Consumers Lose when Broadcasters and Rights Holders move the Goalposts

The rise of women’s football – particularly since the 2019 World Cup – has been impressive. So much so, here in Australia Optus Sport has acquired the rights to show Barclays FA Women’s Super League (WSL), to compliment their Premier League coverage.

Source: The FA.com

Which is great news. For fans, it simply means more football, right?

No. No, it doesn’t.

Because the truth is fans in Australia now have LESS access to WSL games than we already did.

Reports positioned it as Optus bringing WSL to Australia, and highlighted the growing appeal of the league as a product, but curiously omitted the fact that it would result in fewer games being available. This is despite Optus including it in their own media release, albeit as little more than a footnote:

As a result of Optus Sport securing the rights, live Barclays FA WSL matches on The FA Player will be geo-blocked in Australia as of November 17, 2019.

Yep. In securing exclusive broadcast rights Optus has blocked streaming on the official FA Player app in Australia. It had shown all games live and offered a (from experience, robust) Chromecast option so watching games on TV was quick and easy.

Optus, however, doesn’t show all games. It offers 2 live games per round and a packaged highlights show to cover the remainder. Which leaves consumers (viewers) with less, despite rights-holders making more money.

Part of the WSL’s growing appeal are the clubs: Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all have teams, which attract viewers across from the monster that is the Premier League. I’m interested in the WSL as a whole; but my focus and initial reason for watching is to follow Arsenal (for my sins).

The Optus deal means I can’t unless the Arsenal game is being shown – or I find a way around the geo-blocking.

And that raises questions about the real value in acquiring a league that leaves the genuine fans (and realistically, I don’t think we yet have casual WSL fans) unable to watch their team play live.

Especially when they could – free and legally – 10 weeks ago.

Financial support of the women’s game is great. The game will grow, and more investment means the professionalism and quality will increase, while the move of Australian players to the league will only lift its popularity here; as evidenced by Optus securing the rights.

Optus Sport has been a very welcome development for football coverage in Australia, and is being watched by the Premier League as they look at how best to capitalise on their asset moving forward.

But it rankles to see consumers lose out when business intrudes.

Horizon: Zero Done – How Sony’s Surprise Move can Grow their Customer Base

With the next generation of gaming consoles expected to launch this November, Sony has pulled an unexpected move in an attempt to grow their install base.

They’re making one of the PlayStation 4’s biggest exclusive titles available on PC.

Source: Sony PlayStation

Horizon: Zero Dawn, developed by Guerrilla Games, was a brand new IP for the PS4. The game itself was a risk – a studio moving away from a well-established series to create something new to drive hardware sales – and it paid off spectacularly, having sold over 10 million copies.

A PC version is a surprise. It’s an unusual thing to happen. But it looks like a shrewd move by Sony, despite the predictable gnashing of teeth by some fanboys.

Sony is giving non-PlayStation owners an opportunity to play one of their best first-party games (that is, developed by a studio which Sony actually owns). And look at the timing. They’re doing it on the eve of the PlayStation 5 being officially launched.

One of the most anticipated titles for the PS5? A sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn.

In the world of video games, PC gamers are the self-proclaimed ‘master race’. Their machines are more powerful than mainstream gaming consoles, and able to be upgraded as and when the user wants to. As consumers, they see console gaming as a step down.

But give them a chance to play Horizon: Zero Dawn and they may just love it.

As a revenue-driver the game is effectively done. This is a clever move by a business to squeeze more profit from an old asset, which now sells on PS4 for a budget SRP.

By inviting non-users into the Horizon: Zero Dawn universe, they stand to grow their user base as the new hardware looms ever closer.

The next challenge is to migrate them to the PS5 with the game’s sequel as the lure.