Cluch managing director Gus Seebeck has expressed his elation after sealing the National Premier Leagues deal that will see over 1,850 matches broadcasted.
The deal involves Football Victoria, Football NSW, Football South Australia, and Capital Football, with NPL Men’s, NPL Women’s, and youth team football to be shown on the platform.
“No doubt, it’s enormous for our platform,” said Seebeck when speaking to Kick360.
“I think the real opportunity is for not only each individual NPL competition and football member federation but for the game as a whole at that level to really start to develop new insights into the audience once it is aggregated right across the country.
“What we have been talking about with each federation from the outset is the value of aggregated data, so that it can be taken to new partners potentially and really elevate the individual competitions when they all come together to be a part of a much greater whole.
“From our perspective, what we are hoping to achieve and to bring is a level of value, and as I said a level of values and data is truly only available through true centralisation and aggregation on a platform like ours where we can drill into a lot more detail about who is watching, how they are watching and then ultimately provide that value back to each federation, competition, and ultimately to each club.”
Seebeck ensured fans that Cluch is committed to ensuring a brilliant viewing experience for all NPL fans, asserting that live football can be viewed on a myriad of devices.
“Users should feel like when they are on the new NPL TV service that it operates as seamlessly as we expect from a lot of other streaming services.
“When they start to watch the content over the course of the coming season, it will be instantly recognisable as NPL TV content, and there will be a level of consistency and quality. That really is what we are aiming to bring to help everybody improve.
“Doing that across whatever device they choose to use at the time which is more convenient for them, if they are at home, you would imagine their 65-inch TV on the wall, if they are at the office, it might be on their laptop, and obviously if they are on the move, that will be on a tablet or mobile phone, but ultimately a premium experience across every one of those devices.”
Cluch Radio will also be a large part of the agreement, with live radio commentaries for selected matches set to start next week.
“Radio is a big part of everything that we do, because we know that not everyone is always able to watch the live pictures. Sometimes they might be in the car, or sometimes they might not be in a position to be able to watch the live pictures, but they still want to engage with the live games.
“Really, the only way to do that is through an audio or radio call. Wherever possible, we’ll be aiming to provide audio options as well as video options, and then of course outside of the live games, then reviews and preview shows and podcasts will enable a greater depth and analysis with discussion, and we aim to do that every week across the season.”
Cluch’s foray into football via the NPL agreement will not stop here, as Seebeck hopes that the organisation can cement itself into broadcasting the sport well into the future.
“Look, we’re always on the lookout for any content opportunities at this particular level that can help add real value back to the leagues and the clubs. We’ve certainly seen that happen in other sports and we’ve successfully engaged in competitions that we would consider to be a similar level.
“Ultimately, I think that it’s a great thing for fans that there is so much competition around football rights now, because I think we see a genuine improvement in all of the services because they get compared to each other and ultimately fans have an expectation of quality and user experience that everybody has to meet.
“Competition makes us all better, and ultimately it’s the clubs, players, and fans that benefit the most from that. Not only do you mention a competition like that, but we’re also looking to drive further down into the community and grassroots as well where we have engaged with community-based National Premier Leagues in 2021 and we’re certainly looking to expand on that.“
The NPL season will commence on the 17th of February, when Heidelberg United will travel to Lakeside Stadium to face South Melbourne.
