strobe_z Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 ...is that they have a mandatory web-cast policy for all their games. I think this is going to revolutionize D2 soccer in the near future. One of the biggest downsides to D2 has been "out of sight, out of mind". Under the old way, FC Edmonton starts brightly on the road... no one notices. They come home, get blasted 5-0 by Montreal... out come the "Geez, we suck" rants. They go on the road for another 2-3 weeks, win a bunch of games... and everyone's forgotten who they are by the time they get home. By allowing home fans a chance to follow the team on the road (by more than just the boxscore), you can keep some momentum going. Besides that, the feel of watching the team "on TV" gives it a (sometimes illusionary) feel of professionalism. Every broadcast becomes a "nationally televised game". I think this alone will outweigh the other side of the argument about allowing in-market fans to "stay home to watch the game". The webcasts are not going to satisfy those people who'd otherwise go to the game, but it will let those of us who can't make it out to the game a chance to still feel "a part of it"... it might even give some home "fans" a chance to "try before they buy". [nerd]Maybe it's just because I'm working on my Masters in communications & technology - but this excites me almost as much as the games themselves. [/nerd] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Have you seen the ****ing quality of these "casts"? The best I've seen so far is FCE's, and that looked like it was filmed with a decades old camcorder, and edited using technology from the same era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 I have... Atlanta's today was pretty good (Carolina's was terrible). Lord Bob mentioned to me that D2 has been casting since 2009... so maybe this is partially just "new to me". My point though, comes from my experience trying to follow D2 soccer with the Aviators back in 2003. The very fact that they exist make the experience like night and day. I think teams might not see the value they bring both to them specifically and the league as a whole... and that investing in the quality might be something worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Lord Bob mentioned to me that D2 has been casting since 2009... so maybe this is partially just "new to me".It actually started (league-wide, with some teams doing it even earlier) in 2007, though for the first two seasons there was a fee. They even had all the videos available on-demand throughout the season -- the NASL does not appear to be doing that, or did I miss something? The USL has continued their live and on-demand Webcasts for their leagues, though not for all teams (usllive.com). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDM Rover Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 strobe, I agree that having the streams - as crap as some of them may be - is critical to building a fan-base and increasing supporter's knowledge and familiarity w/ their own side (let alone the competition). I haven't noticed if NASL has been putting together any highlight packages of the matches, but they should. For me, the ability to watch every match takes a lot of the sting out of the near-total lack of mainstream media coverage of the Eddies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Impact Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Now if they could just post highlights of their games on the site.. It sucks when you have to spend time trying to find them elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 ...is that they have a mandatory web-cast policy for all their games. I think this is going to revolutionize D2 soccer in the near future. I think you have hit the nail on the head. Bypassing the TV system and making even a third-rate quality "broadcast" will make a huge difference. Our PDL season is so short in Victoria and we seldom even get photographs from away games I can only imagine what it would do for the team if we could see away games via the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Shaw Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Strobe, you are definitely correct that black outs are counter-productive. The CFL used them for certain reasons, but even the CFL should discard them now. The people using streaming are young, often students unable to afford tickets. So you need to reach them if you are not on television. Not only that, as TSN showed, you can turn something like the CFL into a great television product. Div 2 soccer isn't there yet, but if Edmonton can survive and then thrive, Sportsnet with its regional format can turn it into a successful television product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Enceladus09 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Now if they could just post highlights of their games on the site.. It sucks when you have to spend time trying to find them elsewhere. I agree 100%. I don't understand why it is so difficult for them to have easy access on the team sites. Unless I am missing something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 I'm not sure the teams and/or the league realize that this should be a priority and something that should be actively promoted. They need to advertise the fact that all the games can be watched online in order to build a fan base - and they need to have highlight packages available for download on every team website. An online webcast is not going to replace the "at the park atmosphere" that it's really all about... and until they realize that online media is a zero sum loss technology (i.e. having infinite number of multiple copies takes nothing away from the value) they're going to be missing a key marketing strategy. They should PRAY 100,000 people in Edmonton care enough to follow the team online. That kind of buzz would fill a BMO-field sized stadium several times over. For people who don't care enough to come out for the games, you're never going to get them anyway.... but if you can make them care enough to watch it "for free online" that small bit of interest can be multiplied to an enormous level with enough people. There's always going to be the 5-6 of us who care the most... but if enough people care just a little you can move mountains... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 But yes, this year's casts are actually a downgrade to ones we had in the past, you guys you're lucky you're new, so you don't have any despair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedinathan Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I like the fact the games a streamed... Not the best quality for watching at the pub, but its nice to be able to get together and watch them as a group. One of the things I like about FCE is that they've partnered with Shaw and are rebroadcasting the home games. If theres one thing being a bored teenager taught me, its the value of finding something to watch on tv Saturday afternoons. Not the most choice timeslot, but you should catch some of the family crowd in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Are these live broadcasts really happening? I tried to watch the Atlanta - Edmonton game on Saturday and all they had was a black rectangle with the words "Off Air." Maybe I got the game time wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedinathan Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I was able to watch it from 5pm to the end of the game... Did you watch the right stream? apparently there are several different streams, and one of them on Sat had problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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