Covid has changed the world in so many ways. Watching live streams is one of the major changes.

When fans were unable to attend matches they were more than happy to watch their team on a live stream.
One thing we also knew was that fans needed to attend live matches, that is definately the priorty.

However, since fans started attending after Covid some fans have been left out. Those that are ill, housebound or too far away to attend personally. These fans would not be able to attend and if they had an opportunity to see their team playing, albeit on a live stream, they will want that ! Crowd attendances will not be impacted by those people buying and watching a stream.

Far more important is though, the EXTRA revenue brought in by those fans. Very much needed to clubs who get very little out of the large Broadcasters deals !.The Scottish Supporters newtork revent story (see link below) follows our reasoning about the blindness of some clubs and hierarchy with regards to live streams on a Saturday.

Scottish Supporters Network
Should We End Saturday 3pm TV Blackout?
Date: 26th October 2022
We`ve often been told that Saturday 3pm kick-offs are sacred affairs and we can only view those fixtures in person.

Clubs and authorities believed that that was the best way to keep attendances up, no one would want to go to a game of football if it`s on the TV.

It has been recently reported that The EFL will consider lifting the blackout when negotiating their next TV deal. The UK is pretty unique when it comes to enforcing a blackout for a period of time each and every week.

Now The SPFL has recently signed an extension to their current TV deal with Sky and that could mean removing the blackout might not be possible until after that contract ends. This again would seem like the Scottish footballing authorities and its members may have rushed in to a new deal without thinking everything through.

I think it`s a myth that crowd numbers will instantly and significantly go down if we remove the blackout. Look at Newlandsfield Park on Monday night, Pollok hosted Annan Athletic in the Scottish Cup, and the ground was sold out. It was a true spectacle and those that were there would`ve enjoyed it more by just being there.

Follow the full story on the link below:

[ -- link to Link to scottishsupporters.net ]