Participant Observations 28/9/17 - The domestic ecology of sports streaming consumption

I've recently come across the following article in Media International Australia, and feel that it relates in many ways to my own research:

Messe, J. (2017) The domestic ecology of Australian subscription video on demand services, MIA.

It has attuned me to be more aware of my own choices and patterns of consuming sport domestically.

For example, since switching off the Fox Sports satellite, I've found that not only do I now watch all of my Fox Sports via OTT, but I actually watch a lot of free-to-air television via OTT as well, even though terrestrial free-to-air is still available.

In some ways, I do this through the want to be seen as an OTT consumer, and and early adapter in this space. Part of me also wants to consume in this way to force all broadcasters to see that this is where consumption is going and so to force them to improve their OTT delivery and performance.

The apps that I'm streaming through, usually to chromecast, are by and large rubbish. Usually glitchy, with latency issues, and unexplained drop-outs. While the Foxtel app is by far and away the worst app, the other apps still have their own issues. The Channel 9 app drops out unexpectedly. The Channel 7 app won't allow to stream to the chromecast. The workaround in that situation is that you can chromecast from the Freeview app, and Channel 7 offer their content on there!!

The Freeview app I believe has won a number of awards, and you can see why. It's good to navigate, and has good functionality and responsiveness. It carries most - not all - of the FTA content, and it's guide is also very good. ABC iView is not far behind, and offers good quality, although I've found some issues with the display. For instance, it doesn't always display the latest episode of a series in search results. Channel 10 and the SBS really need to pick up their act in this area - much of their content can't be streamed live.

I've also become a lot more aware of the linear nature of my viewing now, or outright on-demand consumption. I no longer have the set-and-forget series record of iQ on Foxtel, so I now have to remind myself what day a particular show is on, and try to watch it when it airs (with the ads as well!) For example, I now have to be at home at 7:30pm to watch AFL 360, or try and catch the replay at 9:30pm. By the time it appears on-demand on the app, it's over 24 hours old and effectively out of date. The same goes for MediaWeek on Sky Business, which can be difficult because it's at 2:30pm on a Thursday. Where content isn't available after first airing - such as MediaWeek, I've been forced to try and find that content on their own website, or on YouTube. I'm sure there may be notifications, or alerts that you can set up on the various apps to let you know when a show is airing, but I haven't looked into it yet.

There has been the loss of some channels as well SyFy and Fox Classics aren't channels I watched a whole lot of, but they were things I turned to during the summer or at other low points. Fox Classics always had Hitchcock and Eastwood marathons, and I can't find anything similar on other apps or in other libraries.

The other mode of my viewing incorporates binge watching of on-demand drama or doco content. For instance, I've revisited Louie on-demand, and East-bound and Down on demand, and lots of movies on demand. Because of the change in the previous paragraph I've had to now watch some shows this way instead of on a week-to-week bases. The Katering Show and Media Watch, both on the ABC, are examples of this. Previously watched from the DVR after they'd aired, I now watch them in binge-mode which isn't great because, especially with Media Watch, they tend to be based on events of the last week.

Probably another shift is a return to viewing content on FTA, but more so in the shape of watching shows on-demand via their apps. So for instance, Kath and Kim is a show I hadn't watched at all since switching to Channel 9. Because Channel 9 wasn't mapped onto my Foxtel service, I couldn't DVR shows, so it fell off the radar. When it was on the ABC I could DVR it. Now, I've turned back to it, because I've been forced to trawl through my available libraries to find content. These libraries include all the FTA apps, the on-demand on Foxtel, and Netflix.

A major drawback of my consumption now is the inconvenience of use - turning the TV on, launching the app on the iPad, then casting to the chromecast is a pain in the ass. And then changing the channel takes time and patience, due to latency. Also searching without changing channels is difficult. On iQ it was pretty straightforward, but it now involves switching between apps, guides, and so on.

In the morning there is nothing on - this used to be the time when I would watch programs saved on the DVR in the iQ that had been recorded overnight. So for example, I've hardly watched any episodes of The Jump or OTL since switching to OTT, because the Foxtel app doesn't offer these programs on-demand, possibly because they are ESPN native programs. These programs were a great way of getting the latest on NBA and American sports, and definitely my knowledge base in this respect in these areas has suffered as a result.

Much like the Messe article, I find myself watching the TV in the living room during the main part of the evening, then might go to bed and watch on the iPad, sometimes to finish what I've been watching earlier.

Also, since I've gone OTT, I've found my VPN use has probably dropped, and is used strategically on occasion, as also outlined in Messe. For example, I will use the VPN if I want to get a particular movie or TV show that isn't on one of my libraries. And I've also found the VPN less effective than it used to be, especially when run through the chromecast, also reflecting a finding of the Messe article, in that it seems that some formal structures are 'fighting back' against VPN use.

One other comment about the Messe article - I think it does some great observational work, but it fails to discuss in any great length the use of sports consumption in that space. There is one mention of NHL watching, without exploring the idiosyncrasies of sports consumption.

Finally, and I may have blogged about this previously, but I've found myself now sharing logins with others. This is talked about in the Informal Media Economy I think, but I share my Foxtel Now login, of which I have 5, and a mate shares with me his Netflix login. It saves money, and is an affordance of this type of delivery.

Participant observations 25/9/17 - NFL considers delivering 40 minute highlights packages

Saw this article today, and an element of it reminded me of some data that came out in an interview recently with a research participant:

http://www.redtorch.co/nfl-game-pass/

Aside from customer data, something that must have really grabbed the NFL’s attention was its declining TV audience. It’s no coincidence that the massive investment in OTT has come at a time when traditional viewership declined by more than 10% in the first few months of last year’s NFL campaign. Forbes concluded the League lost over 1m viewers per game.

This corresponds to the general decline in TV viewership: children spend more time online; more have tablets and smartphones, and most want to tune in to sports events only for the good bits. Like it or loathe it, the culture of sports consumption has changed.

The NFL is dealing specifically with this last issue by the introduction of ‘Game in 40’ – an improved feature that offers a downloadable, condensed version of the game, bringing fans only the best of the action. If you sometimes sigh at the length of NFL games when live action amounts to just 11 minutes, this feature might well entice you to give the sport another look.

This corresponds to a research participant saying they believed sports games would be broken down into 30-minute highlights packages and delivered on-demand after games.

Participant Observations 18/09/17 - The final switching off of the Foxtel Satellite

So it's been since Friday night when the satellite service to Foxtel was switched off. There are a few observations since then, but also some observations before then that are also worth mentioning.

Firstly, when I rang Foxtel to cancel the satellite, they made a lot of effort to keep me on as a satellite subscriber, even though I told them I would still be getting the OTT version. For example, they offered the full platinum package for $89 a month for 12 months - of course, after the 12 months, I would go back to paying the full price for the platinum package, which is about $135 a month. My current service was around $115 a month.

They also allowed me to suspend my service for a fee of $5 a month. I had hoped to do this anyways, at it means that I don't have to pay the $200 installation fee if I go back onto the satellite service.

Ok, some of the observations since the change over:

Firstly, the viewing experience is not as good. There is the tendency for the vision to jump, and the buffering when changing channels is a headache. The loss of a DVR function and the inability to fast-forward through ads is also tiresome, as is having to watch programs linearly - I.e., as they're being screened without time delay.

The fidelity and crispness of the picture is also not quite as nice, although the Formula 1 was still very good. I also think some picture quality may be due to the chromecast. I've just spent a huge amount on a new PC, which, when built, I will hook up to the television and log into Foxtel Now through the desktop version, and hopefully the speeds will be quicker that way. There does seem to be less buffering and lag when I watch it on the PC at work that way.

The app itself is not the greatest. It has a tendency to freeze and crash, and the program information isn't as easy as the EPG on the FoxBox. I think it has the right look and feel to it, but it's just not very reliable. Again, the cynic in me wonders if this is a deliberate ploy to entice the viewer back to the satellite.

I also completely reconfigured my iPad at home, because this has become effectively the remote control for the Foxtel Now. So all my streaming apps are now on the home screen. While there is some drain on the battery, it's really not too much of a problem, although obviously no where near as convenient as the Fox remote control. I'm also not worried now about turning off the chromecast when I go out because I've upgraded to unlimited data. There doesn't seem to be too much of a drag, and non-sports shows still look excellent, but I'm keen to see it running without chromecast, which runs on WiFi, and instead through the new PC, which will be connected via Ethernet.

There are also less Ethernet cables altogether though, because the FoxBox is now an ornament. It was unfortunate that when the satellite was stopped, I can't even playback the shows I had saved on the DVR. I can't see how this is any real benefit.

But obviously I'm excited, and can't wait to not have to pay so much money every month.

Participant Observation 5/9/17 - Channel 9 Advertising on Foxtel??

A short post today, but something that struck me as unusual. Yesterday, I was watching the Fox Sports coverage of the cricket in Bangladesh, and I noticed a Channel 9 promo for the upcoming ashes tour.

What is a free to air station with a promo on Fox sports?

Are Channel 9 and Fox Sports in some type of rights sharing arrangement this summer, such as simulcast or replay rights? Was the promo limited only to Foxtel Now, where I was watching it? Does Channel 9 have a stake in Fox Sports, like they used to, or vice versa? Have Channel 9 just paid for an advertising spot on Fox Sports like any other advertiser? Has Cricket Australia been involved to try and promote the series after all the pay dispute nastiness?

These questions could be used in a formal interview with someone from Fox Sports or Channel 9 of CA?

Again, going on what was said to me the other day in an research interview with someone from subscription television about the relationship between broadcast partners, quite often these relationships are treated in reasonable spirit, and are less antagonistic than what I first imagined.

--------------

Postscript: 17 September 2017

So I was later able to capture the Channel 9 promos on my mobile phone while watching the cricket:

My thought is that Channel 9 have paid for these spots, but it may also be some kind of in-kind promo placement to sweeten the relationship between 9 and Fox Sports ahead of cricket negotiations this summer, or as Fox Sports may sell-off it's AFL game to a free-to-air broadcaster.

Participant Observation 2/9/17 - Broadcaster Relationships and Sharing Vision

While watching the final round of AFL last week, I was struck by the appearance of Fox Footy commentators on the Friday night Channel 7 coverage. Clearly this is unusual, but was probably facilitated by the broadcasters due to the significance of the situation, as three AFL greats were retiring. Two of them were Western Bulldogs players, Matt Boyd and Bob Murphy, and a former Bulldog is also one of the Fox Footy commentary team, Brad Johnson:

What is significant is that during one of my research interviews this week, someone with close knowledge of broadcaster relationships said that it was in the best interests for broadcasters to work like this together, with the understanding that branding elements would be removed. In this example, the commentator is using 'generic' AFL branded microphone cubes, rather than Channel 7 or Fox Footy cubes. However, I think the Channel 7 commentators still used Channel 7 cubes - perhaps this was an oversight, something more antagonistic, or perhaps it was an agreed on stipulation between the two broadcasters.

Evidence though perhaps of a correlation between my own data and practical application!