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I was only thinking you'd end up spending way more on watching every LOI game in Europe than the TV license fee if you tried to do it legally. On top of paying for the season pass, this football stuff is getting expensive. A few games on TV to save me a tenner here and there would be nice :D
Would agree with a lot of that post
A free game is a great idea
The clubs have done some good work on social media.
Virgin Media seem to have more interest than RTE, ( be hard to have less) granted more hours to fill.
Suspect younger people aka “the kids” don’t sit down to watch football games on tv as much as 15-20 years ago, so a focus on the online makes more sense
A central point of marketing a league is the star players. Players with a higher profile nationally. GAA players despite all the coverage are very reluctant to come forward for media interviews.
The Olympic had a high profile off success and relatable interviews.
The league needs to raise the profile of the star players more.
How do you do that when after 1-2 good seasons a star player is gone?Quote:
Originally Posted by legendz
That’s the case with the younger lads alright but the 24/25 year old and upwards bracket of players are generally here to stay now, particularly the ones that have already been abroad and are now here to settle down I.e. Forrester, Mulraney, Hoban, Duffy, Watts, McEleney, most of Rovers squad etc etcQuote:
Originally Posted by Another Bohemia
Really ? Must try that. I’ve tried from my IPad to a Sony TV and it doesn’t work. Can get sound but no picture. One of my major gripes with the service (actually, probably my only gripe to be fair.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckett
4 of the lads you mentioned there will probably be retired in a season or 2 so same issue there. Good point on Rovers squad though, with all the injuries they get they have plenty of time to do PR. I think you and I have different opinions on what a star player is though, I think of a player who has the potential to change the game any time they touch the ball. Mandriou has the potential but he'll likely be back in the UK at the end of his current deal outside of that it's Mason Melia that I see as the only player currently who has that star potential and again he'll be gone soon enough and is also a bit young to be pushed into the spotlight imo. You can't just stick good, not great players into a camera and call them a star because while your average bar stooler won't know much about football they'll know a star when they see themQuote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
While I tend to agree, ive seen the same type be convinced that an awful match was great entertainmet initially with the Sky Sports treatment and many more now. When you see some of the trends that these influencers can get people thinking are a good idea, the state of international politics and who people think are sound lads, well its probably not impossible to get some people to believe that Alesio Abibi should have been made an Irish citizen and be capped immediately....Quote:
Originally Posted by Another Bohemia
Yeah it can backfire trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear, but you are appealing really to a clubs catchment - we are still at the stage of building clubs in their community and not yet trying to turn the nations barstoolers, Bohs have led the way on this and not a superstar in sight. To use a GAA example, Sam Mulroy has been one of the top gaelic players this year, as a Louth player he wont have a national appeal like a Lee Keegan or Con O'Callaghan, but if you are looking to build interest ie attendances for Louth GAA Mulroy is the one that will have that desired local impact from the sports superstars.
The media want to build a story or follow a story. The leading lights of the league should naturally have a higher profile. Difficult for sure for the points mentioned by others.
Understand your point but with some of the dross that people are convinced is amazing they have already bought into that before they are convinced if that makes sense? So they will be Liverpool or United fans after watching a dull draw then Neville or Carragher will tell them actually it wasn't that bad and because they are already fans they'll agree and let things slide. I'm not passing judgement on them either as I have certainly done the same with Bohs matches/players throughout the year. The problem is the average bar stooler doesn't have that commitment to a LOI club so they see dross and have pundits they don't know telling them actually it's quite a good match they'll just write it off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
Just on Bohs they've grown but they have tried to make it about the club in the community rather than football. I think that's the path forward for clubs and that can be done without matches being shown. Bohs get more column inches for their jerseys, christmas toy drive, Palestinian events, Green initiatives and more I'm probably forgetting than they do for their matches (based on this season that's for the best!). I think trying to make stars out of players who are either not good enough to play outside the league or on the back 9 of their career is folly and would be instantly seen through. The league needs more exposure but as you say we shouldn't try to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Focus on the young up and coming players that have the ability to grow beyond the league, tweet & retweet great goals, goal of the season etc and build up the clubs histories in the league & community work rather than players.
Kerry playing Longford away on Saturday. VM2 showed Shels v Bohs tonight. A rare opportunity to watch a Premier Division game live!
A great game to promote the league. Bohs fighting relegation and Shels pushing for the league. 1-1 draw and either side could have won itQuote:
Originally Posted by legendz
League of Ireland supporters are really disregarded. The FAI and the clubs are allowing it to happen. The star game of the weekend has got to be at a time where supporters of all other clubs can watch it. That should be the central point of promoting the league. Even if there is a financial hit with a Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, where is a financial hit a financial investment?
It definitely makes sense to embed in the comminnity, become a key part of the locality or town beyond football, however that might be - use of facilities, public service efforts, summer schools etc. and then you hope the connection with the club grows interest in the football side too. I dont necessarily agree on all of what Bohs have done on some things but nobody can deny the positive impact the club has had in the community and community on the club. The Bohs initiatives should be taken and made bespoke by other clubs. I think a football club should be mainly about being a football club and the players are part of club promotion and community work. If they are coaching in schools locals get to know them and want to see them play and the players become the focus of local media attention.Quote:
Originally Posted by Another Bohemia
RTE / TG4 can cover American College football but not our domestic league proper or European ties! Makes you wonder who controls our taxpayers money!
Sure don't we love American Football...
I think I said it elsewhere but Ireland Inc. has no love for the LOI.Quote:
Originally Posted by nr637
In fairness that game had 48,000 in attendance - sigificantly higher than any LOI game since probably the 1940s? Even our Cup Finals in the same venue don't draw that many.Quote:
Originally Posted by nr637
The LOI won't win itself more coverage (or fans) by bad-mouthing other sports.
A man as fascinated with attendances should realise this. I was at it yesterday. Was a great day out and had plenty of messages from people from the states who were watching it over there. As Jim McLaughlin would say a great advertisement for the country.
As a one off event, I can understand the attraction. RTE must have had some reason.........! to show this. If Shels v Bohs last Friday had to be moved to the Aviva because 50,000 tickets were sold, would RTE jump on the band wagon so! ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Nah Nah Nah Nah
Yes. Yes they would.
Think they said half the people at the game yesterday came over from America for it. But it was a one-off international event with a lot of US promotional money behind it; I can entirely understand it being shown. (Even if just to show what a stupid game American Football is...)
On a side note, If Bohs v Rovers games were to be played at the Aviva. What would be the expected attendance. Do you think more people would come because of the venue and atmosphere? Like wise for Bohs v Pats and Rovers PatsQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Shels etc. I'm not suggesting for one minute any of these clubs would or should do this but do you really think they would attract a full house or close to it?
Depends what’s at stake. If it were a title decider or something I’d say it would sell out, as the cup final did last year. If it were a bog standard run of the mill mid season derby then I don’t think it’d be close to a sell outQuote:
Originally Posted by Shinkicker
You're off your head if you think Bohs v Rovers would sell out Aviva stadium for anything other than the cup final. Might get 25k for a title deciderQuote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
I know there is a lot of talk about RTE and showing games but the real issue here is not the amount of games shown but the fact there is no money being made by clubs. I’d rather less games shown but an actual tv deal to be in place which brings real revenue into the league. We are an outlier in Europe when it comes to this.
In conjunction with that LOI TV would be enhanced. Firstly, release this magical app so people can cast to their tvs. Secondly, upgrade cameras in the grounds and add in more cameras to improve the match viewing experience. Kerry game showed how this can be done easily and well. Thirdly, promote the hell out of the app/product with a big media campaign.
There is no future with RTE, they know it, we know it, so time to look at other options available to clubs.
Having no tv deal is the key here and we are in minority of leagues in europe with none. You only have to look the Prem League in europe, Brighton for example, homeless a few decades ago, now riding on a crest of a wave, well managed to be fair, but the 200m from PL / Sky helps 'a little' you could say, they will prob pay Celtic 30m for O'Reily, using their tv money, simple as.
We should have a deal for the PD, a proper structure, one live game a week, I'd go for a Thursday or Sun night (prob the Sun), then a proper tv (not online) highlights package back to Mon nights (Eircom League weekly was great and MNS after it, both prob on too late, well the former was), get the tv deal sponsored, get real money pumped into the game, surf in on the increased crowds, you'd be surprised at home popular and cool it could become.
Without a tv deal, as a league we are just drifting along, clubs doing most of the PR from what I can see.
Who can e get to pony up for a deal? RTE? No hope. Satilite stations? Wanna be a serious sales person to pull that off. The best weve managed in the past is to be included in deals for the international coverage. There are few grounds that TV companies can roll in to, set up and broadcast, no highering of cherrypickers for highlevel shots or temporary gantries. In the short term getting a cut from UEFA tv money the smaller associations could lobby for maybe but what should or world a LoI game cost to show in terms of rights 1k, 10k, per match, 50k all in? Money shared regardless of who is shown? There should be a deal of some sorts but I cant see significant finanial benefit. Summer football coverage could still be the selling point.
If you look at the September fixtures there’s a run of games each week that could take us to the end of the season .
There’s no narrative created by showing random games. Non-LoI fans would be familiar with very few players, probably only two or three but being on TV regularly would help that a lot.
1st September Bohs v Rovers
6th Sept Bohs v Shels
13th Sept Shels v Pat’s
20th Sept Derry v Rovers
27th Sept Rovers v Pat’s
4th Oct Derry v Sligo
18th Oct Shels v Waterford
25th Oct Galway v Sligo
1st Nov Final Day
Each to their own, rovers vs Bohs with the winner taking the league title similar to Dundalk v Cork 2014 is bigger than the same two in a cup final IMO. It’s all a moot point anyways really as it’ll never happenQuote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Meanwhile up north, the BBC are showing Larne-Lincoln Red Imps ECL playoff match.
It's online/app only, so maybe that gives them leeway for fewer cameras and the like to cut costs.
Could RTÉ do the same? Aware that RTÉ have a standard they maintain for sport, higher than the likes of Virgin, hence the extra cost.
As the idea of terrestrial TV gets more redundant by the day,and considering the largest Internet companies have bases here in Ireland, could there be a hook up somewhere there for a digital online TV platform ( I have no earthly idea how that would even work, btw) which a combined LOI clubs could approach these companies,wirh an idea to show case the league online, similar to the YouTube free MLB games and other avenues.
Let's face it RTE is as dead as a dodo (apologies WAR), and persisting with discussions with these people is pointless.
Leave them to their Fair Chitty, bogball from mullinavat,and the omnipresent dead-eyed kathryn thomas.
RTÉ showed Pats away to CSKA Sofia on their news channel a couple of years ago, and that wasn’t even the play off round. I don’t see why they wouldn’t do the same for Wednesdays game. It would mean they wouldn’t even have to “sacrifice” airtime on their two main channels (can’t be upsetting those Home and Away fans now , can we ?)
Some interesting figures here from other sports around the world
https://m.independent.ie/sport/socce...255128577.html
To be fair fhe viewing figures are rubbish. Even for the cup final I’m not sure how high they are.
But RTÉ haven’t really done anything to try and increase viewing figures.
As I posted in an earlier tweet you could have a competitive match from now til the end of the season but it will still probably be haphazard.
Genuine question but do RTE advertise anything? I couldn't tell you who the various radio hosts they employ are yet they pay some of them hundreds of thousands of euro. I couldn't tell you what shows the produce outside of the news and fair city. I don't see advertisements for champions league games or GAA matches coming from RTE everyone just knows they are on there because it's basically a tradition at this stage and they show when the next match is at the end of the one they are airing. Unless someone is actively watching/listening to RTE the advertising that you see for RTE is practically 0.Quote:
Originally Posted by JC_GUFC
As someone who consumes absolutely nothing from RTÉ outside of live sport coverage/occasionally their soccer podcast, random bits that come up on their twitter feed and of course the Toy Show :D.
This rings true. I have no idea what's going on or who anyone is most of the time :D Even then with consuming almost exclusively their football coverage, I've occasionally missed that a match was on TV until I seen someone else tweet about it. Maybe that says a lot about my own attention span which has been decimated by social media, the the message is hardly pushing through to the the wider population.
I do think making the stadiums look nicer on camera is the absolutely key aspect of live TV coverage, it has to look good to the average person. We'll get there, but not quickly.
Is it possible we are all a bit old and grumpy.
I certainly am.
(Contribution to this debate: Forget about RTE; no-one cares about them anymore. The future is LOI TV and other digital services)
I think the recent scandals, especially their attitude to them, and bailouts to RTE gives the complaints some credence...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr A
The league should face it, it is 4th sport in the eyes of official Ireland behind GAA, Premier League/ Top level soccer (which is for all purposes a different sport to LOI), and Rugby.
It's kind of what makes the league class tho, gives the league a proper subculture feeling.
Die Untergrundkultur.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiki Balboa
In fairness to the BBC, They show at least one game from the NIFL each week on their iplayer and online. Some weeks they show more than the 1 game too.Quote:
Originally Posted by brendy_éire
They had a highlights show each week on BBC2 last season (havnt seen it this season but assume they still do)