Premier League chief executive Richard Masters announced that a Netflix-style service will be available in the future. It had been an option when the latest television deal was discussed and may well be introduced in 2022.
Streaming sport isn’t an alien concept, though the route to providing fans with a Netflix-type platform isn’t simple for the Premier League because of the vast television contracts.
The balance between what’s best for fans and what generates the most revenue is hard to find and, invariably, it is the desire for more money that leads decisions in football. A subscription service could meet both needs.
Masters was cautious about committing to a target date, but he was clear that it’s something that is on the table.
He said, “I’m not saying it will happen in the next cycle or when it will happen but eventually the Premier League will move to a mix of direct consumer and media rights sales… It is impossible to say when that will be.”
Whatever shape it takes, whatever the cost, whatever the timescale, the media landscape is changing.
Television packages are becoming anachronistic, and the subscription model, as people use for documentaries, films and drama, is an inevitability for the Premier League.
The financial factors will likely be decisive, but this is a change that can benefit fans as much as the Premier League’s accountants.
Extra Programmes
Paying for a subscription could give fans more than match coverage. The NFL and NBA equivalents provide additional programmes, from analysis to documentaries and historic footage.
As effectively a new product, and a fresh revenue stream, the Premier League should view this as a different platform to provide fans with shows that they would otherwise not be able to access.
Perhaps the talk shows like Sky’s ‘The Debate’ are developed, perhaps the Premier League introduces different analysts away from the typical stable of ex-players.
The quality of mainstream football insight is a debate for another time, but as BT Sport have demonstrated with some excellent documentaries, a new producer in the market can only be beneficial.
There is room for so much more, for fans to have a wider range of options.
The Premier League has an enormous media bubble which spreads across every possible platform and niche. Adding to that might seem unnecessary, but this would be a platform with the resources to differentiate itself.
In theory, at least, it could introduce different pundits and debates that the Premier League so desperately needs.
Flexibility
Giving fans flexibility will be the key to any Premier League subscription model. American leagues give the option of tiers, allowing fans access to different number of games.
Considering the loyalty of football fans, and how many fans will be mainly interested in their team, the option to pay a lower fee just to watch their side’s matches is crucial if a Netflix-style Premier League service is to work.
On top of this, one-off fees for a match (much like pay-per-view boxing) should be considered. The choice to pay for only a handful of matches per month would help, too.
Fans need several subscriptions to watch even all their team’s matches. This could change that. While it won’t be what motivates the introduction, fans are set to have more choice about how much they shell out each month to watch football.
Rewatchability
Pausing live TV and recordings might make this seem minor, or even irrelevant, but that’s not going to be the case for everyone.
A dedicated app or website that stores all the games for the season, and maybe beyond, allows fans to re-watch full matches or a variety of highlight packages.
Avoiding the scores isn’t easy, particularly for those based in the United Kingdom. As British fans of American sports will know, however, time differences can make following teams abroad very challenging. An app like this can help massively.
The Premier League is truly worldwide. The fan bases in Asia, Africa and the Americas are every-bit as devoted as those in Europe.
An app will help those fans significantly, it might just make it that bit easier to watch matches as if they are live without having to sneakily check the score at work or stay up into the early hours.
Rewatchability won’t apply to everyone, nor is it revolutionary. For those it affects, though, it makes the league more accessible, and that can only be a good thing for fans and the Premier League itself.
Among the Premier League’s issues, including a lack of competition, interest is not one.
This Service Is The Future
Simply put, the Premier League has lagged behind for quite some time.
A streaming service has been an inevitable progression for the most-watched sports league in the world, and the only surprise with Masters’ comments was how long it has taken to reach this stage.
The demand is there, and the cost of television packages makes a Netflix-type option appealing to swathes of football fans.
It is long overdue. A salary cap in the Premier League isn’t coming any time soon, and the introduction of VAR has provoked more fury than acceptance.
A subscription service, hopefully offering extra content, might be the biggest change to England’s top flight in the next few years - barring major quotas following Brexit.
English football isn’t good with change. This one should be positive, though. It would be a landscape-altering move.
If done properly, it gives fans a chance to take control of their interaction with football coverage, avoiding the costly multiple subscriptions required at the moment.
The ‘if done properly’ part is the most important of all. A Premier League subscription service has the potential to be great, but like the implementation of VAR, it could be controversial and infuriating if poorly thought out.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Rui Vieira / AP Photo*
