Clive's Sky Rant

Can't disagree with anything Clive has said there, a very succinct and well thought-out piece. I'd like to think Sky would respond to it in both a reply and taking some note of the valid points raised but I fear it will make not one iota of difference to their arbitrary and ill-conceived scheduling...

 

I could have written that article, although I wouldn't have been quite so eloquent. Thursday night games are Sky's attempt to show seven day a week couch potato football with total disregard to the fans that actually attend matches. Until people (including myself) stop paying their subscriptions it will will only get worse until inevitably the bubble bursts and Sky wash their hands of it completely.
I too fell foul of the train ticket/fixture move, first game of last season v. Cardiff, moved from 15:00 to 12:30, £170 down the drain.

 

Great read. It would be big of Sky to offer some sort of response.

 

They've already blown it as far as I'm concerned. I have the full, outrageously priced, package but I really only keep it for the cricket. I could do without the football.

 

Really well written piece there. I hope sky respond. Any chance this could be picked up and voiced by other club's fans...it must be affecting others as much as us.

 

Fortunately never heard of it mate. They do a big range of craft beers down there so there are some hidden gems from time to time...

 

I think I've only ever had the staying power to get through about 3 of Clive's pieces but that is a very strong and effective one.

I agree with every sentiment but probably it only amounts to the same as sending Sky a picture by a 3 year old of a house with curly smoke and a smiling Sun.

 

As a non subscriber (innate dislike of the concept plus fear of addiction) I would hardly call that succinct.

It won't change until people stop watching en masse.

 

I openly hack their streams as and when i need them so for me it costs nothing
Amazingly you can even airplay onto a 4k screen and voila the upscale results are mighty fine enough
If people want to slum it on the couch ... let the people eat cake
I am on the bent end of a bloody computer even now getting my week's work done so...
Retiring into the parlour to watch a game of football is a beautiful release so hopefully there will be free football 24/7 soon

 

I think that Sky's impact on season ticket holders and travelling away fans is not made enough of. Very difficult to have a life you can plan for.

 

Brillant piece by Clive.

The pub he is speaking about is the Crown & Sceptre. I was in there the other night and saw Clive. The pub was half full at best when normally before home games it is jammers. I remember one game last season, three weeks before the game was played sky still hadn't announced whether it was being chosen for live coverage. These decisions have huge effects on people travelling on trains within Britain and people flying in from abroad. Not only do some people lose their airfare, in some cases they have also paid for hotels and trains/taxis etc. Go to any airport on a Saturday morning and look at the huge numbers of fans who fly in for games from all over Europe. Granted, most of them are travelling to see Premiership matches but you will also see quite a few supporting Championship clubs.

Maybe the next step is for fans to take direct action against Sky and make a list of fans who are willing to cancel their subscriptions in the event they continue disrupting people's travel plans and general enjoyment of the games. A bit like a list of people who will sponsor somebody to run a marathon. Personally, I don't have sky but I do have BT Sports which comes with my TV/phone/internet package. If I had sky, I would be willing to put my name on such a list.

 

It's not just Sky, look at the latter stages of the FA Cup and how matches are scheduled, particularly at Wembley for fans travelling from any part of the country. The TV companies sole mission is ratings and the whining of fans is not a consideration. The FA, Premier League and EFL have sold everyone down the river for many years now and it is not going to change anytime soon...

 

If people honestly are running their lives around a tv station or even getting fussed about it then take some time out and look inwards

They have put a lot of money into football maybe spoilt it for the moaning generation who can't accept change or understand it but the game is secure now

Sky is the boss of you

Very easy to escape their clutches
If it wasn't sky then it would be someone else suppressing your mind

 

I think you missed the point. It's not about armchair fans (like me) who benefit from televised coverage but those that want to go to games, buy season tickets, train tickets, flights etc.

It's also about the mini economy that runs off the matchday event. Some of which, like fanzines, are a quaint piece of tradition.

I'm not a fan of the man's writing but this was by far the best thing he's written IMO and I would recommend reading the full piece.

 

He wants to have his cake and eat it, from the opening paragraphs which I waded through. On the one hand to watch football on TV with Sky's apparently limitless camera angles and erudite punditry whenever he wants and also to have an unaffected traditional match day experience, with camera angles limited to the quality of your own eyes and punditry restricted to '**** off lino' from the bloke behind you.

But I did only read the first bit, all very laboured, so I might have got the wrong end of the stick.

Either way, it's a first world problem.

 

Good piece. I don't have Sky, but I can't resist buying a Now TV day pass when we're on Sky and I'm not going to be at the game.

There is a chance they're killing the goose. I'm not sure they care too much if they think they'll replace it with something else.

 

By the way, I hope those of you who suffer huge monthly bills for Sky also call them regularly to ask for special offers, tell them you're thinking of leaving etc. Usually get a bit knocked off for a few months.
Part of the problem is that Sky Q looks very good!! Not going there until they make it just standard - probably another 3 years or so after the early adopters have paid for it.