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Sky Sports launches themed channels


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Sky is scrapping its numbered sports channels and replacing them with themed offerings focused on specific sports – led by football, golf and cricket – as it combats falling viewer numbers with a branding revamp and a cheaper viewing package.

 

What impact will this have on the RFL negotiations on any new contract with Sky for Super League? 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/27/sky-sports-channels-prices-football-golf-cricket?CMP=twt_gu

 

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From what ive read RL is being put into one of the cheaper packages called Arena was it? odd name

Wonder if this change effects any contact between Sky & RFL? Sky are changing how the RL is viewed and potential audience/reach

 

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They do it in Oz with Fox League and AFL. Only a matter of time before they did it over here. Suppose we already have it with F1.

Sky Sports are struggling to compete financially with BT for big things but generally they have the best coverage and production so it balances. They do seem to be tinkering with things a bit too much though such as SkySports XTRA and Mix (reminds me of the RFL lol). I could see SL being put onto a SkySports "Rugby" or similar channel in future - especially if English RU remains on BT. 

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This has been rumoured for a few months and it's not just contract negotiations, it's a number of things that could be affected here like where will RL be shown full stop. Sky aren’t going to give RL a dedicated channel, there isn’t enough content especially since they have dumped all their magazine shows.

The two options would be to lump us in with Union and call a channel Sky Sports Rugby which I’m sure would go down a treat, or more realistically (for now) would be to be on the AOB “Arena” channel. Of course there is less room to manoeuvre there if there is a clash of live “AOB” sports. My first instinct is the clash on Thursdays with Premier League Darts. I’m sure this could be worked out though.

However, it seems Sky have finally recognised that there are plenty of fans of certain sports that are no longer willing to pay bloated prices to inflate the Premier League’s pockets when they don’t even watch it - coupled with the rise of a streaming generation that can pick and choose this has been inevitable.

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Just now, stevereed100 said:

Might this increase their viewing if it allows a cheaper monthly fee for RL without the expensive Premier League package?

 

Potentially, I like it its free marketeering in that I won't have to pay for PL football which I don't watch.

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15 minutes ago, stevereed100 said:

Might this increase their viewing if it allows a cheaper monthly fee for RL without the expensive Premier League package?

 

Maybe, but how many non-rugby fans are going to buy the random RL Channel - or if we're sharing with tennis are tennis fans going to watch RL?

Maybe we'd have more chance with Union, Darts & NFL though

Overall id say viewers will be down as all the football fans dont bother with SkySports Random Mix Channel and stick with the footie ones

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17 minutes ago, Moc said:

Maybe, but how many non-rugby fans are going to buy the random RL Channel - or if we're sharing with tennis are tennis fans going to watch RL?

Maybe we'd have more chance with Union, Darts & NFL though

Overall id say viewers will be down as all the football fans dont bother with SkySports Random Mix Channel and stick with the footie ones

It’s logical to think anything that splits the subscription base is in all likelihood going to split the audience. However this move is aimed at getting more subscribers to buy into more personalised packages. Until we know what the packages are , it’s hard to say but the theory that for mainly RL fans, paying (as an example)  £10-15 quid a month for one channel that shows RL rather than the 40/50 quid a month at the moment for every single Sky Sports channel regardless of if you just want to watch RL or not should theoretically attract more subscribers back to Sky.

As an educated guess I would think that RL will be on a “catch all” channel with a variety of different sports that don’t quite fit on their own, on probably the cheapest package and they’ll throw that in for free if you go for the mega bucks football package, so I’d think we’d still catch a few floating fans.

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CHAMPION - 2005, 2009, 2010

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19 minutes ago, Amber Avenger said:

It’s logical to think anything that splits the subscription base is in all likelihood going to split the audience. However this move is aimed at getting more subscribers to buy into more personalised packages. Until we know what the packages are , it’s hard to say but the theory that for mainly RL fans, paying (as an example)  £10-15 quid a month for one channel that shows RL rather than the 40/50 quid a month at the moment for every single Sky Sports channel regardless of if you just want to watch RL or not should theoretically attract more subscribers back to Sky.

As an educated guess I would think that RL will be on a “catch all” channel with a variety of different sports that don’t quite fit on their own, on probably the cheapest package and they’ll throw that in for free if you go for the mega bucks football package, so I’d think we’d still catch a few floating fans.

maybe they'll stick up on SpySports Mix and get it for free - that'd be nice

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I more intrigued/interested in the addition comment in the article:

Sky said that it will launch a broadband-delivered TV service next year....

Together with its NowTV pay as you go model this will make a useful addition.  May make the RFL look at the likes of Netflix and other type models out their and hence get its awareness of the changing media landscape better.

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6 hours ago, Moc said:

Maybe, but how many non-rugby fans are going to buy the random RL Channel - or if we're sharing with tennis are tennis fans going to watch RL?

Maybe we'd have more chance with Union, Darts & NFL though

Overall id say viewers will be down as all the football fans dont bother with SkySports Random Mix Channel and stick with the footie ones

One would imagine if you subscribed to soccer then an extra 5er would buy you the rest...

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23 minutes ago, yipyee said:

One would imagine if you subscribed to soccer then an extra 5er would buy you the rest...

In the article when it was first mentioned a couple of months back it implied that if you subscribed to one of the premium channels then you'd get the 'lesser' content included as part of the price.

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Good always been a fan of direct taxation, in that I mean if you use something you pay for it, if you don't use it you don't, a bit like trains, I have to pay to subsidise train users yet if I have made 10 train journeys in the last 10 years that would be the maximum.

I voted with my feet over the increasing costs of watching RL on Sky, apart from some cricket I probably did not tune into Sky Sports apart from those two sports and I would subscribe on the day of the first game of the season and cancel on the last, I will revert back to being a customer again under this new system.

But the Caveat is that being a dedicated channel and 4 years of the RL contract to run they will have time to judge if their investment is a valid one, will we get an increase on £40M a year a quick calculation based on £15/month x 9months = circa 300,000 subscribers just to break even, hmphh.

"If Rugby League had never been Invented, today we would only have Rugby League"

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Are they doing a Kabaddi channel? :ph34r:

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8 hours ago, GaryO said:

Good always been a fan of direct taxation, in that I mean if you use something you pay for it, if you don't use it you don't, a bit like trains, I have to pay to subsidise train users yet if I have made 10 train journeys in the last 10 years that would be the maximum.

Have you had cause to use the police, fire brigade or ambulance service in that period?

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14 hours ago, bamfordsbeans said:

Does anybody know when this is likely to start?

Could be a problem for Sky if a lot of RL,Darts,NFL fans or whatever sports are put on this other package only subscribe to that channel.

It might be the end of Thursday night games finally!

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5 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

It might be the end of Thursday night games finally!

The Arena channel is going to need content.  Playing at random times to suit Sky is only going to get more pronounced.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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1 hour ago, philipw said:

Have you had cause to use the police, fire brigade or ambulance service in that period?

I regard the tax I pay(ed) for these services as an insurance payment, they are essential services running in the background like house insurance.

I used the example of the train as this is by choice, my office was 29 miles from my home, I used my car, I could have used a train service but chose not to.

On the other hand, I payed for Private Health that was by choice also.

"If Rugby League had never been Invented, today we would only have Rugby League"

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2 hours ago, GaryO said:

I regard the tax I pay(ed) for these services as an insurance payment, they are essential services running in the background like house insurance.

I used the example of the train as this is by choice, my office was 29 miles from my home, I used my car, I could have used a train service but chose not to.

On the other hand, I payed for Private Health that was by choice also.

Exactly - and when you DO need to use a train, the funds allocated through my/your taxes will mean that there is still a train network available.....NHS probably not so much though, to be fair!

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