Coliseum Sports - EPL Overlords

Wilso, Patrick and I will be taking one for the team and getting on the dancing juice with the chaps from CSM tonight. Before I indulge I will try to get an interview for the podcast. Anyone got any questions you'd like me to ask?

Any more concrete plans to introduce the MLS or any other leagues? 

Looking further ahead, do they see themselves branching out into other sports perhaps? 

Will they look at introducing an HD ticket perhaps for a fee much like sky does or is this not feasible for either performance or financial reasons?

Do they anticipate a bigger bid from sky when their current EPL deal runs out? Would it be a big blow if they did theoretically miss out by sky bidding over market price to try eliminate them as competition, or have they factored this into a contingency plan?

Can they confirm absolutely, definitively what Julio told Tegal: that you can watch 250 games live or on demand multiple times at any time over the entire season and 130 games live or on demand multiple times until the next match round (which is not what their website currently implies: "every single match can be watched once at any time - live or on-demand. On top of this we're offering 250 matches available on-demand for multiple views whenever you want" and "The window for On-Demand games will be from kick off to the start of the following round, so basically a week")

can you ask them to just put all the games on Sky like they were? 

Like they werent*

How are they going to feel when it all goes to the shitter? 

Here's how I imagine this went:

CSM: "do you guys want a drink?"

Wilso: "ahhh, a beer please"

Patrick: "water please.....tap......easy on the ice"

Smithy: "pomegranate martini, with a smidge of basil on top"

*10 minutes later*

CSM: "so despite the fact that this is going to cost everyone more money, will be more of a hassle and there has seemingly been no progress in the last month with the season kicking off in just over a week, we bought you a drink so you have to say we are amazing"

Smithy, Patrick, Wilso: "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy"

What progress are you expecting? When the season kicks off, we can watch football matches. Not sure  what else they are supposed to be doing. 

don't know, but just a lot more information.  Everyone I seem to speak to over 40 years old is asking me what they need to do to get connected and be able to watch it on a TV (mainly out of curiosity - none of them seem like they want to actually sign up) so I would have thought that they'd be putting information through the mailboxes, in the press, etc.  For every nerd on here saying that it is simple to connect a laptop or desktop to a television, there is no information being offered from CSM actually letting people know how to do it.  I would have thought it would be common sense for them to do that.  I would also have thought that there would have been advertising about them - "here is the opening weekend fixtures and it is only through us that you will be able to see them" kind of thing.  It would help with allaying the fear that they are some kind of Mickey Mouse fly by nighters.

will they have Sky UK commentary?  Will they be able to have the Sky UK pre and post match for games that are televised there?

Go on their website (here) and click the middle of the five rotating banners to download a connection guide.

I don't get the angst - if it's too hard/inconvenient/expensive/uncertain/crap quality or simply shit, don't do it... or, wait until those factors are at a level at which you choose to go with it (which by the way is exactly what I'm doing - being in your over-forty demographic. Just) or, go to the Kings or a mates, or watch stuff delayed. It's your choice.

Edit: Fucking their.

You don't get the angst???  Really????  People who have been living here and are used to being able to watch 5 or 6 games of football every week can now watch probably 1 or 2 games per week.  Things aren't as good as they were before, and people are going to be pissed off about it.  I can see why some people don't care about these people, but to not be able to see why they are angry is, well, fucking stupid.

I signed up on the site when it was first available (about 4 or 5 weeks ago?) and have received one email, that told me I could now pay for it.  I am sure that the information is there but it is not readily available and I find that odd.  I would have thought that I would be getting bombarded with information and offers.

My thoughts are tht if the information was so readily available, and simple to follow, I would not be getting asked so many questions about it.

It's less fucking stupid than not being able to connect a laptop to your telly.

People are resistant to change. Things change - whether we like it or not. Getting yourself and/or others fired up is absolutely counterfuckingproductive. You have the choice not to change - as does everyone else. If nobody changes, change won't happen - as you've seen there's enough people on here hoping they go tits up in the first week. And who knows, maybe they will.

People who have been living here and are used to being able to watch 5 or 6 games of football every week can now watch 1 game on FTA delayed. At least 4 games delayed per week, on Sky, by doing absolutelyfuckingnothing. IF they have Freeview and Coliseum they can also access MORE FREE LIVE games from leagues we've never had coverage of in NZ, plus however many delayed EPL games (via MUTV or Liverpool, or whoevertheyrefuckingshowing). People who CHOOSE can also purchase access LIVE EPL games via a "new" way of watching football... the Interwebz... for some, that is challenging, for others (like me), it may also mean buying a widget or three to enable said viewing. And for others that's absolutelytoofuckinghardexpensivescarynew.

Would I like to sit on my arse and watch EPL the same as I did last season, or (even better) get the coverage Foxtel provide to the West Island? You bet your racing fucking greyhound I would!

Do I get "angry" because something has changed and doesn't entirely suit me for some reason or other? Fuck no... do I understand why others do? Fuck no. Do I call them fucking stupid because of that? You know it's coming...

Far Know.

Does that me fucking stupid?... if you think so Frankie - cos fuck knows you're clearly the expert.

Speaking of muppets... who was the guy (that sounded like Smithy) who called up and tried to school Telfer on Coliseum?... sounds like an employee - who was rather generous/optimistic with some of his facts and costings - if he can get Apple TV for $100 he's living in Aussie lol

Yeah they're $160 on nz iTunes store

First of all, I don't want to know where the information is.  I don't care.

someone asked the question about what information I expected to be seeing at the moment, and I mentioned 2 things - information on how to connect the computer to the tv that is obviously available somewhere, but seemingly not for the people who probably need it most.  I am sure if these oldies that keep asking me about how easy it is to connect could find this information, but it appears that they have not.  If they had, they would not be asking me.  The older generation do not immediately use the net to find out what they want to know, so I would have thought that they would have sent out a load of fliers, taken ads out in the papers, even advertised on tele saying "don't be afraid old people - you too will be able to watch football on tv with the minumum of hassle".  That would be how they would make this more readily available.

I also thought that I would see more advertising.  Like I said, I have received 1 email from them and with no other information about them anywhere (except here) without going looking for it, that seems very low.  There seems to be a load of people still wondering about it signing up, so I would have thought that they would be doing everything to promote themselves.

Does that make you fucking stupid?  It appears so as you seem to have missed the point. 

You have just outlined why you don't care that people are angry that they can watch less football than before because there are other options to them and if they don't want to embrace them, well fuck them.  That is fine.  I have no problem with that.  I just mentioned that it is stupid to not be able to see why people would be angsty about now being able to watch less football than before. 

Yeah fair. Though on the other hand there are people who can watch more football than they could before. In time, with a platform like this that could potentially grow as well, they've already stated a potential interest in the MLS and Italian Serie A. 

What makes this expensive is SKYs insistence of bundling all sport they own, so people kind of have to have sky, as well as purchasing whatever else they want through the online platforms. I have this problem too, so it does cost me more for now, but I also get more and the knowledge that more content may be on the way (plus the free stuff with sommet now). 

The competition is good, even if it either costs some people more or cuts a few people off in the meantime. 

The other factor is that sky have also got some of the big clubs, so those who won't buy into PLP can stick with sky and get similar games to those they would have anyway (albeit delayed), plus even more pre and post match coverage than sky have ever shown before. Sommet have also picked up a couple of the other main teams - and thats free. 

I'm not saying these guys will succeed, but nor am I saying that they will fail with as much confidence and certainty as other seem to be. What I do know, is that if these guys can create a bit of competition for sky, perhaps eventually sport will be unbundled and will therefore become cheaper, with more content available. Whether that be through coliseum, sky, sommet or some other company to come in the future, I don't know or care. I just hope it happens. 

You're dead right Frankie. I should completely agree with you. My bad. I'll get my angry on now.

And, speaking of points. I didn't say anything about not caring or understanding why at all. My point (which you seem to have missed) is that getting angry about it achieves three eighths of fuck all. Aside from that, you raise mainly very valid points.

Have you mailed/telephoned Coliseum? I'm guessing you have a computer so you could even email them (I did that with a query around how to connect my telly, they even replied - pretty quickly, and confirmed what I thought would work would actually work) but I guess they haven't told you how to do that yet.

The only angsty people I've heard/seen about being able to watch "less" football are some on here. And Brendan Telfer.

Do I understand why? Of course. Do I see the point in getting angry about it - especially when I don't have all the information? As I said, no. Did I make the effort to learn more about it? Yeah, a little... and yes, of course they could have done better - perhaps they will, perhaps they read this thread or have GCSB monitoring your interwebz and will get your feedback.

Happy angsting.

This. Having enquired about this new Arsenal Player digital m/ship thing a month ago - it's now redundant. I'd rather watch games live but do I wanna spend $150 for the privelege?... not this side of chrissy I don't reckon.

Nothing to do with me personally - I don't give a flying fuck about CSM.  I am just relaying the conversations I have had and the general gripes from a lot of people I have spoken to.  As I keep saying, if the information on how to connect a computer to a TV was so widely available, people wouldn't be asking me so much (please don't read this as me wanting instructions on how to connect a computer to a tv as I already can).

I think that the people on here are generally pretty positive about it, mainly due to a childish dissatisfaction with Sky.  It is generally "Sky are meanies to us, and we will support anyone is going to compete with them".  All of the frustration and uncertainty I have experienced has come from people outside of this forum - y'know, in the real world.

I am sure that someone will be able to do it very quickly, but I don't think that I have ever expressed any dissatisfaction at the change.

I don't have a side.

I suppose, apart from listing ways of connecting laptops/PCs/tablets/smartphones it may be an idea for people/coliseum to list HTPCs or compatible media players that people can purchase (at a reasonable price) that plugs into the TV and stays plugged into the TV at all times and just requires a user to turn on (with a remote/wireless keyboard+mouse) and easily navigate either by shortcut or app to csm to watch their football. (plus any benefits of the listed htpc/media player - e.g. dvb-t freeview decoder for sommet, usb/dlna for digitial content at home etc.)

SKY Sport is good if you are after a variety of sports with a lot of local content.  However, for someone like me who hasn't watched a game of Rugby in about 7 years, barely watches League anymore & can't stand Netball then the appeal of having every single game of those three codes live really starts to grate.  I don’t want to be paying for that content.  But, as Tegal notes, because of the bundled package that is SKY Sport, last year I had no choice but to pay for it if I wanted to watch the EPL games.

This year I don’t have to. Admittedly there are other costs involved (like in my case a new laptop & TV), but I’m happy to pay this in order to see the PL (I’ll be dropping SKY Sport).  For me the change to CSM is brilliant.  For others it won't be.  People have to decide how important watching the PL is to them against all the other factors (cost, time, wanting to watch other sports on SKY etc).

I agree with Frankie in that they could have done a better job advertising the product, especially considering that they got a lot of free press when SKY first lost the rights and there was a lot of angst.  I think I’ve only received maybe one or two e-mails since I registered.  I don't really buy the fact people can't figure out how to connect one device to another though.

I presently have no idea how to connect a laptop to a tv, but because CSM have the product I want, I'll learn.  Whether that be via their website (which has those very handy instructions) or asking people in Dick Smith's etc.  Those that are in that over 40 bracket that are talked about above aren't completely incapable of dealing with technology.  If they are deciding not to take up CSM because they feel it is too much of a hassle, then watching the PL isn’t that important to them and they should be satisfied with what SKY are now offering.