New KHL Webcast Subscriptions

[croAVSfan*]

Thank you again to the totally amateurish KHL.ru for denying their paying subscribers the webcast of the Slovan vs. Novokuznetsk game tonight. The game is shown on regular TV, so there is NO EXCUSE. What a scam these subscriptions are...

Did you take whole package for Slovan game or you buying it game by game ?

I took it as a package for Medvescak games and so far all games were shown, even the least "attractive" ones.

 

[cska78]

I bought the cska one and at least 5 games were not showing, arleady two this year alone....sad and stupid.

 

[Faterson]

Slovan season package here, and like cska78 says, around 5-7 games this season skipped so far, including last night when there was NO EXCUSE for doing so because the game was shown on regular TV, so the broadcast was definitely available. The KHL just doesn't give a flying **** about their paying webcast subscribers.

(I'm noticing that it's especially Dynamo Moscow [defending champion!!!] and Vityaz home games that tend not to be webcast, but as can be seen, it even happens with Slovan's home games. 100% undiluted, amateurish beer league customer service.)

 

[Exarz]

Are all games 45 rubles each? I'm sitting and thinking, even though you say it's crap, do buy some games in the future and maybe next season buy a subscription, depending on the price!

 

[pulverapa]

Are all games 45 rubles each? I'm sitting and thinking, even though you say it's crap, do buy some games in the future and maybe next season buy a subscription, depending on the price!

I remember a few seasons ago when the price was 29 roubles.

At the same time the price for one game in SHL was about 700 roubles...

 

[cska78]

Are all games 45 rubles each? I'm sitting and thinking, even though you say it's crap, do buy some games in the future and maybe next season buy a subscription, depending on the price!

the problem is - they advertise buying a package as a good deal (don't remember the price edge over buying the games individually), but now that I missed some games due to early starts on the East Coast of Russia and some weren't broadcasted at all.

 

[Faterson]

The HD quality webcasts are very good (I watch them on my 46-inch TV screen) but that is no help when some games are not available at all.

Check out the first page of this thread for subscription prices. They were raised (without warning) on day 1 of the regular season.

KHL.ru has zero idea on how to conduct business and treat your customers. From this, too, one can see that the KHL is primarily an oligarchs' plaything instead of a business venture.

See the incredible silliness (second year in a row!) of KHL.ru continuing to sell season-long subscriptions at full prices although the season is almost over in January! In contrast, NHL Game Center Live has just cut their subscription price by 50%, so for $49, you can watch all remaining NHL games from this season plus all play-off games. (And the regular season is just around the half-way point over there.)

 

[Exarz]

the problem is - they advertise buying a package as a good deal (don't remember the price edge over buying the games individually), but now that I missed some games due to early starts on the East Coast of Russia and some weren't broadcasted at all.

I think I got your point but according to my mathemagical knowledge and the prices, you only need to watch 34 games to earn on the subscription, which is fair enough for me living in Europe!

 

[Faterson]

"Of course", tomorrow's game Vityaz vs. Slovan is not webcast again. What a crappy "All games by Slovan" KHL.ru subscription that is. Has there been a single game from Podolsk webcast this season? Do they have electricity there, running water and such amenities, or is it just a barn in the middle of a field somewhere? I really don't understand why KHL keeps such provincial clubs in the league that seem to be boycotting the league's coverage in moving pictures.

 

[Vicente]

"Of course", tomorrow's game Vityaz vs. Slovan is not webcast again. What a crappy "All games by Slovan" KHL.ru subscription that is. Has there been a single game from Podolsk webcast this season? Do they have electricity there, running water and such amenities, or is it just a barn in the middle of a field somewhere? I really don't understand why KHL keeps such provincial clubs in the league that seem to be boycotting the league's coverage in moving pictures.

I saw a couple of Vityaz home games this season with pretty good quality, the last one the 6-2 vs Riga. KHL is a mistery often.

 

[ult]

I saw a couple of Vityaz home games this season with pretty good quality, the last one the 6-2 vs Riga. KHL is a mistery often.

It's simple actually. Dinamo Riga and some other teams have a deal with KHL where they get all their away games televised. Deal i.e. like a business and not a charity. My understanding is that Latvian television is interested in broadcasting those games and they're sure that they can cover the expenses for a broadcast. Faterson is barking at the wrong tree. I already told him that but who cares about the details, right?

Vityaz doesn't have a local broadcaster, and KHL TV and Rossiya 2 are not interested in a game of two outsiders when there are a bunch of more interesting games at the same time. Internet sales won't cover even 1% of the expenses for the broadcast. And no one is going to stream it via a cell phone because it would violate the regulations. It's better to not show a game at all rather than stream crap. Slovak tv (or Hungarian sport 1/2 to be precise) could have ordered a broadcast but they decided not to.

 

[bobbeaver]

but you wount see NHL ever NOT televising games, let alone alot of the games of a certain team. That means there is something wrong. either the team shouldnt be in KHL than or the broadcasting policy and management is wrong and needs to be changed. From production (financing to filming in the same standard) to marketing the product (selling). I mean they should have KHL tv as the NHL has NHL tv anyhow (not just internet).
Its a loss of prestige and image for one and shows lack of competence, which might not be the case, but looks like it.

 

[ult]

but you wount see NHL ever NOT televising games, let alone alot of the games of a certain team. That means there is something wrong. either the team shouldnt be in KHL than or the broadcasting policy and management is wrong and needs to be changed. From production (financing to filming in the same standard) to marketing the product (selling). I mean they should have KHL tv as the NHL has NHL tv anyhow (not just internet).
Its a loss of prestige and image for one and shows lack of competence, which might not be the case, but looks like it.

Americans are willing to pay hundreds of bucks for a single ticket, companies are willing to pay millions for a tv ads. Why do you compare it? They earn money on broadcasts, not losing them. So why do you blame Vityaz instead of Slovan? One is a small team from a small town, where everyone who's interested in watching a game can get a ticket and there will still be some seats left. And the Slovan is a team from a European country's capital, with a bunch of a tv channels and a big following. Surely, they can spend a couple ten thousands dollars on a broadcast, show it on a national channel in prime time, sell ads and earn those money back? I think that's how it works in Zagreb as well. Now he's blaming the KHL, but as far as KHL is concerned, no one is interested in that game. Do you think KHL can just waste 50 000$ to stream a game to the all 10 KHL.ru viewers? For prestige or whatever? That money better spent elsewhere, like paying Spartak's salaries so they can finish this season.

 

[bobbeaver]

I am sorry but media coverage and over all media is not well organized yet. Most money would be to produce the games and sell the broadcasting rights, and have their own KHL TV channel (russian and english commentators) that you pay monthly subscription for or as a part of the cable. You could than have local advertising since you broadcast it in different regions and you very much increase income. All you need to do is tweak the program according to the region. This includes North America aswell. BUT if you want that (or sell the broadcasting rights especially to NA) than you need to have perfect packaging. Meaning that it is all shot in the same system (to not get technical lets call it simply HD) and in 16:9 with English commentary and panels. This has not been the case. You can even sell the games in packages like hollywood does with movies. Some weaker games with some stronger games so you make profit.
Also you need very strong marketing to sell to the most people as possible to maximize the profit especially in the NA.
The way it is done now to sell the rights to production and broadcasting is low risk but low yield. And also as i said its not done in the same system (different kind of HD and encoding, workflow etc, not to mention some are shot in SD). Some games are even still being shot in 4:3 ratio.

This is me talking as someone who works in the media professionally. This is where the profit is, but it takes alot of work to do this and organization. This is where alot of work needs to be done.

 

[obskyr]

Vityaz doesn't have a local broadcaster, and KHL TV and Rossiya 2 are not interested in a game of two outsiders when there are a bunch of more interesting games at the same time. Internet sales won't cover even 1% of the expenses for the broadcast. And no one is going to stream it via a cell phone because it would violate the regulations. It's better to not show a game at all rather than stream crap. Slovak tv (or Hungarian sport 1/2 to be precise) could have ordered a broadcast but they decided not to.

Well, they do have their TV channel in the Moscow Oblast, they just don't seem care for acquiring KHL rights or at least the Vityaz games. And it's not like it's technically possible, with all the major clubs around, Moscow simply doesn't have enough remote broadcast studios to cover every match.

 

[Medo]

I think that's how it works in Zagreb as well.

When HRT (national) does the broadcast its usually home games with some odd away game. Sportklub (cable) does all other home and away games of Medveščak as well as other KHL games where Medveščak isn't involved. Sportklub has been broadcasting KHL for some few years already. Serbian version also broadcasts Medveščak games and they (Serbian version of SK) also hold rights for Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia as those countries don't have independent SK. But from what i've read from Serbian fans they are not exactly happy with Serbian commentators who lack even the basic knowledge about hockey. In Croatia people are not happy with HRT because HRT shows sport only on their second channel and it often conflicts with other events so it often gets moved to idiotic time slots. Game against Atlant was prime example of that when it was played way too early for many traveling fans from other parts of Croatia to arrive. They used to do that in EBEL as well sometimes and i agree with one poster on Croatian forum that the club should tell them to go f--k themself now when they are in the KHL. NovaTV and RTL (other national networks) would probably be interested to broadcast it in one of their 4, 5 channels but they probably can't pay as much as HRT so i guess the the club will stick with them for some time.

 

[bobbeaver]

When HRT (national) does the broadcast its usually home games with some odd away game. Sportklub (cable) does all other home and away games of MedveÅ¡čak as well as other KHL games where MedveÅ¡čak isn't involved. Sportklub has been broadcasting KHL for some few years already. Serbian version also broadcasts MedveÅ¡čak games and they (Serbian version of SK) also hold rights for Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia as those countries don't have independent SK. But from what i've read from Serbian fans they are not exactly happy with Serbian commentators who lack even the basic knowledge about hockey. In Croatia people are not happy with HRT because HRT shows sport only on their second channel and it often conflicts with other events so it often gets moved to idiotic time slots. Game against Atlant was prime example of that when it was played way too early for many traveling fans from other parts of Croatia to arrive. They used to do that in EBEL as well sometimes and i agree with one poster on Croatian forum that the club should tell them to go f--k themself now when they are in the KHL. NovaTV and RTL (other national networks) would probably be interested to broadcast it in one of their 4, 5 channels but they probably can't pay as much as HRT so i guess the the club will stick with them for some time.

That is not HRT's fault. KHL makes the time schedul that is not flexible and you (club or the station) aren not asked an opinion. I mean the time slot at 17:30 is completely idiotic to say the least. HRT doesnt even produce the games, they just broadcast certain games and shoot those panels at intermission and the end of the game. SK produces the game i think (they might outsourced it im not sure). Yeh the serbian comentators really dont know **** about hockey lol

 

[Medo]

******** its not. 17.30h friday games for the past 5 years are not HRT fault? How come games can be broadcasted in normal time period when they are on SK?

 

[bobbeaver]

I am not talking about EBEL era as i dont know how it worked than, but in KHL you could see the time of each and every game when the schedule was announced before the season. Besides there were plenty of games at 17:30 on SK (last one was Medvescak - Minsk). Some away games were at 7 am our time on a weekday (13h local time). Deal was with HRT that they would cover (broadcast, not produce) the Arena games and few select non Arena games. Medvescak decided which games would be the Arena games. I personally think there should be no games before 18h on weekdays. At 16-17h they get of work and they need time to get ready.

 

[Faterson]

Of course the KHL is to blame for the lack of broadcasts from Podolsk. This is bush league level, period. "Blame the victim" (the visiting team) is bush league, too.

I wouldn't draw comparisons to the NHL, because they make the KHL look even more ridiculous. The season-long NHL Game Center Live webcast subscription is cheaper at $99 per season than the overpriced KHL season-long subscription ($137 per season)! I guess that's because hockey fans from impoverished former Communist Bloc countries are so much wealthier than American and Canadian hockey fans. So, we must charge KHL fans higher than NHL fans, right? And this while every single NHL game is webcast, but KHL.ru skips lots of games throughout the season.

Again: there is no excuse for any of this.

Also, what do you mean by "outsiders"? Slovan is last year's play-off team who this season beat "outsiders" like Ak Bars and CSKA and Riga (the last two in away games) among many others. Kick the real outsiders, the provincial Russian hockey clubs, out of the KHL at long last if they're unable or unwilling to provide standard services for followers of a top-tier international hockey league.

 

[cska78]

there are a few posters here who think that "моча - божья роса" or for english speakers - wrong by KHL is right. Is it possible that they are paid off by the KHL to create and fight for a positive image? very much so. But most likely just naive in their aspirations to defend the home league.
AGAIN, if you charge more than the best league in the world for the subscription and your season has like 30% less games, and you can't even show all the games even for such famous teams as CSKA - in any competitive economy you are in trouble.

 

[bobbeaver]

Yup.

 

[kometa]

The packages for the upcoming season are on sale now: http://video.khl.ru/page/subscription_page

After logging in the prices for season and follow your team are reduced, should be an early bird offer. So they have €73,40 instead of €94,40 for the whole campain for me. One team €26,15 instead of €41,90.

New to me was the option to use Paypal.

 

[malkinfan]

That's great news, I was going to sign up last year but I didn't recognize any of the credit card processing companies and had my suspicions sending credit card info to Russia to Canada. Paypal changes the game now. At $2-3 USD/game Ill just buy specific games.

 

[Exarz]

Good deal, I might buy a subscription then, instead of using crappy streams..