OneSoccer

[gator]

12 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

Not that one specifically but lots of beers around here now.  Gahan, Copper Bottom, Upstreet, Bogside, Moth Lane - can’t go wrong with any of them.  
 

Did you say you are on the Island? 

No but I have visited and sadly the two tins I purchased may be as close as I get to the Atlantic Bubble for some time! I see how my post could be interpreted as me being on the island today, perhaps a comma should have been used!🍺

[dyslexic nam]

1 hour ago, gator said:

No but I have visited and sadly the two tins I purchased may be as close as I get to the Atlantic Bubble for some time! I see how my post could be interpreted as me being on the island today, perhaps a comma should have been used!🍺

Gotcha.  Too bad - could have gone for a beer. 

[Watchmen]

On 4/14/2021 at 7:33 AM, toontownman said:

I know. In fairness they actually have more content. Still they are ultimately lazy and cheap. Think I saw they are cutting OneSoccer Today down to twice a week or something? Kurt Larson defended it saying it is because they are so busy and onesoccer stacked with the new content and there are so many Canadian related games coming up. 

Too busy to do a zoom call for 30 minutes with 3 or 4 employees?  Granted there is some basic editing done with visuals and clips but they should be filling that website will cheap filler stuff like that and One Nation. The crux is they aren't budgeting or paying presenters more to do those easy things. If that is all getting channeled into purchasing more leagues to add I guess it is fine and that is their strategy for more subscriptions. I just think its cart before horse. Do the basics, quality streaming platform and some interesting content besides games, otherwise people come in, as they have, hate the streaming platform and glitches and leave. 

All that said if they are the only places showing it people don't have much of a point. Ie: case in point with you conceding so you can watch the TFC games lol That is fine for the hardcores but they need to be better to keep pulling others in.

I'll push back on this, as I suspect at least part of it is the exact opposite.  I'm guessing that, behind the scenes, they're working their asses off.  That they're understaffed and being run on a shoe-string budget, because the numbers (through subscriptions, sales to CBC, etc) still aren't there to justify MediaPro spending more on them.  And I'm sure they're well aware of all the problems and complaints with the service, they'd love to correct them all, and for the reasons listed can't get the service there yet.  So, we'll hopefully see some of them rolled out over time.  Sounds like they got the replay up in a timely manner, which is a really good step forward for the service.  I understand what you mean by "cart before the horse" when adding additional leagues, but I think they're in a bind - there's only so many Canadian soccer fans willing to buy the service at this time, and they have to figure out how to grow the numbers somehow.

[toontownman]

22 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

I'll push back on this, as I suspect at least part of it is the exact opposite.  I'm guessing that, behind the scenes, they're working their asses off.  That they're understaffed and being run on a shoe-string budget, because the numbers (through subscriptions, sales to CBC, etc) still aren't there to justify MediaPro spending more on them.  And I'm sure they're well aware of all the problems and complaints with the service, they'd love to correct them all, and for the reasons listed can't get the service there yet.  So, we'll hopefully see some of them rolled out over time.  Sounds like they got the replay up in a timely manner, which is a really good step forward for the service.  I understand what you mean by "cart before the horse" when adding additional leagues, but I think they're in a bind - there's only so many Canadian soccer fans willing to buy the service at this time, and they have to figure out how to grow the numbers somehow.

I'd like to see some numbers in terms of subscriptions. The perception is there are many people that have tried it and turn off due to the platform. I don't know how true that is if at all but I have seen many comments to that effect.

I wont just agree that they have improved but I have complimented them on lots of the improvements they have made. It is frustrating they havent fixed the main problem driving people away though. You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.

The platform is the foundation of their house. If it's cheap, cracked and doesnt always work then it doesnt matter how the house is furnished to draw people in, it's hard to get past the home expection. There is no excuse for ignoring the basics. It is the worst platform I have seen for streaming, including free sites.

 That will fly for us hardcores that want to support it either way. I just dont believe it will build too far beyond that until it's fixed. It might be a chicken and egg scenario waiting for the subscriptions to grow so they can spend to upgrade but it is also putting people off. There was no excuse not to start with a decent hosting platform and even less excuse now imo. 

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

I'd like to see some numbers in terms of subscriptions. The perception is there are many people that have tried it and turn off due to the platform. I don't know how true that is if at all but I have seen many comments to that effect.

I wont just agree that they have improved but I have complimented them on lots of the improvements they have made. It is frustrating they havent fixed the main problem driving people away though. You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.

The platform is the foundation of their house. If it's cheap, cracked and doesnt always work then it doesnt matter how the house is furnished to draw people in, it's hard to get past the home expection. There is no excuse for ignoring the basics. It is the worst platform I have seen for streaming, including free sites.

 That will fly for us hardcores that want to support it either way. I just dont believe it will build too far beyond that until it's fixed. It might be a chicken and egg scenario waiting for the subscriptions to grow so they can spend to upgrade but it is also putting people off. There was no excuse not to start with a decent hosting platform and even less excuse now imo. 

I'd love to see the numbers on subscriptions as well, but we won't find that out.  And I'd be fascinated to know what Media Pro thought they would get for subscriptions, or if they thought they'd be able to re-sell more games (like they had planned for the French league).

I wonder how much time they actually had to get it up and running before the first CPL season started?  Because that was the deadline.  They couldn't NOT have it in place for that.  I'm sure they were cutting corners like crazy, just to get the basics functioning, with the thought being that they'd be able to add over time.

Ultimately, I think my push back was more that I doubt the people working there are lazy, just working under extreme constraints.

[toontownman]

Fair and likely accurate, it is rarely the workers at the floor level, likely busting their behinds, that are the issue. This is very much a tester market for media pro and they likely know they have much more room for error and are able to cut a few corners they wouldn't in Europe for example. They definitely put money into the content. I think that is almost always top notch and as good if not better than most others. 

[Kent]

I didn't know about reducing the number of episodes of OneSoccer Today, but it makes sense. They have the same people doing that show as doing the pre-game, halftime, post-game shows, as well as Wheeler doing commentary during the games. You don't get Gord Miller doing NHL games AND doing a daily talk show. It may seem like a half hour zoom call, but there has to be a lot more to it than that. They've got to come up with the discussion points, and come up with opinions on it, make sure they have the timing down to fill the proper time without going over/under. I have never worked on a TV production, but I'm sure there is quite a bit that goes into it.

I HAVE worked in software for a couple decades, and it would be shocking if they launched so quickly WITHOUT a laundry list of needed improvements.

They are trending in the right direction as I see it. Hopefully their subscriptions are trending in the right direction as well. I'm sure a long CCL run by TFC would help them out at least in the short term. They will definitely be cheering for TFC to beat out Cruz Azul next. If they could somehow win it all (no, I don't think that's happening) that would be massive for OneSoccer.

[nfitz]

On 4/14/2021 at 12:22 PM, Kent said:

I don't know, but it looks like they've got the problem fixed, at least mostly. Last night I signed in at like 10:30 to check something and I think the 8pm CCL game was available for replay already.

It's hit and miss. Some stuff goes up real fast. Some waits for the next day.

It's almost 7 pm on a Friday, and we are still waiting for Thursday's One Soccer Today - 24 hours later!

[Cheeta]

As much as OneSoccer Today has become part of my after work routine (beer, TV, OneSoccer, shower) I think the twice weekly slotting will be "best practice".  The hour time slot is more flexible for adding guests as well.

[toontownman]

54 minutes ago, Cheeta said:

As much as OneSoccer Today has become part of my after work routine (beer, TV, OneSoccer, shower) I think the twice weekly slotting will be "best practice".  The hour time slot is more flexible for adding guests as well.

All at once right?

Didn't see it is going to a full hour. That is a positive for sure. 

[m-g-williams]

I might be reading too much into this, but Larson makes it sound like One Soccer may well be after MLS' broadcasting rights. 

 

[nfitz]

Might just be some rights. I'm not sure anyone picked up the English rights for Montreal for some of the games in recent years. Not sure the status this season.

[dyslexic nam]

6 hours ago, m-g-williams said:

I might be reading too much into this, but Larson makes it sound like One Soccer may well be after MLS' broadcasting rights. 

 

Would be an interesting development with a lot of implications.  

- if it was a large takeover of rights it would remove MLS exposure from mainstream TV

- but it would be apretty big incentive for those who do follow MLS to get on board so it might be a quantum step in terms of subscribers 

- but that could potentially dilute the interest in CPL if people start critically comparing the two products, given the ongoing (and probably growing) differences in salaries. 
 

Would definitely be something to watch. 

[CanadianSoccerFan]

1 hour ago, dyslexic nam said:

Would be an interesting development with a lot of implications.  

- if it was a large takeover of rights it would remove MLS exposure from mainstream TV

- but it would be apretty big incentive for those who do follow MLS to get on board so it might be a quantum step in terms of subscribers 

- but that could potentially dilute the interest in CPL if people start critically comparing the two products, given the ongoing (and probably growing) differences in salaries. 
 

Would definitely be something to watch. 

 

I remember the early days of TFC when they were only on CBC.  They got the same "witness protection program" treatment from TSN that the CPL gets now.  I have a bad feeling it would go back to that. 

[SoccMan]

Sportsnet who lost the EPL , they use to show what 2 or 3 games every Saturday. They lost the EPL rights so you would think with Davies playing for one of the top teams in the world in one of the top leagues in the world Sportsnet would show Bayern’s games ? They do but show the games on Sportsnet World a channel not many people get. Why not show Bayern’s games on the regular Sportsnet channels? What else are they showing on Saturday mornings that they can’t show Bayern games on the regular channels. 

[dyslexic nam]

12 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

Sportsnet who lost the EPL , they use to show what 2 or 3 games every Saturday. They lost the EPL rights so you would think with Davies playing for one of the top teams in the world in one of the top leagues in the world Sportsnet would show Bayern’s games ? They do but show the games on Sportsnet World a channel not many people get. Why not show Bayern’s games on the regular Sportsnet channels? What else are they showing on Saturday mornings that they can’t show Bayern games on the regular channels. 

In fairness the do almost every other weekend.  Not sure why they moved today’s game to SN World.  

[red card]

1 hour ago, SoccMan said:

Sportsnet who lost the EPL , they use to show what 2 or 3 games every Saturday. They lost the EPL rights so you would think with Davies playing for one of the top teams in the world in one of the top leagues in the world Sportsnet would show Bayern’s games ? They do but show the games on Sportsnet World a channel not many people get. Why not show Bayern’s games on the regular Sportsnet channels? What else are they showing on Saturday mornings that they can’t show Bayern games on the regular channels. 

It's actually the other way around. If you're a premium paying Sportsnet World subscriber, you've been left wondering for the past year why so many Bundesliga matches are being shown on regular Sportsnet.

They threw a bone to Sportsnet World today by not showing Bayern and FA Cup on regular Sportsnet. For a change, Sportsnet is packed with live events today with Jays doubleheader, various NHL games & Grand Slam curling.

Edited April 17, 2021 by red card

[m-g-williams]

On 3/30/2021 at 10:37 AM, m-g-williams said:

Also, for what it's worth: In the absence of official viewership/revenue info from One Soccer, I've been keeping an eye on the numbers from their Youtube Channel. As I write this, they've managed a cumulative total of 2,220,623 views (across all videos) in less than two years, with a big bump (circa 400,000) coming in the last couple of weeks with the Olympic/WC qualifiers. The Canada-Cayman Islands highlights already have 81,630 views - and they were only uploaded 14 hours ago. If they can keep expanding their rights to quality content and bring in more viewers, I think this will start to make a difference not only in paid subscriptions but in people getting more curious about the CPL. 

Barely a month later, and the numbers keep climbing. At the time of writing, the One Soccer Youtube channel has a cumulative total of 3,103,971 views (across all videos) - about a 50% increase over the total number of views for the last two years! Plus, the Youtube subscribers jumped by nearly 50% in that same month-long timeframe (from 11K to 16.1K now). The CMNT, CWNT and CCL views are overwhelmingly responsible for the uptake, but hopefully getting that many more eyes on the channel will help get more eyes on the CPL videos when the season starts up again. If One Soccer can keep securing broadcasting rights to more quality content, I think things will be looking good. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by m-g-williams

[m-g-williams]

Also, FWIW: 

 

[An Observer]

As One Soccer doesnt offer replay for those watching from abroad and Concacaf doesn't seem to be offering the World Cup Qualifying on their website, does anyone know of a good website where i can download the matches afterwards so i can watch them (preferably pretty quickly after the match)

[The Ref]

17 hours ago, An Observer said:

As One Soccer doesnt offer replay for those watching from abroad and Concacaf doesn't seem to be offering the World Cup Qualifying on their website, does anyone know of a good website where i can download the matches afterwards so i can watch them (preferably pretty quickly after the match)

I too would like to know as I don't have television.

 

[red card]

ESPN (mostly espn+) got LaLiga rights which includes TSN/RDS for 8 years. I see maybe a couple of matches on cable with rest streamed on tsn.ca. This also means this forum will have more than one Spanish football expert.

The deal also includes rights for Canada. TSN and RDS, Canada’s leading sports networks, will deliver comprehensive coverage of LaLiga matches, highlights, and news to Canadian viewers through multiple platforms, including live streaming on TSN.ca, RDS.ca, and the TSN and RDS apps.

https://worldsoccertalk.com/2021/05/13/disney-confirms-espn-acquisition-of-laliga-rights-in-major-broadcast-deal/#comment-2357638

This makes BEIN shelves a bit bare. BEIN USA already has limited distribution, so it is easy for them to walk away from the US. In Canada, it may open up for OneSoccer content or more. If BEIN closes shop, a few leagues and tourney rights become available for OneSoccer.

Though, it looks like BEIN is shifting to their OTT ad-supported channels in the US (and also available in Canada via certain smart tvs & Roku).

beIN's new ad-driven (rather than subscription-driven) channels are seen as the future model of profitable broadcasting in the US, in light of evolving consumer habits and demands, inflated rights fees and piracy. Further, in the US the distribution landscape is increasingly challenging for independent pay-TV channels, where distributors have started demanding prohibitively unreasonable distribution terms to cover their own losses and favour their own channels.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bein-sports-and-laliga-agree-strategic-buy-back-deal-in-us--canada-for-final-three-seasons-301291265.html

Edited May 13, 2021 by red card

[Watchmen]

How much longer do Sportsnet's Bundesliga rights run for? Wondering if we'll have the two leagues going head to head on Saturday/Sunday mornings on the two major networks.

[narduch]

I fully expect TSN to keep the MLS rights as well.

One Soccer might be able to gain the DAZN type MLS package though.

[Unnamed Trialist]

A question about non-sports content on sports tv channels.

I know of a few cases where the channel of a club does not only have sports content. I am thinking specifically of Real Madrid TV, which also puts movies on, and sometimes not bad ones. I am not talking, then, of fringe sports or pseudo-sports, or of fluff supposedly of interest to sports fans. Or of the kind of movie sports fans would watch, basically a thousand iterations of Tango and Cash

But of simply taking your channel and offering content that is not related to sports. 

I think it works for them, it might get them viewers, and draw in those who might never watch their channel. 

So what would it mean for OneSoccer, owned by a company producing fictional and documentary films as well as series? Would that bolster their product? I'd appreciate observations on this sort of strategy.