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To be honest the deal has hardly been a success and many of the sites have just become nothing other than a cheap market place with more betting news, auctions and CD sales than football news on them. Supporters are turning away from them in droves and that has been reflected in the huge increase of traffic on sites such as this. Some forward thinking clubs are already turning to the independent sites for help.
Supporters at clubs up and down the country have been tipping up extra money for the premium section of the site with Burnley’s being the first in the Nationwide League. One club Nottingham Forest have now decided to delay their ‘Forest World’ because of the latest worrying news.
Last night Preston chairman Derek Shaw threatened to take Preston’s official site back in house, Preston did have a particularly good official site before the NTL deal and although many clubs have today remained silent on the issue the Wolves Chief Executive Jez Moxey said,
"This is obviously a very worrying development on the back of the ITV Digital collapse, however, we’ve known about NTL’s financial problems for some time. Their approach to the Football League should come as no surprise.
"Football clubs can ill afford to lose any of their guaranteed income and if clubs are forced to suffer a drop in revenue from this Internet deal it would be another nail in the coffin to many clubs already in trouble."
Obviously the clubs will be waiting for inspired words from the Football League’s Chief Executive David Burns. Following talks with Premium TV Burns, who will now seek the views of the clubs, said:
"Both parties still hold a shared aim of delivering a stable and prosperous long-term future for their internet joint venture.
"However with the downturn in the technology, media and telecommunications market and with NTL undergoing a financial restructuring process via chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it is sensible that we have these discussions now to establish the viability of this ground-breaking twenty year venture so that it can fully deliver on its future commercial potential."
We can only wait to see the response to Burns from the clubs but there are strong suggestions already that the clubs will not stand for any renegotiation and will want their money. Then expect to see clubs walk away from this and follow the Preston lead and run their own sites.