TV Time Outs For Soccer?

One of things I've enjoyed about the World Cup is no play stopping commercials which usually allows the games to end in under 2 hours.

It seems that if soccer is ever going to hit USA TV in a big way that commercials will have to play a part.

I put it to the soccer experts- would you accept TV timeouts?

 

Why?

No.

 

the why seems self evident. I just do not think the networks would support programing that they cannot sell millions of dollars in commercials for.

 

Fox Soccer Channel and GOL TV, among others, successfully show a whole range of EPL, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga games without interruption. The UEFA Championship and the World Cup both prove you can pull big numbers in the US with limited commercials.

And all these games are already very successfully telecast in 100+ other countries. Do you think broadcasters in those other countries don't earn out with their ad model?

 

That is, quite possibly, the stupidest idea I've ever read here. And this is place that brought the world Chef operates on himself.

 

Why the high horse attitude? Just asking a question. I think it easier to discuss race issues hear at SJ than it is to discuss soccer.

 

When the World Cup was in the US, didn't they run commercial crawlers across the bottom about every 10 minutes?

 

I remember TV timeouts in some college games I watched a decade or so ago -- a 90-120-second stoppage at the midpoint of each half. It seemed dumb then.

With today's technology, it's very easy to do an advertisement while the game is live, scrolling across the screen. In the worst-case scenario, using the "side-by-side" concept that ABC uses for its IndyCar telecasts, with a PIP screen.

Soccer is a sport followed fervently by a small group of people in the country, and followed every four years by those who don't. MLS and some of the top Euro leagues get a lot of airtime on ESPN (and you can also watch a ton of soccer on ESPN3), plus a lot of niche networks that are devoted to soccer (GOLTV, FSC). I don't think soccer fans are hurting to find their favorite sport on TV, and American TV has adapted to the non-stop nature of the game.

 

There's also several million dollars worth of advertising already ringing every big league soccer pitch in the world - why change the game?

 

I don't think the TV networks get any revenue from that advertising.

Just saying - the World Cup at its peak is getting 17- 20 mil viewers. Ratings like that are certainly going to drive the rights fee up and in turn broadcasters are going to have to find a way to pay for it.

Not saying it's a good thing for soccer fans but a reality of "progress".

 

No

 

TV will have to adjust -- as it already has.

In 1990, TBS broke from the action to show a couple of minutes of commercials a half.

By 1994, ABC/ESPN were using on-screen ads in the scorebar. That has become the method of advertising in soccer. Games on Univision will have ads scrolling across the bottom of screen as the game is going on, or at least did 10-15 years ago, the last time I was able to watch Univision.

The technology exists to superimpose ads on the screen, on the field ... TV can adapt to the game without forcing it to be changed. TV timeouts will NEVER be accepted in soccer. Even when they were used in the NCAA, they seemed to be a bit forced and took away from the game action and flow. Soccer is a game of playing continuously for 45 minutes, with no stoppages other than substitutions, goals and injuries (or the faking thereof). There's no place for TV timeouts.

Yet, the WWL seems content to spend gazillions of dollars to show the WC, has shown MLS games since its inception (without TV timeouts) and has been picking up more and more international club contets ... and two soccer-dedicated cable channels exist in America. I think the game is doing fine on TV without TV timeouts.