by STAR Liaison »
29 Feb 2020 09:39
Red Button
There is considerable concern amongst some Championship clubs about the red button. They feel that, to some extent, they may have been dealt a poor hand by Sky. The upfront product offered was I-Follow from which the clubs gain a direct financial benefit and information on the viewers buying the service. The red button was a kind of secondary add-on.
However in practice many viewers are quite content with the red button service as it's free - and it would be annoying to have to pay an extra £10 to watch a home game when you've already paid your season ticket and your Sky subscription. I quite like the red button - the single camera / no replays / no pundits style feels just a little like being there at the game, more so than normal TV.
It's possible that the red button was presented to the club as 'more for away games' and a bargain product that most would not want. But the point is - it'll do. Furthermore my understanding is that the clubs do not receive any money for 'views by red button' - as it's part of the overall deal Sky have signed with EFL - and nor, as I understand it, any right to viewer information on who or how many people are watching their matches via red button. Of course, Sky may share that information on an informal basis with clubs but my understanding is that this would be at Sky's discretion. I haven't seen any of this written down so apologies if it's incorrect.
On Wednesday last a football fan in Reading would, with the right subscriptions / in pub transmissions have the choice of:
- watching Reading via I-Follow
- watching Reading via red button
- listening to BBC Berks
- watching the featured Champ game (probably Leeds, usually is)
- watching Real Madrid v Man C on BT
- going out in the cold to the Madstad to support in person
No wonder midweek attendances are struggling. The EFL and its clubs will be collecting data on the financial effects of making most midweek games available via Sky.