Social media spurs the Football chatter

[midfielder]

The article makes you realise just how similar the evolution of football in AUS is to USA. Just like the USA, the internet has been a game-changer for Football fans – finally, we have a voice and we get access to high-quality football news from every country on earth.

Next step – the internet will change the way we watch live sports broadcasts … and, just like the print media, the FTA TV networks know the end is nigh.

Fetch TV could become a major player in the next media deal http://www.fetchtv.com.au/

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac/news/article/2011/08/22/soccer-almanac-how-social-media-spurs-soccer-chatter

Soccer Almanac: How social media spurs the soccer chatter

Al Gore must be a soccer fan. Has to be. Because when he invented the Internet, he provided North American soccer fans with the greatest gift since Paul Caliguiri struck his legendary volley against Trinidad and Tobago.

The web, particularly its social-media permutations, is almost tailor-made for the North American soccer scene. And it’s not coincidence that the growth of the sport here neatly mirrors the growth of social networks here.

Soccer is, after all, the most social sport around. Internationally, clubs emerged from neighborhoods, where local lads represented the community on the field and everyone met up at the pub to discuss it all.

The US and Canadian soccer scenes have a different social history than their Europe counterpart. The sport’s many years of "underground" status on these shores meant that its fans were spread out in small pockets across the land. Suffering in isolation, these pockets craved information and news that the mainstream media refused to provide.

Top 10 soccer journalists on Twitter (as voted by MLS fans)

Rank Name Handle
1 Grant Wahl @GrantWahl
2 Ives Galarcep @SoccerbyIves
3 Steven Goff @SoccerInsider
4 Brian Straus @BrianStraus
5 Joshua Mayers @JoshuaMayers
6 Steve Davis @SteveDavis90
7 Jason DeVos @JasonDeVos
8 Jeff Carlisle @JeffreyCarlisle
9 Jason Davis @MFUSA
10 Jeremiah Oshan @JeremiahOshan

“I started covering MLS in ’97,” recalls Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl. “At the time there were some great names in the league as far as players — Carlos Valderrama and players like that — but the media coverage was not extensive.”

Everything changed with the Internet explosion in the late 1990s. Suddenly, all those lonely voices across North America had a way to be heard. A network of message boards and blogs sprang up around North America to fill in the cracks and feed the game’s information-hungry followers, none bigger than message-board website BigSoccer.com.

“You had to go to BigSoccer to know what was going on because the newspapers didn’t do the best job,” says longtime MLSer Jimmy Conrad, an early adopter of the Internet’s communication capabilities. “That really helped because now every writer has a blog, everyone is on Twitter and there is more information than ever out there. I think the fans have driven that.”

By the mid-2000s, MLS fans were just as likely to hear about a big acquisition through the online whisperings of an anonymous blogger as they were to find out about it through the local news outlets.

“The Internet has really been key, from the major sites down to the smaller, independent sites,” says Ives Galarcep, founder of SoccerbyIves.net and a writer for FoxSoccer.com. “They filled the void that a lot of the big newspaper outlets still haven’t come around to.”

Today, it’s gone beyond the Internet, even. Twitter and Facebook have upped the ante. The instantaneousness of social networks provides the present-day soccer fan with a nonstop barrage of up-to-the-minute scores, news, goals and gossip from around the soccer world.

And it really is up-to-the-minute. So much so that a fan monitoring her Twitter feed while watching a televised game will often come across a tweet emanating from the stadium reading “GOAL!” seconds before seeing the actual goal.

The conversation around soccer moves just as fast as the game itself, twisting and turning in real time as if it were a snaking run into the 18-yard box.

“For the fans, there is so much more information out there and Twitter is a major part of sharing it,” Galarcep says. “It’s great for a lot of things like keeping tabs on American players in Europe. Years ago, you didn’t know what some guy playing Germany was doing. Now you know he scored the minute he scored.”

Conrad’s 13-year MLS career has practically traced the information age’s time line from print to the web, from BigSoccer to Twitter, and today he can’t help but notice the tangible impact of all that soccer chatter.

“There’s been this demand for coverage of their teams, and social media has forced the mainstream sports editors to notice that there is an audience for this sport,” Conrad says. “They just can’t ignore the number of Facebook comments or re-tweets an article gets.”

That audience includes Cory Furlan, a supporter of the Philadelphia Union and self-declared soccer-info junky.

“Twitter and the Internet have changed everything,” he says. “I can’t even remember how I got something as simple as a game-day roster 10 years ago. You had to search it out in years prior, but it is in your face now.”

 

[kevrenor]

Al Gore invented the Internet?

 

[pjennings]

Invent no - influential yes.

According to Vincent Cerf, a senior vice president with MCI Worldcom who's been called the Father of the Internet, "The Internet would not be where it is in the United States without the strong support given to it and related research areas by the Vice President in his current role and in his earlier role as Senator."

The inventor of the Mosaic Browser, Marc Andreesen, credits Gore with making his work possible. He received a federal grant through Gore's High Performance Computing Act. The University of Pennsylvania's Dave Ferber says that without Gore the Internet "would not be where it is today."

Joseph E. Traub, a computer science professor at Columbia University, claims that Gore "was perhaps the first political leader to grasp the importance of networking the country.

The internet is not to be confused with the CERN World Wide Web project fronted by Berner-Lees.

 

[adz]

Dunno about Fetch TV, there are other things popping up that allow live broadcasting on the internet... there is an FA cup game going live on Facebook even

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/opening-fa-cup-tie-of-the-season-between-ascot-united-and-wembley-fc-to-go-live-on-facebook/story-e6frf423-1226116973919

Non-league sides Ascot United and Wembley FC will create a small slice of footballing history this week when their FA Cup preliminary round tie is screened live on Facebook.

For the first time, Facebook is "televising" an entire match from the world's oldest knockout competition live via the social networking site.

The groundbreaking web stream is being organised by Budweiser, the FA Cup's new title sponsors.

"As a long-standing supporter of football globally, Budweiser is committed to bringing the world's most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans," Budweiser marketing director Ian Newell said.

"What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook.

"This is the first time a FA Cup tournament fixture has been broadcast live on the social network, which is great news for football fans and clubs alike."

The thing about that is it might be helpful to get coverage out there to lots of people, but it won't bring in a $bazillion dollar pay day like they are hoping for from a commercial TV deal.

 

[midfielder]

ADZ

Online TV networks are placing huge pressure on the current broadcast methods of Pay networks... the essential difference is the Online networks are set up to stream all shows ... meaning you click on when you want to watch essentially doing away with existing scheduling models.. The FTA networks are moving this way as well...

Fetch being there will keep Fox honest and that is important ... I was reading some months back the concern that Fox have with online models... Fox themselves I have heard are also setting up to be able to store programs and allow customers to click on when they want to watch...

The huge difference is Fetch are offering a $ 15.00 model... this is the main reason Fox have reduced there current deal to $ 50.00...

All fair in business I guess but just having Fetch in the background even if they don't do a thing will keep others honest as i said before...

 

[elevated position]

At this stage I can't see how any league will financially benefit from this.

 

[midfielder]

At this stage I can't see how any league will financially benefit from this.

EP
The following net suppliers have contracted with Fetch … I can only assume over time this will grow..

iinet
Internode
Westnet
Optus
Adaminternet
Netspace

I have no idea what % these players are of our net usage but each does have big plans…and Optus is certainly a series player in this market.

Very importantly and this cannot be understated … Optus has felt since the Super League War at a distend disadvantage to Telstra in the phone market because Telstra has Fox as a media broadcasting platform .. Optus TV did not have the funds to match News and News via Fox won the day… Fetch however provides Optus with a broadcast platform, less in quality at this stage, but far more customer friendly…
Next we need to look at what Football has for sale … So the next media deal includes the following…

On an Annual Basic
9 International sides,
3 Domestic leagues, A-League, W-League, Youth-League,… all having a regular competition plus a final series.
The Asian Champions League.
The Australia Cup.

Key Tournaments
Asian cup in Australia 2015,
World cup in Brazil 2014,
Olympics 2016,

A media expert wrote some months back that the State of Origin over a five year period was worth between 250 & 300 million…. What then are the Socceroos worth …. plus other international sides when covered by FTA and marketed better i.e. with more funding…

Football can deliver if you take the top 4 international sides, 36 international matches per year, which would include 8 to 10 Socceroo matches … with most of the Socceroo matches having an outcome i.e. World or Asian Cup Qualification…

EP... the simple sums if the net providers between them have four million users … and lets sake of explaining the maths all join Fetch… 4 million at $ 15.00 per month is 60 million per month and 720 million per year…. To compare Fox hope to sign 850, 000 homes at $ 70.00 per month or 59.5 million per month… Fetch is way cheaper to run than Fox ...

Both Fetch and Optus have history of supporting football … look at the Fetch site if you want… Why Fetch is so important to Football ..while Fetch looked at the AFL broadcast rights it was too early and the price was to high … RL will more than likely be the same…. But in 2013 the National Broad Band Network will be largely laid out with heaps of space needing to be sold…

The other huge area of growth is phone technology and streaming the net live over your phone and the two technologies mix very well together… A Optus / Fetch mix could also challenge the Telstra / Fox ...

This is a very interesting space to watch if you are interested in these sorts of things….. Fox and FTA's are very aware of the potential of a Optus / Fetch broadcast attack... Fox & FTA would also be aware that Fetch would be supported by a number of other major net platform providers as can be seen by the list above... meaning just having Fetch there is going to keep Fox very honest with Football....

Hope this answers your question…

 

[Jesus]

Al Gore invented the Internet?

He is the creator of the environment

 

[adz]

midfielder: Where did you come up with 4 million subscribers from? That number seems a bit high.

At the end of December 2010, there were 10.4 million active internet subscribers in Australia (excluding internet connections through mobile handsets). This represents annual growth of 16.7% and an increase of 9.9% since the end of June 2010.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8153.0/

If we say there are 12 million now, then that would make it 30% of all active internet subscribers on the one service!

Foxtel has 1.65 million subscribers, so I doubt FetchTV could match that let alone double it.

I think that whatever they do in terms of internet broadcasting will be supplemental to whatever TV deal is made, rather than as a replacement. Hopefully the deal has the usual every game live on Foxtel, at least one game live on FTA (or if not live, not at stupid o'clock at night), and for the internet stuff - highlights packages, hopefully full game replays as you can get on the AFL and NRL websites.

 

[midfielder]

midfielder: Where did you come up with 4 million subscribers from? That number seems a bit high.


http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8153.0/

If we say there are 12 million now, then that would make it 30% of all active internet subscribers on the one service!

Foxtel has 1.65 million subscribers, so I doubt FetchTV could match that let alone double it.

I think that whatever they do in terms of internet broadcasting will be supplemental to whatever TV deal is made, rather than as a replacement. Hopefully the deal has the usual every game live on Foxtel, at least one game live on FTA (or if not live, not at stupid o'clock at night), and for the internet stuff - highlights packages, hopefully full game replays as you can get on the AFL and NRL websites.

ADZ

Used the 4 million by way of explaining it.. as I said they will help keep Fox honest if nothing else ..

AS for Fetch numbers ... the way it is sold id the online provider i.e. Optus sells Fetch as part of their package... i.e. just another option for the user ...

I have no idea how successful or otherwise they will be ... but I do know a lot of people are looking at them..

BTW thanks for the info about the number of net users ...

 

[elevated position]

Thanks MF lots of info there, however I would like to ask who will supply the vision of all these games? And what's to stop Foxtel signing the stadiums to broadcasting deals?

 

[midfielder]

Thanks MF lots of info there, however I would like to ask who will supply the vision of all these games? And what's to stop Foxtel signing the stadiums to broadcasting deals?

EP

Anythink is possible reagarding what Fox could or could not do as for Fox buying broadcast right from Stadiums possible but highly unlikely... I honestly think our next deal will have Fox as the main provider.. however the potential Fetch have.. means other Australia media players will want to keep them out as much as possible...

Whoever is the main broadcaster will broadcast the matches ...

As ADZ says Fox with over 1.3 million users are in a reasonable nay strong position... but they have reduced their all up deal to $ 50.00 per month and included in the reasoning of the price reduction is Fetch online providers are currently charing $15.00 per month...

Overseas the media is heading to Online TV in a huge way... as I said earlier you watch your shows when you wish too by clicking on the show... rather than being stuck with the broadcaster programing schedule and various channels...

The result well as I see it, is as i said before, by simply being there, and the potential of an Optus getting a broadcast platform ... meaning Fetch / Optus becomes a serious challenge to the Fox / Telstra broadcast platforms... will ensure Football gets well rewarded in the next media deal... ..

 

[elevated position]

One thing that intrigues me here is not only that foxtel has potential competition but how will each generation of population adapt to this form of media and what they are willing to pay for it.

 

[finally retired]

The result well as I see it, is as i said before, by simply being there, and the potential of an Optus getting a broadcast platform ... meaning Fetch / Optus becomes a serious challenge to the Fox / Telstra broadcast platforms... will ensure Football gets well rewarded in the next media deal... ..

let's hope that Mr Buckley and his negotiating team are as tech savvy as you guys on this......