OneSoccer

[m-g-williams]

I'd agree. Given that we don't have reliable metrics for One Soccer's actual subscription uptake, Youtube data seems to be the closest proxy we have to gauging interest. There's a noticeable spike in views every time there's a major national team match, and even some of the Canadian Championship matches have turned a few heads. And this all helps get more people paying attention to One Soccer as a platform and the rest of the content they offer, namely, the CPL. I'm not going to speculate on precise figures for One Soccer subscriptions or revenue from all of this, but given that their Youtube subscribers have increased by nearly 150% since March and their cumulative views have increased by about 200% in that same timespan, it seems like the general trend is looking good. 

[masster]

I was so thankful for OneSoccer last night. A real pregame and post game show. I can't believe how far we have come.

[youllneverwalkalone]

I love KJ. Ollie is ok too.

My only fault is that they didn't say they were coming back, so I switched to Mexico-Panama, only to find I missed the last segment. 

[Ansem]

10 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

My understanding is that you can generally expect about $2,000 per million views on youtube. So 114k views is about the same as 2 new Onesoccer full year subscribers on revenue in other words so not where the money gets made. The real cash bonanza would have been 114k new subscribers desparate to watch the game live on an exclusive webstream in other words. How Onesoccer are doing out of this depends entirely on whether SN, RDS and fuboTV are doing any more than helping them recover their costs (as Red Card was suggesting was being implied in a link mentioned above) after the last minute shift away from the webstream only approach.

Oh wow...with a piss poor take like this...

You really do hate the whole CSB/CPL/MediaPro front

Is that you whenever we bring up the "unholy trinity"?

Edited September 9, 2021 by Ansem

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Childish ad hominens don't alter the reality that the fuboTV deal is not likely to help Onesoccer's own subscriber numbers moving forward. There are already people on here talking about switching over to fuboTV once their present subscription expires. Why would Mediapro make that move if youtube views were driving interest in fully accessing the Onesoccer platform as was being suggested above?

It's large numbers of new subscribers drawn in by content exclusive to Onesoccer (such as the WCQ games were going to be until the very last minute) that would have provided the real cash bonanza for them. For example, 100,000 new subscribers = around $10 million from subscriptions per year before we even get into the scope for more ad revenue.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Unnamed Trialist]

11 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Childish ad hominens don't alter the reality that the fuboTV deal is not likely to help Onesoccer's own subscriber numbers moving forward. There are already people on here talking about switching over to fuboTV once their present subscription expires. Why would Mediapro make that move if youtube views were driving interest in fully accessing the Onesoccer platform as was being suggested above?

It's large numbers of new subscribers drawn in by content exclusive to Onesoccer (such as the WCQ games were going to be until the very last minute) that would have provided the real cash bonanza for them. For example, 100,000 new subscribers = around $10 million from subscriptions per year before we even get into the scope for more ad revenue.

It is being demonstrated that not even successful streaming platforms in specific countries will generate the revenue you could get by simply being part of a cable package. 

We've seen this in Spain with DAZN and motorcycle racing, which is immensely popular, watched en masse, given so many champions and top riders are Spanish. DAZN had it exclusively, but now the standard cable packages like Movistar have included it, with no extra cost, in any basic sports package. Unannounced as well, from one day to the other (also did this with the EPL matches they had, sometime in late April). I assume Movistar offered a price that basically could not be refused. Don't know what DAZN said to its subscribers, which I heard a few years ago was like 150,000 specifically to watch MotoGP.

The renunciation of DAZN in Spain, and its decision to sell its rights to a bigger operator not in streaming exclusively, is a model that has to be taken into consideration. This is what OneSoccer has done with the WC qualifiers, and I suspect the only "problem" is that you have people paying for a service, or a good part of it, they no longer really need to be paying for.

[Aird25]

I know I’m probably in the minority but I did the free 7 day Fubo trial and then dropped it. I didn’t really watch any other content. I’ll stick with One Soccer, and I’m just hoping that all these other deals result in a price reduction

[narduch]

For those that complain about One Soccer. This is the EPL streaming service in the US

 

[Kent]

Gareth Wheeler went on a bit of a rant on One Soccer Today this past Thursday. In the post-game press conference for the El Salvador game Osorio made mention of how much blue were in the stands "Kind of felt like an away game". Milan Borjan similarly made a plea for fans to come out and support Canada. So Wheeler backed them up and talked about how there still aren't enough fans for the national team. He went on to talk about all the criticism he gets for being too pro-Canadian when he's calling the games, despite that being what it's like in every country across the region (and basically the world).

I will say this, it's the first time that I connected the dots on this. I think anyone who has followed this team for 5, 10, 20, 40, 50 years has had people tell them it's stupid to be a fan of this team. Other people telling us it's beneath them to cheer for Canada, they instead cheer for <insert country they may or may not have ties to here>. To Wheeler it must feel like even the hardcore CMNT supporters are telling him that it's uncool to care that much about the CMNT.

Obviously I (and Wheeler) are not talking about the criticisms of his jokes or whatever. But specifically about how pro-Canada he is when he is calling the game. Just think about all those times you've seen highlights of some country qualifying to the World Cup and you hear the local commentator going absolutely insane. It's not a lack of professionalism in my opinion. Wheeler says he is trying to help bring excitement towards an already exciting team, that sounds about right to me.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Think the most ridiculous thing anybody has ever said to me was when I mentioned in my workplace that I was going to TO that evening to watch the CMNT play against Costa Rica (black t-shirt game back in 2007) and one of my colleagues (parents from the former South Vietnam but born in Canada) responded "I didn't even know Canada had a soccer team". I mentioned the 1986 World Cup and being 2000 Gold Cup champions but also realized at the same time that was she was probably just repeating by rote the kind of stuff you would hear on the CBC from somebody like Peter Gzowski and there was a good chance that she actually already knew better.

There's a whole culture war that needs to be fought on this in mass media terms basically before the CMNT is ever going to be fully mainstream and Gareth Wheeler is right to show passion the way he does in the same sort of way a Team Canada hockey goal would be called. I've always found CanPL's attempts to use nationalism a bit odd though as they do it in a way that is likely to appeal most to demographics that not so long ago were often viscerally anti-soccer. Portraying soccer as the sport that appeals to the younger generation in modern urban Canada as opposed to the geriatric farmers on the prairies that drive CFL ratings would have been more in tune with what drove interest in MLS. Something worked in a big way in Halifax obviously but not sure it was the by Canadians for Canadians angle that did it.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Aird25]

Just think of the challenge CPL teams face winning credibility 

[youllneverwalkalone]

There's a section in soccernomics where they talk about what tiny fraction of the population actually attends matches in England.

From my first qualifyer at Swangard to now, the landscape is unrecognizable. Sure, things could be better -but man they could be worse. If Wheeler would just adopt that BBC accent we're all looking for to legitimize his position, he could point out that Canada is in the "ascendancy." It's all up from here, for both the MNT, WNT, and CPL.

[longlugan]

On 9/11/2021 at 11:45 AM, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Think the most ridiculous thing anybody has ever said to me was when I mentioned in my workplace that I was going to TO that evening to watch the CMNT play against Costa Rica (black t-shirt game back in 2007) and one of my colleagues (parents from the former South Vietnam but born in Canada) responded "I didn't even know Canada had a soccer team". I mentioned the 1986 World Cup and being 2000 Gold Cup champions but also realized at the same time that was she was probably just repeating by rote the kind of stuff you would hear on the CBC from somebody like Peter Gzowski and there was a good chance that she actually already knew better.

There's a whole culture war that needs to be fought on this in mass media terms basically before the CMNT is ever going to be fully mainstream and Gareth Wheeler is right to show passion the way he does in the same sort of way a Team Canada hockey goal would be called. I've always found CanPL's attempts to use nationalism a bit odd though as they do it in a way that is likely to appeal most to demographics that not so long ago were often viscerally anti-soccer. Portraying soccer as the sport that appeals to the younger generation in modern urban Canada as opposed to the geriatric farmers on the prairies that drive CFL ratings would have been more in tune with what drove interest in MLS. Something worked in a big way in Halifax obviously but not sure it was the by Canadians for Canadians angle that did it.

So you went from thumping your chest about how pro-CMNT you are and in the same thread still managed to shit on the CPL in favor of the MLS. I'm actually starting to be impressed by the levels of douchebaggery you are capable of...and I mean that sincerely.

[Bison44]

10 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

There's a section in soccernomics where they talk about what tiny fraction of the population actually attends matches in England.

From my first qualifyer at Swangard to now, the landscape is unrecognizable. Sure, things could be better -but man they could be worse. If Wheeler would just adopt that BBC accent we're all looking for to legitimize his position, he could point out that Canada is in the "ascendancy." It's all up from here, for both the MNT, WNT, and CPL.

My wife just dies when I use these strange words in regular life.  Sitter, clinical, pace, howler.  But I love that Wheels pushed back on the complaints.  He doesnt need to be SOOO biased..or use so many forced nick names/sayings, but dont lose the excitement and positivity.  

[ted]

On 9/11/2021 at 8:45 AM, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Something worked in a big way in Halifax obviously but not sure it was the by Canadians for Canadians angle that did it.

As someone without any local connection (beyond having lived there for a couple of years 40 years ago) I suspect you are right in saying it wasn't the, "Canadians for Canadians angle". Football is too localized for that. It is more about the City of Halifax and the surrounding community. It is more likely about the same thing makes successful clubs around the world: being a part of the community that lives within reasonable travelling distance to the stadium.

If the league really understood what happened in Halifax I like to think they might be doing much better overall. Sadly there is no magic "how to connect with the community" kit that can be used everywhere. 

[Aird25]

3 minutes ago, ted said:

As someone without any local connection (beyond having lived there for a couple of years 40 years ago) I suspect you are right in saying it wasn't the, "Canadians for Canadians angle". Football is too localized for that. It is more about the City of Halifax and the surrounding community. It is more likely about the same thing makes successful clubs around the world: being a part of the community that lives within reasonable travelling distance to the stadium.

If the league really understood what happened in Halifax I like to think they might be doing much better overall. Sadly there is no magic "how to connect with the community" kit that can be used everywhere. 

Just to be controversial... is there anything that suggests Halifax's success at the gate is the result of anything beyond a better stadium location? Everything else seems to be pretty average compared to other CPL teams. Social media numbers, viewers, results, transfers etc.

[Bison44]

Even if you had a kit it wont work everywhere, and if you have the building blocks (owner, stadium) all those other intangibles ebb and flow.  But a big reason has to be that Halifax doesnt have NHL, NBA, MLB, CFL, MLS competing for sports/ent dollars.  

[ted]

45 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

Just to be controversial... is there anything that suggests Halifax's success at the gate is the result of anything beyond a better stadium location? Everything else seems to be pretty average compared to other CPL teams. Social media numbers, viewers, results, transfers etc.

I don't think that is controversial at all. The stadium location is very much the biggest part of the mix. When I talk about connecting to the community, that includes physically. Locating the stadium in such a prominent location provides both practical and emotional connection.

If PFC and the City for Victoria had made the same investments at RAP instead of Westhills/Starlight out in Langford and identified as "Victoria" I believe our attendances would be closer to those of Halifax. 

[Terry_Canuck]

Location, location, location.

The Wanderers Grounds is a hop, skip, and a jump to downtown and all the bars and restaurants and, from my location on the outskirts, is no more than a 15-20 minute drive on game-day.  Parking is a slight issue but we find our ways. 😉

Having no real competition (other than the Halifax Mooseheads in playoff time) helps as well, but the brass has done a superb job marketing the team and getting the message out in the community.  They have targeted the youth and it is a pretty good family atmosphere from what I see.  I can't speak for 'The Kitchen' but from all of the games I go to, there is little in the way of vitriol towards the opposition.  

I pray they never leave there (for a generic 20,000 seater) as I still believe it can be a real home advantage.  

Edited September 14, 2021 by Terry_Canuck

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Think being a major regional media centre probably helps as well. Lots of local news outlets looking for a big local sports story to cover with no CFL or baseball worth mentioning to get in the way. CFL expansion might be bad news for a variety of different reasons in other words.

[red card]

Andi is leaving Leafs Lunch but back to guest co-host Overdrive on the 24th (the top rated radio sports show in Canada).

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by red card

[Kent]

I didn't know she was doing that show. Leafs Lunch, One Soccer Today, Olympics. Hardest working sports broadcaster in Canada! No doubt something had to give, glad she is still with One Soccer!

[yothat2]

Anyone else getting an error 

[Cheeta]

24 minutes ago, yothat2 said:

Anyone else getting an error 

Yup.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

this guy has a reasonable track record on inside knowledge