CPL TV Contract

[JamboAl]

In Year One, I think if the CPL could get the same distribution (and eyeballs) as Premier League Darts, they would be happy.

[matty]

1 hour ago, JamboAl said:

In Year One, I think if the CPL could get the same distribution (and eyeballs) as Premier League Darts, they would be happy.

i bet they would give p.b.'s left pinky finger for it...despite pb's wishes lol

[Watchmen]

On 1/1/2019 at 9:42 PM, MtlMario said:

With DAZN getting the rights to the major soccer leagues from TSN and Sportsnet, shouldn't they be more interested in CPL?

I think EPL and Champions League worked because they were on in the morning, not going head-to-head with bigger sports/leagues in Canada the way the CPL's schedule would.

I think Sportsnet still has the Bundesliga rights through next year, so you could just see an emphasis on that from them instead.

[Watchmen]

14 hours ago, Ansem said:

Darts isn't?

Darts is niche.  But it's on during the day, when nobody is watching.  It's cheap programming for the networks.  In theory the CPL could go this route, but I don't think it would be the best look for the league to only be available on delay during the day.  You'd still basically never get the casual viewers the league is trying to attract.

[matty]

40 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Darts is niche.  But it's on during the day, when nobody is watching.  It's cheap programming for the networks.  In theory the CPL could go this route, but I don't think it would be the best look for the league to only be available on delay during the day.  You'd still basically never get the casual viewers the league is trying to attract.

darts is niche here but them being on dazn is probably part of a bigger deal made by pdc and danz because pdc has a large following in some big countries, like i said before (same goes for snooker). i don't think cpl vs darts for dazn is a worth following and i don't really get why ansem opened that door but he did oh well.

[1996]

In terms of a TV contract unless I missed talk of it, but does anyone know when the actual CPLschedule  comes out, it looks like they are set on 7 teams unless Ottawa does a 360 and decides to come into the league all teams have their stadiums picked so should not be to difficult coming out with a schedule soon.

[DoyleG]

13 hours ago, matty said:

darts is niche here but them being on dazn is probably part of a bigger deal made by pdc and danz because pdc has a large following in some big countries, like i said before (same goes for snooker). i don't think cpl vs darts for dazn is a worth following and i don't really get why ansem opened that door but he did oh well.

Darts already has contracts with European sports channels.

The deal is meant to make up the supposed lack of fans watching due to the time it is put on air in Canada.

[matty]

1 hour ago, DoyleG said:

Darts already has contracts with European sports channels.

Yes....such as DAZN in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy (also Japan)

1 hour ago, DoyleG said:

The deal is meant to make up the supposed lack of fans watching due to the time it is put on air in Canada.

might be part of the intention but i was talking about how it might have come to be

[Ansem]

Well, CPL did acquire that "Stadium something" company.

Perhaps the league is prepared to assume the production costs?

Wouldn't that make it attractive for cable companies to then pick up CPL?

Win-win?

Cable companies wouldn't be stuck with the production costs and would have their channels filled by content that could bring advertising money. They pay a low amount for a new products to see how it does.

For CPL, that would count against the (Expected to lose money in the first 5 years) line we've read over and over. I believe the league and teams when they say they break even with an average of ~6k average attendance, however, I think they brake even in soccer operations only. That wouldn't be part of it and this should be viewed as an "investment". Huge sacrifice but that gives you the best chance to get your return if you get yourself on TV.

That's my assumption, I'm no expert

[matty]

1 hour ago, Ansem said:

Well, CPL did acquire that "Stadium something" company.

Perhaps the league is prepared to assume the production costs?

Wouldn't that make it attractive for cable companies to then pick up CPL?

Win-win?

Cable companies wouldn't be stuck with the production costs and would have their channels filled by content that could bring advertising money. They pay a low amount for a new products to see how it does.

For CPL, that would count against the (Expected to lose money in the first 5 years) line we've read over and over. I believe the league and teams when they say they break even with an average of ~6k average attendance, however, I think they brake even in soccer operations only. That wouldn't be part of it and this should be viewed as an "investment". Huge sacrifice but that gives you the best chance to get your return if you get yourself on TV.

That's my assumption, I'm no expert

I've that before but it might not be enough to interest a company if they can make more off something else. who knows at this point. it is a stress cause how the hell do we watch away games CPL? HOW!? isdfqiwohqwiofhqwiofhweqij! *punches self*

[Blackdude]

On 1/2/2019 at 8:36 AM, matty said:

honestly i'm expected them to announce their they'll be streaming on twitch in the next 60-90 days maybe with local broadcasts. i no longer expect any kind of "proper" national deal to come out for year 1 unless it's a really unexpected channel like that cricket channel or yes tv. either way do hope this is resolved soon as it's been one of the biggest question marks hanging over the league (maybe a more impactful one than the salary cap).

I don't know. Having CPL on twitch would be nice. It shouldn't take them that much time to get affiliate which would allow them to get sub-only content (where for a subscription, you can get more content like Vods which I think might not be the worst idea.)

[matty]

36 minutes ago, Blackdude said:

I don't know. Having CPL on twitch would be nice. It shouldn't take them that much time to get affiliate which would allow them to get sub-only content (where for a subscription, you can get more content like Vods which I think might not be the worst idea.)

oh yea twitch could be great i fully agree. much better than youtube for streaming. would be more fun fr fans too

[Ruffian]

Reading the comments here and thinking about it more, I wouldn't be surprised if in the first year they offer their own free streaming service to allow anybody to watch without having to sign up to a service. I don't think many current content providers (TSN, Sportsnet, DAZN) would pay much for the rights to play CPL games and maybe signing a deal in the first year would set a very low bar for how much they will pay that would be difficult to increase. If the CPL is able to demonstrate a lot of interest in the first year then they may be able to negotiate a valuable TV/streaming deal in the second year.

[Kent]

TSN and Sportsnet sometimes stream things that they don't show on TV right? I would prefer that over something like Twitch (which I've never used, but I assume you have to pay some sort of subscription?) If it was part of their streaming packages like TSN Direct, then the league might have more presence on their website (and dream scenario, on Sportscentre) than if it is streamed on something like Twitch. As far as I know Twitch is just used (or at least, mainly used) for video games right? If I'm right about that they would have less of a target audience than TSN or Sportsnet would have.

[matty]

4 minutes ago, Kent said:

TSN and Sportsnet sometimes stream things that they don't show on TV right? I would prefer that over something like Twitch (which I've never used, but I assume you have to pay some sort of subscription?) If it was part of their streaming packages like TSN Direct, then the league might have more presence on their website (and dream scenario, on Sportscentre) than if it is streamed on something like Twitch. As far as I know Twitch is just used (or at least, mainly used) for video games right? If I'm right about that they would have less of a target audience than TSN or Sportsnet would have.

It is used for gaming mainly but also has deals with the NFL and NBA for streaming games. The NFL games have earned wide praise for the quality of the stream and the fan interaction and some writers have expressed the feeling that Twitch is the future of sports broadcasting rather than DAZN (and because Twitch is owned by Amazon there's a good chance that's true). 

You also already are signed up if you use Amazon. So more people in Canada are members of it than any TSN app.

I would say your worry about them getting burried is fair but if say 900 people are watching a stream, that stream will be well featured on the sports and fitness page and people can actually follow/subscribe to it too.

Also keep in mind, we're talking about Twitch as what happens when you have nothing else for 2019.

[Kent]

41 minutes ago, matty said:

You also already are signed up if you use Amazon.

I'm not sure what this means. Does this mean Amazon Prime?

P.S. Yes, I'm old.

[KW519]

Is that 3rd party still offering CMNT, CWNT, and CPL rights packaged together? If i'm making decisions at one of the big sports broadcast companies this is the perfect time to capitalize on a fast growing sport and acquire rights on a multi year deal at a decent price. MNT set to play more meaningful games than ever before, WNT already established as a top side on the world stage, and the CPL has potential to capture the attention of every football fan in the Country. As long as the 3 are being offered together it's hard to imagine they get no takers. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by KW519

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

The problem with that analysis is that the broadcast rights for major finals tournaments are handled by the organizers rather than by national associations, so the most watched and hence lucrative CMNT and CWNT games would not be part of any package on offer. Many/most run of the mill CMNT games seem to wind up on webstreams these days, so having to show those would probably be viewed as a net negative at the moment. At that point are non-finals tournament CWNT games enough of a draw to justify a game of the week for CanPL and CMNT coverage for an otherwise reluctant cable broadcasters? Think that's a bit of a stretch. They also have the Canadian Championship in the portfolio, but there's also a lot of work to do to make that a broadcast property to be coveted, unfortunately.   

[matty]

1 hour ago, Kent said:

I'm not sure what this means. Does this mean Amazon Prime?

P.S. Yes, I'm old.

Yep. Have Amazon Prime you have Twitch

Edited January 4, 2019 by matty

[KW519]

20 minutes ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

The problem with that analysis is that the broadcast rights for major finals tournaments are handled by the organizers rather than by national associations, so the most watched and hence lucrative CMNT and CWNT games would not be part of any package on offer. Many/most run of the mill CMNT games seem to wind up on webstreams these days, so having to show those would probably be viewed as a net negative at the moment. At that point are non-finals tournament CWNT games enough of a draw to justify a game of the week for CanPL and CMNT coverage for an otherwise reluctant cable broadcasters? Think that's a bit of a stretch. They also have the Canadian Championship in the portfolio, but there's also a lot of work to do to make that a broadcast property to be coveted, unfortunately.   

You're telling me potentially playing Mexico, USA, or Costa Rica in the Nations League will be viewed as negative? I fully expect higher profile friendly matches with the growth in our overall quality as well. Didn't even think of the Canadian Championship, that's an added bonus. 

 

 

 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Of course games against Mexico and the United States wouldn't be viewed as a negative. That's why I wrote, "many/most run of the mill CMNT games " rather than "all CMNT games". The problem is that at best it would be either the United States or  Mexico rather than both in the context of a seeded draw, and the group could just as easily wind up being four games involving something like Panama, Canada and Curacao with nothing obvious at stake to all but the diehards at which point it may be back into webstreams only territory. There's also the very real possibility of relegation to League B to consider for what would happen the next time around.

Edited January 4, 2019 by BringBackTheBlizzard

[KW519]

A group with Panama, Canada, and Curacao would also give us a chance at a semi final against USA or Mexico, while also ensuring another opportunity to have group games against them next year. There's also World Cup qualifying to consider.

You have an incredibly negative way to view things. Waiting to see if the CMNT and the CPL do well in the next few years completely eliminates the opportunity to strike a good deal and capture a growing market at a relatively tag. Which is what my post was about in the first place. 

[matty]

were they trying to deal them as a package? i know the group was handling all 3 but can't see the csa or their sponsors being cool with holding stuff "hostage" to get a deal for everything when cpl isn't linked to many of those sponsors (eg nike being cool with a macron product keeping their stuff off tv)

also see both sides here. but note that it would only be for home games and not for the gold cup. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by matty

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

34 minutes ago, KW519 said:

...Waiting to see if the CMNT and the CPL do well in the next few years completely eliminates the opportunity to strike a good deal... 

You are more likely to get a reasonable deal out of a broadcaster a year or so from now on a combined package once CanPL is a known quantity and once there is clarity on whether the CMNT is likely to be a fixture in League A for the next few years or is going to be puttering about in League B with even Gold Cup qualification very much up in the air unlike in the past. Right now it's a huge career threatening gamble for whoever signs on the dotted line on behalf of the broadcaster. That isn't being hugely negative, it's being realistic. As things stand at the moment I suspect they would probably wind up having to pay for access, if revenues generated ultimately didn't cover costs, so the risk would lie mainly with CSB.

Edited January 4, 2019 by BringBackTheBlizzard

[Alex D]

9 hours ago, matty said:

were they trying to deal them as a package? i know the group was handling all 3 but can't see the csa or their sponsors being cool with holding stuff "hostage" to get a deal for everything when cpl isn't linked to many of those sponsors (eg nike being cool with a macron product keeping their stuff off tv)

also see both sides here. but note that it would only be for home games and not for the gold cup. 

MLS does this with Nike and Adidas