Anthony Taylor has asked for fans to stop demanding perfection from referees.

Anthony, nobody demands perfection, what we just want is consistency from week to week from you and your mates. Surely, that is not too much to ask now is it?

World Cup 2035?

When the dust had settled on Saudi Arabia’s successful 2034 World Cup bid (I say successful, they were pretty much handed it uncontested by FIFA), discussion around the football calendar then gained considerable volume.

With the Qatar edition of the tournament in 2022 being punted to the European winter, the logic is that the same will happen in 2034. Or will it?

If you believe the rumours, World Cup 2034 may actually have to be held at the beginning in 2035 so as to not clash with Ramadan.

How that works with the current football calendar, I have no idea but I am sure it is nothing that a few petro-dollars cannot fix.

Spurs Cash Injection

What is the best way to confirm you are not selling your football club? Simply, pump some more cash in to ward off potential suitors.

Precisely what Tottenham have done recently after three potential takeover bids have been brushed away.

The announcement of £100m injected to the club to ‘truly compete’ sounds a lot in theory but when you consider even that does not get you all that much these days, it’s the equivalent of your nan getting you some gift vouchers for Argos for Christmas.

Posted Without Comment

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 38 as word continues to spread around the football world.

If you liked issue 38, tell a friend and forward it on. If you didn’t like issue 36 please tell me why.

We are now edging towards 70 subs as the momentum continues. New squad members are always welcome on board.

Send your thoughts in, not only of the newsletter but of the game itself. It’s all about building a community you see.

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Issue 39 will be out on Tuesday October 14th

Thanks for reading

Dan