Could the Premier League soon be available on a Netflix-style platform?
It would be a welcome change for fans, but will there be demand after a less entertaining season?
A Premier League version of Netflix will be launching in Singapore that could point towards the future of football streaming.
A subscription service known as Premier League Plus has been unveiled by CEO Richard Masters, and it’s inevitably going to raise speculation about whether something like this could at some point be launched in the UK.
As things stand, fans face paying for numerous different channels in order to be able to get their fix of Premier League football, so one streaming service with all the games would undoubtedly be preferable.
“From next season onward, from August, Premier League Plus is going to happen,” Masters said, as quoted by the Guardian. “For the first time the Premier League is going to have its own customers. We’re looking to build a business, but we’re also looking to learn to see how that might be replicable around the world.”
In this increasingly online world, it is surely only a matter of time before fans are given more control over their Premier League viewing, managing their subscriptions, and doing their online shopping all in one place, such as with a Neosurf card on Eneba.
Can the Premier League keep luring in viewers after less entertaining season?
One issue dominating the headlines at the moment is the relative quality and entertainment value of this Premier League season.
It hasn’t been a classic campaign, and many fans and pundits are bemoaning the tactical shifts towards set pieces and long balls after a decade or more of generally attack-minded and possession-based football from the best clubs.
Current league leaders Arsenal look like scrapping their way to the title on the back of a strong defence and winning ‘ugly’ through well-worked set-piece routines, rather than that old emphasis on flair players as the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have all been slightly disappointing.
Even Manchester City have ‘parked the bus’ at times this season, and have rarely looked like their free-flowing old selves as even big names like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden look to have gone backwards, while Rayan Cherki has provided some spark but without managing to establish himself as a regular starter.
If this carries on, it could be harder to sell the Premier League as a product, and it will be interesting to see if viewing figures could soon go down.
A ‘Premflix’-style service might have its advantages in that fans wouldn’t have to pay for as many different channels, but it’s also essential that we see more entertaining matches and great goals than has become the norm this season.