What a brilliant thread, good work everyone, decent sensible debate. Just for the record - I back Dave 100%.
In the states this option exists for all there sports, for example the NHL, which has 82 games per team and 30 teams, stream all games in full HD for about £100 a year. It's very good value I would happily spend the same per year for all the premier league games. Also there is no need to limit this to the premiership. I could be a great money spinner for the lower leagues to have people pay to watch their games. I know that there are a lit of exiles on here im sure lower league teams have a fair number too plus lots of home fans who want to see away games. There is no reason that this couldn't make good money for the whole football league. Monte, when you say there is no obligation to support the lower leagues this is true to a point. They might be rival companies but then need to protect their industry as a whole. Streaming all FL games would protect and most likely enhance that industry. It will happen but it's taking to long.
I love going to watch games in person I try to make around 4 home and 2 away games per season, but I live in Northampton it's a 2 and half hour drive to Norwich, if I'm to actually enjoy the whole match day experience it's a very early start for me, now I book a hotel room in Norwich and catch up with people and make a weekend of it go out for meals then go out drinking along the POW etc. I have commitments back in Northampton and can't justify going to Norwich every other weekend so these streams help me out a great deal. Also not having a pop but there are lot of fair weather fans have coming out of woodwork and you've got it Carrow Road is always rammed when the top 4 play, did these people last watch Norwich back in 2005?
if they ever charge for streaming, then the money raised should go to the lower league side by way of compensation for probable loss of gate receipts. most lower league teams barely scrape an existence so need a cash injection to ease their finances. even a few K per week could make a huge difference.
It would be great if clubs could make revenue off it but at the same time I think smaller clubs would suffer with the gates. The next generation are lot more likely to embrace the armchair fan experience after all they've been brought up in the digital age. I would hate to the atmosphere on match day suffer because some people are too fat and lazy to get off their sofa.
