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Post by tallerman on Nov 24, 2022 7:06:27 GMT
Same in the bbl isnt it? The Leicester owner is also the chairman? Im sure vince has been at some point too?
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Post by LTfan on Nov 24, 2022 11:23:37 GMT
Same in the bbl isnt it? The Leicester owner is also the chairman? Im sure vince has been at some point too? I don't think that's the same the EIHL (I say, not knowing how the EIHL is structured beyond what's been posted in this thread). The BBL is an independent company owned by its member clubs, with each having an equal shareholding in the BBL and a representative on the board of directors. Sir Rodney Walker is the current elected chairperson but isn't associated to a single club. That's not always been the case over the years though, with the likes of Paul Blake, Vince Macaulay and Kevin Routledge acting as chairperson. What perhaps is more similar to the EIHL is the current situation of 777 Partners currently owning the London Lions and also a 55% share of the BBL. |
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Post by dandayr on Nov 24, 2022 13:23:50 GMT
The EIHL has long been a good comparable to the BBL in the UK in terms of success and following, with the EIHL usually coming out just ahead. Given the accessibility to actually play the sport the BBL should be an easier sell, so it's disappointing to see the EIHL being the more successful of the two, but full credit to them for achieving that. Some other observations... the EIHL seems to 'own' Scotland, with 3 teams north of the boarder compared to the BBL's 1. Also, unlike the BBL, the EIHL don't have a London team. It's probably the most competitive market in the UK for a sports team, but it's also usually the most sought-after market. That's why, in my opinion, the BBL have historically sometimes dropped standards to ensure London still has a presence in the league. But the EIHL clearly aren't as concerned. One thing I don't like about the EIHL is that the league chairman is also the owner of one of the teams, his team is Sheffield Steelers. My team, Glasgow Clan have had a season to forget so far, went on a long losing streak of 17 or 18 games, in the midst of that run they signed a player, but the fans did some Googling and found out the player was facing legal trouble in the US after he was accused of a very serious crime but fled back home to Finland. There was massive backlash, fans threatening boycotts, sponsors suspended partnerships. The owner launched an investigation, the GM got sacked but is currently still in post as MD of the Arena that the Clan now own, so it's a sideways move. Our owner, who also owns Nottingham then announced he was selling the club and talks are ongoing with an interested party. The coach was sacked for the on-ice results. Minor point but Clan dont own their venue - they have a 20year lease as the management team to run the venue, so other than the cost of that lease I guess they have the benefits of venue ownership with out some of the costs and they through their arena company can put on other events, run the bars, the public skating etc. Not sure other than Fife Flyers you could actually say any EIHL side owns their venue. Clan as mentioned do run theirs but it is a lease from the parties that ended up owning it, Dundee Ice Arena is council owned - as is the National Ice Centre where Nottingham play. Sheffield and Belfast play in large arenas they dont own. The rest I believe are in either council owned and run or planet ice have contracts to run and maybe in some cases now own. |
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Post by LTfan on Nov 24, 2022 14:19:58 GMT
Going a bit off topic, but having a look at the EIHL website... and it's £15 to watch each game online?! With no 'season pass' or monthly payment options. Although I dread to think how much they'd charge for those!
I know some games are on Viaplay, but that itself isn't cheap. Even with the BBL Sky Sports games they're all free on their YouTube channel.
It's made me realise how good we've got it with the BBL at the moment.
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Post by tallerman on Nov 24, 2022 17:02:22 GMT
I wouldn't pay 15 quid to watch anything online, geez!
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Post by dexter on Nov 24, 2022 18:15:57 GMT
I don’t imagine many people pay that. It’s ridiculous.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Viaplay. Viaplay Group is a Swedish media and entertainment company with headquartered in Stockholm.
In July 2022 Viaplay Group acquired Premier Sports, for $36 million.
Their most popular sports leagues are NHL, La Liga, URC and Top 14 (both rugby). They also have some Euroleague games. This evening they have Real Madrid vs Partizan.
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Post by dandayr on Nov 24, 2022 20:07:33 GMT
the way this thread has gone sort of sums up a challenge british basketball has - many want it to be better but expect it to be better at the same price or less than it is now.
it went from look at these figures EIHL has and how does BBL learn - to omg they charge for online, at least ours is free both in the online and the subscription tv options (so be interesting to see financially which org does better from that)
think a few should sit down before they go and look at what ticket prices are like at EIHL games (and the end of season playoff event) - and thats for a season where you can expect around 30 home games. at higher prices they still draw higher av crowds
this point though
as long as any basketball team thinks their target audience is those who play the sport then they will remain behind the EIHL.
the majority at a hockey game are there because they feel entertained, part of something and getting value for money. a BBL crowd has to be the same.
the fact more people play basketball than hockey doesnt mean you will get more folk spectating than hockey yes you get folk who play basketball going to watch games - but a large number dont cause they have their own games at the weekend and its hard to find the time to do both on a regular basis.
can probably get a large proportion of recreational basketball players along to BBL than league players but the trick is to tap into the larger numbers
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Post by dexter on Nov 24, 2022 20:55:42 GMT
dandayr you are correct on both points. British Basketball fans are cheapskates. Sam Neater said so. And most sports fans don’t participate in the sports they watch. They watch sports they find entertaining.
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Post by dexter on Nov 25, 2022 7:33:15 GMT
The Euroleague game, Real Madrid vs Partizan, was actually on Viaplay Xtra, which is the free channel. It was a good game.
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Post by LTfan on Nov 25, 2022 8:30:23 GMT
the way this thread has gone sort of sums up a challenge british basketball has - many want it to be better but expect it to be better at the same price or less than it is now. it went from look at these figures EIHL has and how does BBL learn - to omg they charge for online, at least ours is free both in the online and the subscription tv options (so be interesting to see financially which org does better from that) think a few should sit down before they go and look at what ticket prices are like at EIHL games (and the end of season playoff event) - and thats for a season where you can expect around 30 home games. at higher prices they still draw higher av crowds this point though as long as any basketball team thinks their target audience is those who play the sport then they will remain behind the EIHL. the majority at a hockey game are there because they feel entertained, part of something and getting value for money. a BBL crowd has to be the same. the fact more people play basketball than hockey doesnt mean you will get more folk spectating than hockey yes you get folk who play basketball going to watch games - but a large number dont cause they have their own games at the weekend and its hard to find the time to do both on a regular basis. can probably get a large proportion of recreational basketball players along to BBL than league players but the trick is to tap into the larger numbers I get what you're saying but charging £15 to watch a single game online is no way to build an audience of what is still a niche sport in this country. I believe what the BBL is doing the right strategy. Give some of your product away for free initially, build a fan base, and then slowly start to introduce a charge for it. There's no way the BBL's long term plan is to continue providing free coverage of all games forever. It's all part of a bigger plan to grow the league's following. I fully suspect that in a few years we'll be paying a subscription to watch BBL games online, and rightfully so. It's an approach adopted by much bigger sporting leagues than the BBL. Just look at what the NFL have been doing with their television rights in this country for the past few years. And in contrast look at what the NBA have been doing. And then compare the NFL's popularity growth in the UK with the NBA's. It speaks for itself. |
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Post by LTfan on Nov 25, 2022 9:29:49 GMT
I don’t imagine many people pay that. It’s ridiculous. It will be interesting to see what happens with Viaplay. Viaplay Group is a Swedish media and entertainment company with headquartered in Stockholm. In July 2022 Viaplay Group acquired Premier Sports, for $36 million. Their most popular sports leagues are NHL, La Liga, URC and Top 14 (both rugby). They also have some Euroleague games. This evening they have Real Madrid vs Partizan. Viaplay have always invested big in ice hockey, so I'd imagine the EIHL are quite happy with their acquisition of Premier Sports, I think they're in good hands. I can't say the same about the Euroleague though... Viaplay don't have much of a history with basketball, and they're only showing the Euroloague this season because they inherited the rights as part of their purchase of Premier Sports. It may continue beyond this season, but I don't think it's a secure as the EIHL is. |
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