JUST WILLIAM: End of the Blackout?

Hello everyone and thanks for reading this week’s column!

Those who are following me on Twitter will know that I’ve been active on politics this week, and for more analysis of the biggest goings on in political betting, do watch the Polling Station:

THE POLLING STATION | No, Jeremy Corbyn!

Is 3pm still the magic number?

Every Saturday, between 2.45pm and 5.15pm, in the UK, no footage of football games can be shown. This is in place (according to supporters of the measure) match attendances across the football league, along with match-day culture.

But sports streaming outlet DAZN has launched a huge bid to change that totally change that – with plans to broadcast every single EFL fixture (all 1,656 of them!)

There’s a long way to go before any deal – the 72 different football league clubs have different priorities, and some will be making much more revenue through iFollow (the current way some fans can watch their EFL team of choice at £10 a game) than others too.

However, it’s already well known that many fans are streaming or using firesticks to watch games during the blackout (usually from the Premier League, which of course has a huge pull), and EFL attendances have recovered reasonably well from the pandemic.

Whilst it would be reasonable to expect some fans to choose the easier option of watching their team on TV rather than making long and expensive trips, the cultural pull that football has can’t be taken for granted either.

Another factor to consider is cost. If DAZN (currently £9.99 per month) takes the rights from Sky Sports then that’s another subscription to add (including BT Sport, soon to be TNT), for the privilege of watching live football (whether one watches games in person or not) whilst a dysfunctional public transport system, especially outside of London, has been taking it’s toll on fans for a good while.

It remains to be seen if DAZN pulls off its extraordinary bid, but whatever happens there are big choices ahead for the football league.

Feeling Blue

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably found the link through Twitter. And as you probably know, the site has become a mess since Elon Musk’s unfortunate takeover. Musk’s latest plan for the much-besieged bird website is based on driving subscribers towards Twitter Blue, the subscription plan which gives users a Blue tick amongst other perks such as longer, edited tweets and long form video.

Of course, many blue tick accounts you see are ‘legacy’ accounts – journalists, musicians, actors, organisations, and governments – but from this Saturday (yes, the first of April) people will have to pay to keep their blue ticks or lose them.

Those of you with long memories will remember when Twitter Blue allowed accounts to purchase blue ticks, back in November. Here’s a reminder of what happened:

Happy upcoming April Fools, everyone!

 

The Tock Is Ticking

It’s the viral app that’s worked it’s way deep into our culture – even if you’re not on TikTok, the chances are that you’ve seen one on another platform, or you know someone who’s constantly getting their instant video meme fix. As the platform’s user base has rocketed upward it’s also attracted political attention, with the UK government banning it from Parliament (and government devices) whilst the US could go further, with proposals being discussed that could even ban the app.

Questions about TikTok’s data will continue to be a theme, but two things are worth considering.

Firstly, the amount of data all social media apps have on us (remember Cambridge Analytica? Do you trust Elon Musk?) And secondly, how far do we want our governments to move if they take a crackdown on any given app? (TikTok included)

The RESTRICT Act, a proposed piece of legislation which provides one way the US government might ban TikTok, could target “desktop applications,” “mobile applications,” “gaming applications,” “payment applications,” “web-based applications” and software that has more than 1 million users in the U.S.

There have been calls for a crackdown on TikTok from political figures and commentators – but it could pay to be careful in what we wish for…

ID, Please

A reminder for us all. A number of you reading this might have some interest in politics (this week’s Polling Station is out, by the way) so here’s an important reminder that from the 4th May, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections.

Don’t forget to register here!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Something light to end the column this week. A few of you will be enjoyers of Adam Hurrey’s Football Cliches, and this one’s a doozy.

See what newly reappointed Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson had to say ahead of Crystal Palace’s match up with Leicester, including this cracking closing quote.

🎯🎯🎯 pic.twitter.com/z0yerHqXcM

— Adam Hurrey (@FootballCliches) March 30, 2023

WILLIAM KEDJANYI

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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