Ringier examines new sports broadcasts for Blick TV
Blick TV could soon become a secondary distributor of sports rights. This should give new impetus to the - according to NZZ am Sonntag - moderately launched web TV project.
The obligation of prominent sports figurehead Steffi Bucheli has given rise to rumors that Ringier could enter the race for live rights to the soccer and ice hockey leagues with Blick TV. Under Bucheli's leadership, UPC has secured all rights to the top ice hockey league with the pay TV channel MySports, among other things, and has thus shaken SRG's dominance. (Werbewoche.ch reported).
In the future, will Ringier also be vying with players such as Swisscom (Teleclub), UPC (MySports) or Sky for the coveted live sports rights so that Blick TV can broadcast soccer and ice hockey matches? According to the assessment of the NZZ on Sunday an unlikely scenario. The reason: With Blick TV, Ringier is focusing on smartphone screens, which are not very suitable for playing matches.
Content tailored to the smartphone
Nevertheless, Ringier is flirting with the attractive sports segment and is looking into launching new formats for which it would act as a secondary exploiter of sports rights. Sports formats designed for the smartphone are conceivable, "for example, soccer and ice hockey shows - concise, to the point," says Ringier CEO Marc Walder, who played a key role in promoting and being responsible for the launch of Blick TV.
It would therefore be possible to show broadcasts à la "Alle Spiele, alle Tore" ("All the games, all the goals"), in which experts discuss the rounds of matches, and all the relevant scenes from the games and interviews are shown. Blick.ch has already shown similar match summaries in recent years and has entered into cooperations with Teleclub and DAZN for this purpose.
Viewers click away during moderated posts
The new sports offering could help boost Blick TV's appeal and thus its user numbers. The NZZ on Sunday Ringier has been satisfied with the course of business so far since the Launch in February 2020 "is "moderately satisfied. The smoothly functioning technical processes give little cause for concern. However, the company is disillusioned with the development of video reports embedded in Blick.ch reports. These are cut out of the Blick TV broadcasts and often include an introduction first. This apparently leads to many viewers clicking away prematurely, while the unmoderated contributions before the launch of Blick TV enjoyed great popularity.
How the NZZ on Sunday writes, Ringier has now set up a steering committee to get to the bottom of problems. The planned sports shows could help keep viewers tuned in longer.
