The Official Tottenham Hotspud thread [Vol 8]
Discussion
jammy_basturd said:
The tours that the more well known clubs make in these far flung places only serve to help increase that viewership. As I said, it helps.
I think maybe even 5 years ago that might have been the case and you would have wanted to add some fans in those countries to buy club tat but I think the landscape has completely changed with these new TV deals. We all know that fans in foreign countries just support the team that's winning the most at the time they are getting interested in the sport (to an even greater degree than happens in your own country). There's a reason why Man Utd, Real, Barca are massively supported. In the last 20 years they've been the teams winning stuff.
It also seems that fan numbers appear to be dropping for these tour games as well as fans can now watch the real thing live on TV during the season (which you couldn't really do 5-10+ years ago) and the teams aren't fielding their full strength first 11's so it's not worth the ticket prices.
The Manchester clubs weren't sold out.
Tottenham wasn't sold out
Liverpool v Chelsea was half full.
Hmmm, not sure I agree. There is more and more competition against the Premier League now. The German and Italian leagues are getting more competitive and interesting to watch. MLS is growing in popularity all the time. I imagine in a few years the Chinese league will be hugely popular - at least in the Far East. I would argue it's now more important than ever for the PL clubs to maintain a presence globally if they are to remain as popular as they currently are, in 5 or 10 years time.
jammy_basturd said:
But these clubs don't play in isolation - viewers around the World pay to watch the premier league games because they want to see these clubs play. Those clubs touring around the World only helps to raise the profile not only for the club itself, but the league too.
I'm sorry but I don't believe that any club organinses a foreign tour based on some altruistic belief that it is for the greater good of all EPL teams. I don't think that Levy has calculated that adding a few thousand Aussie viewers to the EPL, will in turn increase the rights that Aussies TV pays for EPL coverage in 3 years time and will therefore increase the TV money that Spurs will receive from the next TV deal in 5 years time....For that to be remotely plausible, it would have to be a dedicated and organised EPL promotional tour, ala the NFL. Which clearly it isn't. It's every club arranging tours independently and for their own financil gain. Any increase in EPL sales and thus TV revenue, it purely coincidental. Which brings us back to the point; how much money are they actually making from these tours and is it really relevant now that clubs receive £100m a year in TV cash?
If the difference between 1st and 2nd place, was the slow start a club made to the season, because pre-season was disrupted by travelling half way around the world, then it makes no sense, as the increase in revenue of being champions (and indeed the increase in global supporters) far outweights the revenue from a couple of exhibition games in Oz.
Well lets just agree to disagree. I'm just saying, if the clubs stopped doing these long distance tours, their global fanbase would at the very least plateau and probably begin to shrink over the next 5-10 years, which in turn would affect the PL viewership worldwide and therefore the amount of money the PL gets for broadcasting rights.
jammy_basturd said:
Well lets just agree to disagree. I'm just saying, if the clubs stopped doing these long distance tours, their global fanbase would at the very least plateau and probably begin to shrink over the next 5-10 years, which in turn would affect the PL viewership worldwide and therefore the amount of money the PL gets for broadcasting rights.
But that's looking at the EPL brand as a whole. That can't possibly be what motivates them - it's simply a by-product. Why are Liverpool in the US? If it's purely to promote the EPL brand, let Chelsea and ManU go. Why disrupt Liverpool's pre-season? They still benefit from the TV revenue that Chelsea/United have secured via their tours. Their primary, in fact their only motivation is to directly enrich themselves.
You are right though in that if NO club toured, then it would hit TV revenues and thus clubs eventually. So maybe their should be EPL organised promotional tours, where clubs take it in turns to tour in different countries, for the benefit of all. There is clearly a relationship between overseas tours and EPL revenue and therefore I'd imagine that the Premier League chiefs actively encourage clubs to tour and there are probably discussions held. But then I don't believe that Liverpool contacted the EPL and asked them where they would like them to tour this pre-season, in the interests of increasing EPL viewers and thus TV revenue for all. It will all surely be determined by Liverpool's own marketing strategy, overseas partnerships and invitations?
jammy_basturd said:
I never said it was purely about promoting the EPL - I simply said it helps.
True but by accident, not design. I'm pretty sure no manager would want to interfere with their pre-season plans by touring on another continent. So it brings us back to the question of is it worth disrupting pre-season for a small financial return, now that clubs are getting £100m+ from TV each season? I guess every little helps?Surely there would be less disruption, if the clubs all toured the first week AFTER the season ends?
TEKNOPUG said:
jammy_basturd said:
I never said it was purely about promoting the EPL - I simply said it helps.
True but by accident, not design. I'm pretty sure no manager would want to interfere with their pre-season plans by touring on another continent. So it brings us back to the question of is it worth disrupting pre-season for a small financial return, now that clubs are getting £100m+ from TV each season? I guess every little helps?Surely there would be less disruption, if the clubs all toured the first week AFTER the season ends?
Gassing Station | Football | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff