91000 Viewers for SPL Showcase Opener

[Blue Nosed Babe 20,994]

Who would want to watch that hate filled poisonous shite?

The SFL is the PLACE TO BE!

Best game ever on Saturday and I can see this continuing. There is a real feelgood factor here and the beginnings of perhaps some friendships in the SFL (Apart from the Falkirk PA....prick)

[GMac 1,405]

So let's see so far we have

166,000 Peterhead v Rangers (Third Division)

91,000 Penn State v Aberdeen (SPL)

25,000 Hibs v Hearts (SPL)

16,000 Dundee United v Hibs (SPL)

36,000 Tims on Kiddyfiddler street talking about Rangers

23,000 Taigs Lurking on Rangers Media

Figure you left out mate.

[corkinator 611]

In all honesty, that is fucking shocking. I really can't believe how low the viewing figures are. Bear in mind, no other football on tv, first round of games for 3 months, folks were desperate for football, but no one tuned in. Lol. Jesus, the spl is in shit creek alright!

Dongcaster will be vomiting into a sock at those numbers hahahahahahahahaha......bye.....YA CUNT!

[terrybutcher 23]

i flicked by it and watched it for about seconds,not wanting to watch all there shit lets make them all beg to join the sfl with us and all sfl clubs getting the better deal from the tv companys

[2daludaludalu 390]

I think next season sky will be like this to the SPHell. Right you cunts get Rangers back in your league ASAP, then they will come begging to us like, we're sorry please come back to our league and we will be like, you lot can go and take a flying fuck to yourselves. You've made you're beds, and now you can lie in them in you're pish ya rat bastards.

[EdTuBrutus 13]

These figures are astonishing.

And they beg another question. Is the reason the SPL have no money to distribute because Sky and ESPN have an opt out or re-negotiation clause after the first round of matches. Or perhaps even the value of the deal (still unannounced) is dependant on viewing figures.

I can just imagine Liewell and Doncaster begging sky for a deal promising the same viewing figures as last year and Sky calling their bluff and saying ok, same deal, based on same figures. For each percentage you are short, you lose a percentage of that deal. Thus £13m becomes £3m. £3m minus £2m to the SFL and £1m for Rangers rights = OOOOPS.

[sh3749 12]

Something that could account for the differences in numbers is, Celtic has 48k at their opening match.. a large chunk of their Scottish support. The rest watched on TV.

We could only have a fraction of our support be at the game against Peterhead so the rest had to watch it on TV. (Point is, if it had been at Ibrox that number would have been, say 130k rather than 170k)

Just interpreting the numbers from a different perspective.

One of my friends understands that the actual figure was 41,000, his mate works at CP (good Bluenose btw) and says the figures were based on season ticket sales and public sales rather than footfall through the turnstiles

[GMac 1,405]

How many games are they showing in the SPL this season, cos if the 91000 figure is repeated throughout the season, and more than likely that will go way down when it comes to the real diddy teams it would take them about 27 games to get the same ammount of viewers as for those 4 old firm games. Horror figures for anyone from Sky if they were bothered

Just checked figures for 10/11 Hearts v Hibs was 99,100 on ESPN compared with 25,000

Dundee Utd v Hibs was 56,844 in 10/11 compared with 16,000 this year.

Is it coincidence that they both show an astonishing drop of around 70-75%. Or is it a trend?

[EdTuBrutus 13]

70% down for the flag show too. This does look like a trend. I forecast a lot of brown pants at the SPL and their diddy clubs. How much is the difference between Europa and Champions League monies? TBH, I think Celtic have avoided Administration this year by beating HJK but with a potentially massive loss of domestic TV money and drastically reduced crowds, maybe Dundee will win the SPL - by being the only team which isn't liquidated or in administration.

Which would be very, very ironic, given Dundee FC's recent history

[Peasie 103]

Just checked figures for 10/11 Hearts v Hibs was 99,100 on ESPN compared with 25,000

Dundee Utd v Hibs was 56,844 in 10/11 compared with 16,000 this year.

Is it coincidence that they both show an astonishing drop of around 70-75%. Or is it a trend?

I'm working my way through the weekly figures - some of them don't give the game so I'll need to go to SPL website to see what fixtures were on the Sat/Sun each time. Hopefully after a few weeks of this season it will be apparent if there are any trends.

[Peasie 103]

How is the deal for Scottish Cup games worked out?

Just noticed Arbroath v Rangers (247,000) and Peterhead v Celtic (298,000) w/e 08/01/2012.

[Ricerules 2]

These figures are astonishing.

And they beg another question. Is the reason the SPL have no money to distribute because Sky and ESPN have an opt out or re-negotiation clause after the first round of matches. Or perhaps even the value of the deal (still unannounced) is dependant on viewing figures.

I can just imagine Liewell and Doncaster begging sky for a deal promising the same viewing figures as last year and Sky calling their bluff and saying ok, same deal, based on same figures. For each percentage you are short, you lose a percentage of that deal. Thus £13m becomes £3m. £3m minus £2m to the SFL and £1m for Rangers rights = OOOOPS.

I would be astonished if Sky had not put some clause in that contract with regards to negotiating, opt out or money percentage dependent on viewing figures. Essentially they agreed to hand over x million a season with no historical viewing figures to base that number on? Would have a hard time believing that. Maybe the deal is tiered in that the first year the money is very low and rises year on year dependat on viewing figures.

Either way Sky have to be concerned with return on investment. Maybe they will start to push it down the channel lineup from sky sports to the lifestyle or soap opera network. Why waste precious sky sports time.

[GMac 1,405]

I would be astonished if Sky had not put some clause in that contract with regards to negotiating, opt out or money percentage dependent on viewing figures. Essentially they agreed to hand over x million a season with no historical viewing figures to base that number on? Would have a hard time believing that. Maybe the deal is tiered in that the first year the money is very low and rises year on year dependat on viewing figures.

Either way Sky have to be concerned with return on investment. Maybe they will start to push it down the channel lineup from sky sports to the lifestyle or soap opera network. Why waste precious sky sports time.

These guys are usually could at predicting likely audiences though. I think the deal will be staggered and low payments for two years then start putting more Rangers games on SKY as we move through the leagues increasing the payments each year. I don't think any team has actually bought anyone so far this year, more players have moved out of the SPL than moved in. This would explain it. And why bother putting some of the games on at all? Must cost over £50,000 to produce these shows.

[corkinator 611]

Tha Nappy rippers are now selling players to fund the club, what happens when all REAL saleable asstes are gone and the 30m debt cannot be fed?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha

[welsh103 12]

One of my friends understands that the actual figure was 41,000, his mate works at CP (good Bluenose btw) and says the figures were based on season ticket sales and public sales rather than footfall through the turnstiles

41k is a terrible turnout for a flag raising. Just shows the interest in their own team has gone now we aren't there.

[Peasie 103]

Just been analysing the figures for last season and noticed the lowest viewing figure was 34,000 for Dundee United v Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Celtic's lowest viewing figure was 106,000 away to Aberdeen. Rangers lowest was 91,000 at home to Dundee United (the league having already been won).

There were a couple of weeks where no figures were available for ESPN and a couple when the figure may not have been in the top ten anyway.

But two games already (16,000 and 25,000) below last season's lowest. Celtic v Aberdeen had only 91,000 - which is lower already than last season's lowest for Celtic. They can't even claim to have been at the game as that was 12,000 short of capacity. Aberdeen v Celtic last August had 365,000 viewers, the reverse fixture this season in the same month has less than a quarter of that.

Hearts v Hibs last season had 87,000 and 96,000 viewers.

Hibs v Hearts last season had 260,000.

First Edinburgh derby this season had only 25,000.

These early figures are absolutely shocking. Now we know why there was so much emphasis of getting the Rangers matches as part of the deal.

[Peasie 103]

Last season only five games had viewing figures under 50,000 (although there are three unknown games where they did not make the top ten or no data was available). Two games this season are already under that figure.

Wonder why Sky are reluctant to hand over the cash.

TV_matches_and_audience_figures_2011-12.pdf

[GMac 1,405]

Just been analysing the figures for last season and noticed the lowest viewing figure was 34,000 for Dundee United v Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Celtic's lowest viewing figure was 106,000 away to Aberdeen. Rangers lowest was 91,000 at home to Dundee United (the league having already been won).

There were a couple of weeks where no figures were available for ESPN and a couple when the figure may not have been in the top ten anyway.

But two games already (16,000 and 25,000) below last season's lowest. Celtic v Aberdeen had only 91,000 - which is lower already than last season's lowest for Celtic. They can't even claim to have been at the game as that was 12,000 short of capacity. Aberdeen v Celtic last August had 365,000 viewers, the reverse fixture this season in the same month has less than a quarter of that.

Hearts v Hibs last season had 87,000 and 96,000 viewers.

Hibs v Hearts last season had 260,000.

First Edinburgh derby this season had only 25,000.

These early figures are absolutely shocking. Now we know why there was so much emphasis of getting the Rangers matches as part of the deal.

We thought the £1.2 million was a bad deal, but we were working on the assumption that the overall deal was worth about 15 million a year minus 2mill to the SFL. I don't think it is anything close to 15 million. Either that or someone at SKY will be getting their baws booted. If these figures hold up for the rest of the season then it must represent the largest collapse in viewing figures in TV history.