You're offside Spark Sport

You're offside Spark Sport

Foul!! C’mon there’s no way that should be allowed.

This time I’m not shouting at the ref, the linesman or the VAR official for once.

Make your VODDY mind up Spark Sport! Are you SVOD (subscription revenue driven) or AVOD (advertising funded) because I think you’re offside operating as both?

I logged in to my $25 per month Spark Sport subscription this morning to watch the English Premier League (EPL) and as is my normal routine, systematically consumed the whole video rail that contains the highlights from the matches played over the weekend. As part of the broadcast rights package they’ve bought, Spark Sport receives these direct from the EPL in convenient bite-size ready-to-eat videos, each of around three minutes duration.

Playing one upfront this season

This season is different though, unlike last year, Spark Sport have now decided to insert an annoying 30 second pre-roll advert before every three-minute video! What makes it worse is they are ALL Spark adverts and with little variety – so I see the same irritating Skinny Mobile or Spark Business commercial over and over! Adverts in a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service is offensive enough, but entirely your own internal company adverts, that you’re getting paid nothing for, is unforgivable! Really Spark?

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Each month I pay $9 for Amazon Prime Video, $10 for Disney Plus, $16 for You Tube Premium, $22 for Netflix and $23 for Spotify (you’re right reader, I don’t get out much!), but all are less than my $25 Spark Sport monthly subscription, yet not one of them shows commercials, let alone adverts flogging their own wares!

That’s the unwritten rule and the basis of the VOD formats, right? With SVOD and TVOD (transactional, one off, pay-per-view formats like iTunes or You Tube movies you rent or own) you pay for the right to watch what you want, when you want, and not be interrupted by adverts. I know if I decide to use the TVNZ-on-demand service they won’t charge me, but I’ll have to endure a repetitive rotation of the same few commercials. However they are typically just 15 seconds long and the content I chose to watch is 30 to 60 minutes long, so I can accept that ad to content ratio. BTW Electric Kiwi if you don’t ditch that annoying song in your TVCs, I’m going to take flight!

I gave you everything and this is how you treat me?

The other thing about a subscription service is we have established a relationship; we’ve made a commitment to each other. I’ve told you my personal details and you can track what I watch, when, where and how often. I feel like that my loyalty and openness should be rewarded, or at least not exploited.

Last year it was reported there were 212,000 Spark Sport subscribers, albeit that may well have dropped once those who were only interested in RWC2019 unsubscribed, but still there’s a decent base of viewer data to analyse and better understand your customers.

Skinny pauper or fat cat purchaser?

I used our Together Works research programme to figure out whether a budget pre-pay mobile brand (Skinny) or a telco B2B offer (Spark IoT) was a good fit for this EPL subscriber audience. When compared to the general population, football fans in New Zealand are twice as likely to subscribe to a sports streaming service like Spark Sport, and also twice as likely to consume their favourite sports via a VOD service, so Spark Sport must have established a good number of subscriber relationships with football fans.

However, our research reveals football fans have an annual income 8% higher than the national average and they are 10% less likely to have a pre-pay mobile account, so a budget pre-pay mobile offer like Skinny is not a good fit for EPL viewers. Better news though is football fans are nearly 50% more likely to be the decision maker for a company, so the Spark business advert is a good fit.

But the original VOD customer question for content providers still remains. If I pay you an ongoing monthly fee for content, should you be making me watch adverts, even if they are well targeted? In my view if you take my money and then also serve me adverts, you’re a new breed entirely, an ASVOD!

Katie Huysmans

Strategy & Planning, Business Banking at ASB Bank

4 年

Richard the real question may be, what are you doing paying for YouTube Premium??

Sue Mcgregor

Director of Marketing & Communications at Commonwealth Games Federation

4 年

I wouldn’t want the sport interrupted by ads. It also opens up an interesting dilemma for rights holders - would sponsors still pay a premium if advertisers can drop in to game coverage rather than at breaks ? Whole new clutter issue?

James Cowan

Senior Property Manager, Crocker's Property Group

4 年

I was looking at buying SS for the cricket this month but now I am not so sure....Sky Sport Now looks a superior product now I see all the clutter there

回复
Ian Rogers

Independent sport & event management contractor, performance analyst, football coach

4 年

Glad you raised this Richard. One of the historic selling points of Sky et al was ad-free. Because you paid up front as you say, you "expected" not to be sold to. So the viewer experience was more pleasant. Let's be honest, no one likes to watch ads! There is a clear economic benefit from the sale of ads - ie revenue to the provider. But at compromise to the viewer - ie the customer of the provider. So that's askew; and then finally, what is the research or evidence that do those ads actually work??They're not adding to the viewer experience, so their impact is turning more people off then being effective. Given the selective options people have these days, providers should consider a wider view about compromising their commitment to the customer.

Sean Jones

Technology Enterprise Sales Executive in New Zealand

4 年

Interesting points Richard Howarth . My instinct is that if you pay, then adverts should be avoided. Perhaps my wider team from the Google Ads team have a view ?? . Also interesting insights on the profile of a typical football viewer in NZ and what the best kind of advertising needs to be. The only thing I think that you have missed is that if you are a Manchester United fan (as you are) then the best part of the game highlights for you is probably the Adverts ! ??

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