New 'Official' Swansea Bar Opening

[bakajack]

This is another reason the 3pm blackout just needs to go.

It is restraint of trade, in a way.

I'm sure a number of pubs would love to lay on 3pm kick offs on a Saturday - if you can't (or don't want to) travel to the game, then come and pay a fiver at the door, relax, have a few pints and watch it with your mates. You'll have bars in New York, Melbourne, Marbella all doing it. It's an absolute no-brainer.

But no. Let's keep an archaic law that came in in the 1950s to satisfy one tight arse Burnley chairman who was worried that it might hit his gate receipts. Instead of repealing it because it makes no sense to modern life 70 years on.

Honestly, this country is so backward sometimes.

In fairness I half thought that safe standing would never ever be reintroduced in the UK but it has happened. I agree though that the Saturday 3pm blackout rule is becoming more and more obsolete

More games are being shown outside of the Saturday 3pm kick off time than ever, and those who are determined to watch the games anyway via dodgy firesticks are most likely to do so for away games anyway even if they could get tickets easily for the home ones.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

More games are being shown outside of the Saturday 3pm kick off time than ever, and those who are determined to watch the games anyway via dodgy firesticks are most likely to do so for away games anyway even if they could get tickets easily for the home ones.

Yes, which makes it all the more self defeating, all they are doing is denying clubs a valuable additional income stream.

The longer they leave it so that people access these matches via illegal means, the harder it will be for them to convince people to start taking it via legitimate means.

 

[bakajack]

Yes, which makes it all the more self defeating, all they are doing is denying clubs a valuable additional income stream.

The longer they leave it so that people access these matches via illegal means, the harder it will be for them to convince people to start taking it via legitimate means.

We don't always agree but I am right with you on this one

I can think of little reason why a club shouldn't be able to pay a fee to the EFL to be permitted to broadcast away games (and only away games) from a club affiliated venue. The EFL gets money out of it, the club will almost certainly make far more in terms of sales than it would cost for a license to broadcast the game and run the venue and it might actually help stop people from accessing the games illegally.

The Saturday 3pm blackout rule as you said is vastly outdated and is so easily circumvented by anyone desiring to do so that the only ones that are prevented are those in a position where they can't access it illegally, not those who won't

 

[ARQS]

I would definitely pay to have an 'Away Package' where I could watch all the away games live via an app. Especially if you could also watch them in full after kick off meaning that if you missed the start/first half/entire game, you could try and avoid the score and watch it a bit later on.

If that same app had both current and historic highlights, interviews, press conferences etc., all of which are undoubtedly cheap to make, then you'd be laughing.

 

[magicdaps10]

Excellent bit of business by the club

 

[bakajack]

I would definitely pay to have an 'Away Package' where I could watch all the away games live via an app. Especially if you could also watch them in full after kick off meaning that if you missed the start/first half/entire game, you could try and avoid the score and watch it a bit later on.

If that same app had both current and historic highlights, interviews, press conferences etc., all of which are undoubtedly cheap to make, then you'd be laughing.

Well Swans TV would have to up their game
But yes its an almost comically tragic neglection by the club

 

[AusinIsOurHero]

Hopefully the Council have been sensible about this and given them a favourable business rate to rent the unit. Gives them a fighting chance of making it a long term thing. Other businesses have had a hard time in Salubrious Place.
Looking forward to going there to watch games if I can't make it to the ground.

 

[WentToSchoolWith]

This is another reason the 3pm blackout just needs to go.

It is restraint of trade, in a way.

I'm sure a number of pubs would love to lay on 3pm kick offs on a Saturday - if you can't (or don't want to) travel to the game, then come and pay a fiver at the door, relax, have a few pints and watch it with your mates. You'll have bars in New York, Melbourne, Marbella all doing it. It's an absolute no-brainer.

But no. Let's keep an archaic law that came in in the 1950s to satisfy one tight arse Burnley chairman who was worried that it might hit his gate receipts. Instead of repealing it because it makes no sense to modern life 70 years on.

Honestly, this country is so backward sometimes.

Gotta say, I disagree.

We're the only country with the blackout, but we're also the only country (UK, anyway) with a football pyramid where teams as low as the eighth and ninth tier can regularly get crowds within the 1000s. We can bemoan not being able to watch away games as much as we like, but...

a) You can nearly always get a stream if you know where to look

b) we know for a fact that clubs are managing to attract crowds due to a result of the blackout. Dulwich Hamlet are the prime example of a team who can attract 3/4k on a Saturday, specifically because a lot of London football fans can't see their team's 3pm game.

I'm not saying removing the blackout would end these clubs, but I think it's very likely they'd take a massive hit in revenue. Arguing for the deus-ex, particularly for things like this, is tough, but I think there's reasonable evidence to warrant it staying.

Plus, taking it away will further the grip on English league football from the big clubs. More games on tv = higher cost to view, = more money in the pockets of the bigger clubs. You can argue that it would benefit us too, but there's absolutely no way we get the same kick out of it than the Premier League clubs would. The last two years have been pretty eye-opening for how drastic the gap between the PL and Championship already is, I'm not for widening it.

 

[Whaleoilbeefhooked]

would be great if some sort of shuttle type bus service could be arranged on match days.

 

[Whaleoilbeefhooked]

I would definitely pay to have an 'Away Package' where I could watch all the away games live via an app. Especially if you could also watch them in full after kick off meaning that if you missed the start/first half/entire game, you could try and avoid the score and watch it a bit later on.

If that same app had both current and historic highlights, interviews, press conferences etc., all of which are undoubtedly cheap to make, then you'd be laughing.

Isn’t that what you get for a subscription to Swans tv ?

 

[Dr. Winston]

Maybe a middle ground. Keep the blackout for the Premier League. Or allow clubs to show games only at their own premises like this rather than nationally broadcast them.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Gotta say, I disagree.

We're the only country with the blackout, but we're also the only country (UK, anyway) with a football pyramid where teams as low as the eighth and ninth tier can regularly get crowds within the 1000s. We can bemoan not being able to watch away games as much as we like, but...

a) You can nearly always get a stream if you know where to look

b) we know for a fact that clubs are managing to attract crowds due to a result of the blackout. Dulwich Hamlet are the prime example of a team who can attract 3/4k on a Saturday, specifically because a lot of London football fans can't see their team's 3pm game.

I'm not saying removing the blackout would end these clubs, but I think it's very likely they'd take a massive hit in revenue. Arguing for the deus-ex, particularly for things like this, is tough, but I think there's reasonable evidence to warrant it staying.

Plus, taking it away will further the grip on English league football from the big clubs. More games on tv = higher cost to view, = more money in the pockets of the bigger clubs. You can argue that it would benefit us too, but there's absolutely no way we get the same kick out of it than the Premier League clubs would. The last two years have been pretty eye-opening for how drastic the gap between the PL and Championship already is, I'm not for widening it.

That's a bit scaremongery.

It's long since been proven that televised football scarcely has any effect on attendances. There's like 70-years' worth of evidence by now. It's a straw man argument with not much solid evidence behind it. Whether you're a Dulwich Hamlet, Carshalton or Kettering fan, you'll still go and watch Dulwich Hamlet, Carshalton or Kettering, you won't sack your club off to stay in to watch a Premier League game on TV, because you'd be doing that already. Most top flight games don't even kick off at 3pm these days anyway, that's not going to change.

It's time for English football to come into the 21st century.

 

[WentToSchoolWith]

Maybe a middle ground. Keep the blackout for the Premier League. Or allow clubs to show games only at their own premises like this rather than nationally broadcast them.

I think there's a decent way of doing it in Germany, where there's a 3pm blackout, but Bundesliga games are separate to it. They're all played two hours either side.

That's a bit scaremongery.

It's long since been proven that televised football scarcely has any effect on attendances. There's like 70-years' worth of evidence by now. It's a straw man argument with not much solid evidence behind it. Whether you're a Dulwich Hamlet, Carshalton or Kettering fan, you'll still go and watch Dulwich Hamlet, Carshalton or Kettering, you won't sack your club off to stay in to watch a Premier League game on TV, because you'd be doing that already. Most top flight games don't even kick off at 3pm these days anyway, that's not going to change.

It's time for English football to come into the 21st century.

I don't think it's particularly scaremongering. I even say that I'm not adamant clubs will fold as a result, but they will take a big revenue kick that I can't imagine they're able to comfortably take. The argument made

Additionally, my main concern is probably that of the larger clubs gathering more power from further control of fixtures from TV companies (and increased revenue).

There are a solid number of reasons to keep it raised in this thread -

https://www.reddit.com/r/Championship/comments/1gfk7ji/should_we_keep_the_3pm_blackout

I think there's definitely a discussion to be had around the blackout, and it's reasonable to suggest that football would be better served without it, but I don't think it's an example of something that highlights English Football being stuck in the past.

 

[stevethejack]

I think there's a decent way of doing it in Germany, where there's a 3pm blackout, but Bundesliga games are separate to it. They're all played two hours either side.

No 3pm blackout in Germany, most KO at 3:30pm local time on TV.

Germany, cheap tickets with local transport cost included in the price. Beer in the stands and good, reasonably priced food sold.

That's why they sell out even though games are on TV.

 

[MrSwerve]

First smart thing they can do if possible is televise away games in there.

Indeed, in the ‘Luxembourg room’, where European ales are served.