Celtic announce new media initiative and revenue stream

By John McGinley

August 12, 2021

Celtic are selling a pay-per-view stream for tonight’s match at home to Jablonec in the UEFA Europa League.

The announcement represents a new media strategy for the club, with matches previously reserved to Celtic TV subscribers or the Pass To Paradise for season ticket holders.

Tonight’s match is not on that Pass To Paradise, meaning the only legal way to watch the Jablonec match tonight if you are not in attendance or a subscriber to the club’s channel is via this PPV stream.

It costs £9.99 and is available to purchase at ppv.celticfc.tv.

Obviously, it remains to be seen how much uptake on this there will be, but it could represent a new revenue stream to the club if they decide to do this regularly.

We’ve seen rival clubs regularly sell matches on a pay-per-view basis, but Celtic had so far refused to offer it as an option, even throughout the locked out pandemic period.

Celtic experimentation vs Jablonec is welcome

Tonight’s match was a sell-out, so there is a demand to watch the match. This PPV service offers an easier route than signing up for a yearly Celtic TV membership, for those in the UK & Ireland who can’t travel.

Some may scoff at the price and the fact fans are paying for a lot right now, but at £9.99 the match is priced reasonably and will be convenient for many. Creating more revenue streams for the club should be welcomed at a time every penny counts.

Ultimately, if people don’t want to pay it, they won’t and if it’s a good service, they will. It’s an interesting experiment we’ll hopefully see more of.

In other news, Celtic fans think they’ve got to the bottom of Charlie Adam’s ludicrous Odsonne Edouard valuation.