Premier League Sets Stage For Illegal Webcasts, Blames Broadband

from the bad-defense dept

Technology is often a scapegoat for unapproved behavior, especially by those who fail to exploit it themselves. Witness the U.K.'s Premier League, which is finally noticing that fans are watching unsanctioned internet-based streamed broadcasts of their favorite soccer/football matches. League officials point to the advent of broadband as the enabling factor, completely ignoring their own role in creating this situation: they have a policy that bans live broadcasts, television or otherwise (stubbornly fearing that the broadcasts will discourage attendance and diminish gate receipts). So rather than acknowledging that they have driven demand underground and perhaps figuring out a way to satisfy it and actually make money off live broadcasts, they instead blame the technology and set out to prevent its use. Of course, chasing and shutting down these sites, as they've started doing, will likely prove a hopeless and futile task as fans find ways around it. Even worse, they're considering suing some of the streaming sites to "set a precedent." Misunderstand your fans and then alienate them -- now there's a winning strategy.