Long-time listeners of the popular Irish sports brand 'Off The Ball' have expressed strong reactions to the recent news that the show's content will now only be accessible behind a paywall, after it has been uploaded onto various social media platforms.
The podcast network, website, and daily radio show are broadcast nationwide on Newstalk 106-108fm and have been running since their inception in 2002.
OTB Sports airs a three-hour-long sports review and analysis show from 7pm on Monday to Thursday on Newstalk, reaching audiences across Ireland and online. The show is also live from 7pm on Friday for two hours, and from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday for five hours.
The show covers a wide range of sports, including soccer, GAA, rugby, tennis, golf, and more. Prominent Irish sporting figures like Ronan O'Gara, Brian O'Driscoll, Kellie Harrington, and Ronnie O'Sullivan have all made appearances on the show over the years.
The content has always been freely available to watch back on YouTube, and there was also an option to listen via Spotify and Apple podcasts for long-time listeners. However, this is no longer the case.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the group would be transitioning to a monthly subscription service for listeners. For €9.99 a month, subscribers will gain access to exclusive ad-free on-demand content across Off The Ball, Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. This subscription includes 50 new podcasts per week, all of which will be ad-free.
🚨 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋 🚨
Ger Gilroy explains what is changing at Off The Ball, starting Wednesday morning | 👇
Your favourite voices on sport along with bonus content, sign-up offers and more will be available at https://t.co/zjoL9xmFEd pic.twitter.com/IKa5hYDT9d— Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 8, 2023
Ger Gilroy, Managing Director of Off the Ball, stated, “This move is about expanding our on-demand offering and providing sports fans with more of the content they love, whenever they want it."
“So whether you're a rugby fan, a soccer fan, into GAA, or any other sport – you're familiar with the great work we put out every week. Our goal is to grow this even further in the future and enhance our offerings. To achieve this, we need to continue investing in new broadcasting talent, better platforms, renowned personalities, and more live shows."
Fans of the show have shared mixed opinions about the group's shift to a subscription service.
One Twitter user commented, "It's a tough decision to move towards the paid model, but it's the right decision. €8 a month offers good value. When you break it down, it's quite comparable to what other organizations charge for this volume of content. Also, it's home to some of the best sports broadcasters in the country, in my opinion."
On the other hand, some have questioned the timing of the move. "Announcing a paywall 12 hours before it takes effect doesn't exactly communicate 'respect for our audience.' I genuinely hope it succeeds for them, but aside from Joe Molloy, the quality has been lacking in the past year or so, in my view," while another individual stated, "There's a plethora of quality content available. I've always enjoyed listening to Off The Ball podcasts during my drives, but I won't be subscribing. The show has plenty of ads, both during the live broadcasts and in the podcasts. Best of luck with the subscription model, but I won't be signing up myself."
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