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3 minutes ago, admin said:

Production value as MPG says is more important than the platform.   Legit streams are generally very good, most of the time when using a stream it is either low production value or pirated, so I'm not sure the comparison is fair at this point in time.

The pirated ones are obviously terrible, but even the good ones still have their hiccups or pixelation at times. And I guess another reason why I don't like streams as much is my own fault. I don't really have a good way of putting streams on my TV, so I can't view it together with someone, and I have to watch it on a small computer monitor or an iPad or phone. Another thing that might come down to my relative lack of savvy is that with a TV broadcast if I can't watch it live I can PVR it (obviously not everyone has that option though). Even if it's just that I can only start watching it half an hour later after putting the kids to bed or something. With a stream I think it's a bit more difficult or hard to know exactly how to start watching a stream from the beginning of the game, rather than joining it in progress, or even finding the stream without getting a spoiler score revealed to you. If the CPL has a service that is consistent and predictable and allows for that kind of a thing though, that would be nice. Take google searches out of it, I know my games are going to be put on this page or app with no scores shown and I can watch it whenever I want, and I can choose to join it in progress, or start from the beginning.

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3 minutes ago, Kent said:

The pirated ones are obviously terrible, but even the good ones still have their hiccups or pixelation at times. And I guess another reason why I don't like streams as much is my own fault. I don't really have a good way of putting streams on my TV, so I can't view it together with someone, and I have to watch it on a small computer monitor or an iPad or phone. Another thing that might come down to my relative lack of savvy is that with a TV broadcast if I can't watch it live I can PVR it (obviously not everyone has that option though). Even if it's just that I can only start watching it half an hour later after putting the kids to bed or something. With a stream I think it's a bit more difficult or hard to know exactly how to start watching a stream from the beginning of the game, rather than joining it in progress, or even finding the stream without getting a spoiler score revealed to you. If the CPL has a service that is consistent and predictable and allows for that kind of a thing though, that would be nice. Take google searches out of it, I know my games are going to be put on this page or app with no scores shown and I can watch it whenever I want, and I can choose to join it in progress, or start from the beginning.

Well you are right in that there are specific issues related to streaming in terms of buffering/pixelation. Hopefully CPL chooses a tech that will not make that a huge issue.

When it comes to easily putting streams on a TV. A Chromecast is pretty good device for that.

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4 minutes ago, mpg_29 said:

Well you are right in that there are specific issues related to streaming in terms of buffering/pixelation. Hopefully CPL chooses a tech that will not make that a huge issue.

When it comes to easily putting streams on a TV. A Chromecast is pretty good device for that.

I have a Chromecast, and it's got serious buffering issues. Not sure why. Don't know if it is the distance between my PC and the Chromecast, or distance from my router, or my internet connection is too slow.

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2 minutes ago, admin said:

TV as we know it is literally dead.  Everything will go this route. 

 

The Cable companies are the ones holding everything back because they don't fit into the future narrative. 

Smart TV's with full streaming/internet capabilities are the way forward. The big problem there is the lack of consistency with quality of service and interruptions/interference to wifi/connections. 

Amazon Prime Canada is pathetic in comparison to the States and UK but they have been bidding for sports and show some in different countries. While Cable companies exist I can see them partnering per province.The Rush games here are on Sasktel and I think Shaw and also sell out near 15k. Where to watch the other games in the league though, who knows. Obviously you would hope CBC or TSN would be interested in airing some games and doing some on their Go Apps too. There are a lot of avenues. 

Ideally we want the exposure and accessibility to the league to be there, especially with start up. The worst thing we can do is create boundaries by using a platform only hardcore fans would be interested in. Easier said than done but CBC is the best we can hope for, followed by TSN. If that is realistic I don't know.

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4 minutes ago, Kent said:

I have a Chromecast, and it's got serious buffering issues. Not sure why. Don't know if it is the distance between my PC and the Chromecast, or distance from my router, or my internet connection is too slow.

Probably this. And/or the router itself is a older model that doesn't have the range.

 

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1 hour ago, admin said:

Or be incredibly enhanced if starting from the beginning they are not encumbered by the limits of TV.

Think of all the great features you could have.....  Multiple audio channels, demographic based targeted advertising, immediate user controlled replays from multiple angles, coaching annotations for education, gamify all sorts of things,  the list goes on.....

Great features, sure, but only if you're specifically looking for it.  A paid online supscription service is a great way to reach those who want to be reached, but it's a horrible way of marketing yourself to a casual fan - and the league can't simply count on an insular community of diehards if it's to succeed.

Like any business, the CPL will need to advertise if it wants to maintain or grow its relevance in the public mind, and hiding behind a paywall or a Youtube stream is not an effective way of doing that.  The league needs to remind the general public that it exists, and clicking onto a game while you're bored watching tv on a Saturday afternoon, or seeing highlights on the sports news, or seeing it on even one solitary tv at a restaurant somewhere are all ways of doing that.  It keeps you in the public eye in a way that digital alone can't do.

It's nice to predict how media will be consumed ten years from now, but the league has to make it ten years first - and it won't do that by hiding from the public.

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1 minute ago, Gopherbashi said:

Great features, sure, but only if you're specifically looking for it.  A paid online supscription service is a great way to reach those who want to be reached, but it's a horrible way of marketing yourself to a casual fan - and the league can't simply count on an insular community of diehards if it's to succeed.

Like any business, the CPL will need to advertise if it wants to maintain or grow its relevance in the public mind, and hiding behind a paywall or a Youtube stream is not an effective way of doing that.  The league needs to remind the general public that it exists, and clicking onto a game while you're bored watching tv on a Saturday afternoon, or seeing highlights on the sports news, or seeing it on even one solitary tv at a restaurant somewhere are all ways of doing that.  It keeps you in the public eye in a way that digital alone can't do.

It's nice to predict how media will be consumed ten years from now, but the league has to make it ten years first - and it won't do that by hiding from the public.

 

They can't afford to buy the time on TV.  It's that simple. 

 

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31 minutes ago, admin said:

They can't afford to buy the time on TV.  It's that simple. 

If that's the case, then so be it. I've never assumed games will be on TV and I will watch games however I can, including paid subscription to streaming if I have to. But to proclaim that TV is dead already (on it's last legs, sure, but it isn't dead yet) or that streaming is superior in ways that don't yet exist is a bit disingenuous.

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Thinking about the prairies, particularly rural Sask. AB. Etc... a lot of farms or small towns do not have great internet. I know a lot of people in sask especially will travel hours just to watch the roughriders or Oilers. I’m not sure if these people will be fans of soccer, but we would be cutting out a lot of potential fans out if we go with streaming... They usually have access to satellite TV, but not good internet.

I think streaming will be very important, but i feel like Canada has a disadvantage for streaming because of the size and coverage of quality internet. It might be more difficult to get Canadians on board for streaming, at least, rural Canadians. 

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3 hours ago, mpg_29 said:

TV is still important for live events such as sports.The exposure alone for new league make is a necessity imo.

It's not an either or in terms of TV vs online. It's both.

I think we have to be careful about not expecing too much too soon. Just having a professional league that can live on ticket sales and merchandising would be an excellent start.

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20 minutes ago, dsqpr said:

I think we have to be careful about not expecing too much too soon. Just having a professional league that can live on ticket sales and merchandising would be an excellent start.

Except if you listen to the philosophy behind the business model for this league that isn't the idea.

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20 minutes ago, mpg_29 said:

Except if you listen to the philosophy behind the business model for this league that isn't the idea.

If their business model relies on significant revenue from broadcast rights then I hope it also seriously under-estimates revenue from other sources!

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5 hours ago, Kent said:

If that's the case, then so be it. I've never assumed games will be on TV and I will watch games however I can, including paid subscription to streaming if I have to. But to proclaim that TV is dead already (on it's last legs, sure, but it isn't dead yet) or that streaming is superior in ways that don't yet exist is a bit disingenuous.

Mildly hyperbolic sure, but disingenuous ?   No feature I am suggesting is even remotely out of the scope of any app today. 

You guys want TV. TV doesn't want us. 

If what they are doing hinges on TV, then that is a really bad sign.  Pretty sure it doesn't. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, dsqpr said:

If their business model relies on significant revenue from broadcast rights then I hope it also seriously under-estimates revenue from other sources!

Supposedly the business model is to not depend on ticket revenue. Now what the anticipated ratio of ticket revenue vs other revenue is I don't know.

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43 minutes ago, admin said:

You guys want TV. TV doesn't want us. 

But it would if there were enough of us!

Then the advertising revenue pays for the broadcast and bingo, everything makes sense.

But it will take time to build that interest so to rely on it out of the gate would be problematic.

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19 minutes ago, mpg_29 said:

Supposedly the business model is to not depend on ticket revenue. Now what the anticipated ratio of ticket revenue vs other revenue is I don't know.

It's a good question.  It certainly can't be traditional TV revenue.

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, admin said:

It's a good question.  It certainly can't be traditional TV revenue.

 

 

 

Sponsorships would be another source of revenue. Though I think the value of a lot of sponsorships would depend on whether it's on TV or not....

So again TV is important for a multitude of reasons.

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9 hours ago, mpg_29 said:

I'm curious as how to TV/video production is going to be handled as I think that is so critical to the impression of the league. Are you going to leave it up to the clubs to handle it themselves which could lead to varying quality? Are you going leave it to a potential broadcasters which may not carry every game depending on the size of the TV market? Or are you going to go in and do it yourself and make sure you standardize decent production values for all games and then sell it?

My thoughts are you almost have to do it yourself at first to ensure a certain standard. And it's going to cost money intially.

Leaving it up to the clubs is the wrong way to go as like you say there will be varying quality. CPL handling broadcasting will be expensive. Best for the league to set standards that all clubs have to meet and some will depend on any local and/or National TV deals the league gets.

 

Looking at NASL and USL over the years the reason why NASL broadcasts were superior to USL's was because they had higher standards set for their clubs to meet (7 cameras and HD vs 4 for instance most recently). This had its pro's (quality) and cons(cost for each club at 600K per year). NASL instituted this as they wanted and got National TV deals with beIN, CBS, and OWS which required certain standards be met.

 

USL left broadcasts up to the teams for most of the years until recently and it resulted in some very poor streams. I remember watching a Phoenix broadcast where they literally had one stationary camera on the whole field and many others with low quality sd streams etc. USL finally started USL Productions last year and raised they're requirements the last couple of years which helped but doing they're own productions cost $ (which they have amased thru expansion fees spurred from their growth because of the deal to become MLS's minor league and house they're reserve and affiliate teams).

 

CPL won't have those $ initially from expansion fees so they are best to set minimum requirements for CPL clubs and seek out a national TV or streaming deal. Local TV broadcasts can be left up to the clubs to negotiate like they were in NASL where virtually every club had a local TV broadcaster for home games.

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9 minutes ago, CDNFootballer said:

Leaving it up to the clubs is the wrong way to go as like you say there will be varying quality. CPL handling broadcasting will be expensive. Best for the league to set standards that all clubs have to meet and some will depend on any local and/or National TV deals the league gets.

 

Looking at NASL and USL over the years the reason why NASL broadcasts were superior to USL's was because they had higher standards set for their clubs to meet (7 cameras and HD vs 4 for instance most recently). This had its pro's (quality) and cons(cost for each club at 600K per year). NASL instituted this as they wanted and got National TV deals with beIN, CBS, and OWS which required certain standards be met.

 

USL left broadcasts up to the teams for most of the years until recently and it resulted in some very poor streams. I remember watching a Phoenix broadcast where they literally had one stationary camera on the whole field and many others with low quality sd streams etc. USL finally started USL Productions last year and raised they're requirements the last couple of years which helped but doing they're own productions cost $ (which they have amased thru expansion fees spurred from their growth because of the deal to become MLS's minor league and house they're reserve and affiliate teams).

 

CPL won't have those $ initially from expansion fees so they are best to set minimum requirements for CPL clubs and seek out a national TV or streaming deal. Local TV broadcasts can be left up to the clubs to negotiate like they were in NASL where virtually every club had a local TV broadcaster for home games.

Great info. Seems like the NASL way is the way to do it.  It won't be cheap for each club but the alternative is an inconsistent sub-par product.

It will likely be (another) money loosing aspect at first until they get at least a multi-million dollar TV deal + a few million revenue from online subscriptions. But you really have no choice imo.

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