Manning Speaks to Davidson

[OgtheDim]

Manning speaks to Davidson

http://www.metronews.ca/sports/2016/...the-field.html

Worth the Read

Among the tidbits,

Season ticket renewals are at 87 per cent, compared to 72 per cent at the same time last year. Manning believes the final figure will be more than 90 per cent — compared to 84 per cent last year — which will put the franchise among the league leaders.

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Fans are also attending more games. The team tracks both paid attendance and the actual turnstile count at BMO Field. The gap between the two narrowed by 3,000 each game this season even though paid tickets were only up 1,500 a match.

[ensco]

Excellent article. Thanks.

I have always believed the Saturday night schedule would be a failure, and it was - ratings are down, in a year when you spent much of the season in first place.

I suggest Sunday night, even though there is always an ESPN MLB game picked up by TSN on Sunday nights. You just lose too many people to date night, cottages etc on Saturday night.

[MightyDM]

Great post. We ( Red Patch Boys) should get something on his wall, pronto.

[Redcoe15]

I'd personally hate for the home games to be on a Sunday night, as it would wreak havoc on any quick weekend getaway trips for me to attend a match in Toronto.

[RPB_RED_NATION_RPB]

I'd personally hate for the home games to be on a Sunday night, as it would wreak havoc on any quick weekend getaway trips for me to attend a match in Toronto.

Agreed

[OgtheDim]

Excellent article. Thanks.

I have always believed the Saturday night schedule would be a failure, and it was - ratings are down, in a year when you spent much of the season in first place.

....

Manning indicated the opposite is happening

On the TV front, Manning tried to offer fans and broadcasters consistency this season with the majority of TFC home games scheduled for Saturday evenings. Those garnered the best ratings with away games and home games at other times producing lower ratings.

That suggests Saturday nights are here to stay.

[Ponderosa]

Excellent article. Thanks.

I have always believed the Saturday night schedule would be a failure, and it was - ratings are down, in a year when you spent much of the season in first place.

I suggest Sunday night, even though there is always an ESPN MLB game picked up by TSN on Sunday nights. You just lose too many people to date night, cottages etc on Saturday night.

Simple solution...Saturday game = Date night (preferably starting off @Joes :-) ...boom!

[ensco]

Manning indicated the opposite is happening



That suggests Saturday nights are here to stay.

Actually he didn't, read it again. Manning said ratings are down, in the next paragraph.

[Red CB Toronto]

Excellent article. Thanks.

I have always believed the Saturday night schedule would be a failure, and it was - ratings are down, in a year when you spent much of the season in first place.

I suggest Sunday night, even though there is always an ESPN MLB game picked up by TSN on Sunday nights. You just lose too many people to date night, cottages etc on Saturday night.

I have always said it people and in this case marketers underestimate the power of the cottage. From May thru September weekends up in Muskoka etc are just not going to sacrificed to head down for a soccer game. Even if this intention was to go, know how often I have gotten the noon call on a Saturday from friends with a game that evening that their plans have changed. It's just a fact of life, TFC just does not have the same hold on a lot of people that it does for most of us here, even if they are season ticket holders. You would be surprised at how high the number of unused tickets there for some games.

[TFC07]

Attendance is up thanks to games being schedule on Saturday nights. TV ratings is down because games are being played on SN360/SNone and TSN2 while TV networks aren't promoting MLS much.

[Red CB Toronto]

Attendance is up thanks to games being schedule on Saturday nights. TV ratings is down because games are being played on SN360/SNone and TSN2 while TV networks aren't promoting MLS much.

Attendance and TV are two completely different beasts. You can't really compare them interns of how you nurture and build them.

[Pookie]

Excellent article. Thanks.

I have always believed the Saturday night schedule would be a failure, and it was - ratings are down, in a year when you spent much of the season in first place.

I suggest Sunday night, even though there is always an ESPN MLB game picked up by TSN on Sunday nights. You just lose too many people to date night, cottages etc on Saturday night.

Doesn't the Jays attendance on weekends fly in the face of the cottage theory? Date night maybe but 45-50k make it down to the game. Lots more to do in the area of course but they go.

I'd also say that if it's true that TFC attracts a younger 416 demographic, are millennials really owning cottages when they can't scrape together enough for a mortgage? Or when they rely on public transportation for day to day, are they taking a bus to the cottage?

Of course, they could be going to parent's cottages or carpooling but I don't think in numbers significant enough to affect attendance/ratings in a negative way.

Maybe what they need is something like 5pm start times or Saturdays or Sundays. Give people enough time to funnel out of the Jays. Game would be over by 7, which gives time to go home and still head out for an evening on the town.

[OgtheDim]

TFC supporters are not necessarily Jays fans and I see no reason to switch times to adjust to them during a season that will be back to being stretched out over March through October.

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Manning indicated the 7 pm Saturdays got the most attendance and ratings. Thus ratings are not down due to that time, they are down due to something else. That date and time will likely continue.

&

Cottage time is a Baby boomer reality, a Gen X dream and a Millenial history lesson.

[ensco]

We are talking TV. I fully agree that a successful TFC can sell tickets on Saturday night in the summer. A successful TFC will have 25K or more in the summer, anytime they play.

Manning is being careful with his choice of words, because these topics involve lots of people, have loud advocates, both TV and the sales side of sports are big ego businesses, and most of all, his bosses (Bell and Rogers) are both are probably vetoing reasonable alternatives to protect their properties .... we get leftovers by design on TV.

He is clearly supporting appointment viewing. But I will wager anyone a pint that Saturday night is gone next year. That ratings decline can't be otherwise explained. Saturday night is TV death valley, unless you are HNIC.

Re the Jays, they are mostly not on TV on Saturday nights in the summer.

The cottage thing affects attendance and ratings a bit imho. It's not just cottages. People do more stuff on the weekends in the summer. It's a very meaningful factor re long term stickiness of SSH sales in more expensive seats, a totally separate issue. People are forgetting just how heavy the expensive seats were when the team wasn't good. As a guy who owned good seats for 6 years, I haven't. If you can't use them AND you can't give them away, there is a problem.

I suggest Sunday night. A random baseball game (mostly non Jays) is something a successful TFC can compete with on TV. But of course TSN wouldn't want that ... remind me again why the CRTC allowed Bogers to buy this? sigh

[MightyDM]

We are talking TV. I fully agree that a successful TFC can sell tickets on Saturday night in the summer.

Manning is being careful with his choice of words. He is clearly supporting appointment viewing. But I will wager anyone a pint that Saturday night is gone next year. That ratings decline can't be otherwise explained.

Re the Jays, they are mostly not on TV on Saturday nights in the summer.

i still like the 3 pm starts on lovely summer days. A few pints, home for dinner. And those with young kids can come to the game. Plus, tradition..

[Pookie]

i still like the 3 pm starts on lovely summer days. A few pints, home for dinner. And those with young kids can come to the game. Plus, tradition..

Unless they play soccer.

That was a main factor for us in giving up seats. As ensco highlights, you couldn't give away tickets for games you couldn't get to.

And with tournaments, coaching and the rest, getting to weekend days with afternoon starts was and is a headache.

[Joe Kool]

Unless they play soccer.

That was a main factor for us in giving up seats. As ensco highlights, you couldn't give away tickets for games you couldn't get to.

And with tournaments, coaching and the rest, getting to weekend days with afternoon starts was and is a headache.

Same for me. My son plays/practices soccer 4 days a week but never on Saturday evening so I was able to make more games this year. I had to miss games in the past when the Saturday games had earlier start times.

[ensco]

^Kids soccer is a big part of why I suggest Sunday night. I know the Saturday daytime problem, especially in May/June/September.

The Raps have a very interesting thing going with Sunday 6pm starts, TFC might consider that.

[Cas87]

Attendance is up thanks to games being schedule on Saturday nights. TV ratings is down because games are being played on SN360/SNone and TSN2 while TV networks aren't promoting MLS much.

Keeping Saturday night home games, while also potentially moving the TV contact for MLS in Canada to CBC would be the best impact for both parties.

CBC is more readily available (even in cottage country) and Saturday night promotes a night out for home games (for those with out a cottage).

[paul-collins]

Last year they had a lot more TSN coverage (if the listings on mlssoccer are to be believed), in that there were 13 games that were on all of TSN.

This year there were only a few that had more than one TSN channel, and I think the next one against Montreal is the first all year that has had more than two TSN channels. So TSN is in the habit of showing multiple properties at the same time, rather than trying to promote TFC.

There were 8 TSN2 (extra $) games this year, so of course the ratings would be low for those.

More exposure in the basic TSN tier will help, by which I mean less direct competition from other sister stations.

I found the Saturday night games to be great from both an attending and TV watching perspective.

[CBTFC]

I have From May thru September weekends up in Muskoka etc are just not going to sacrificed to head down for a soccer game.

Bingo.

I grew up on southern georgian bay about 20 minutes north of wasaga, and my family is still there.

I'm not going to sacrifice a weekend at the beach for TFC, a friend's birthday thing at some douche restobar, etc.

And since the game will be on TV anyways, nothing like a summer BBQ up on georgian bay to pair with it.

[TFC Tifoso]

the scheduling with Saturday night games was very bad for me, and I'd imagine a few others too.....basically it comes down to this.....there are so many things to do on a Saturday night in the summer, that its hard to justify writing off a night (or every Saturday night as it was) to come to BMO.....especially so if you're coming solo from outside the city core.....I've missed more games this year than in all other years combined.....had my tickets not been so cheap, I'd have to consider giving them up....

[GhostKiller]

I'd personally hate for the home games to be on a Sunday night, as it would wreak havoc on any quick weekend getaway trips for me to attend a match in Toronto.

Agree. Sat night games are fantastic for people to go out and make an evening out of it. Dates, nights with the boys, casual interested fans.
Sunday night people are resting up for work and probably all strung out from the weekend. Don't forget its a young demographic they are pulling from. I for one don't do shit on Sunday because I'm hungover or don't want to be hungover for Monday. Thats private time for me and the couch.

[C.Ronaldo]

I'd personally hate for the home games to be on a Sunday night, as it would wreak havoc on any quick weekend getaway trips for me to attend a match in Toronto.

your just helping the other teams attendance though.

sat games wreak havoc on family event, cottage weekends, dinner dates, summer bbqs etcc.

ill take friday night too, just not smack in the middle of the weekend

[OgtheDim]

Hmm...thinking this one through a bit more.

Any time is not going to be good for somebody. I have made a personal committment to get out to home games because I enjoy it so much. I'm not the only one. And I'm the sort of thing teams want to create - people who feel the need to be at games.
Some days I'm "Yee...HAW!!!! till I die."
Others I'm, "Gosh, I am that Colin Firth character in Fever Pitch."

No I don't expect everybody to be me.

Manning talked about the difference between tickets sold and tickets used being reduced this last season. That's the sort of commitment any event entertainment product wants. The question is how to create more people like me out of people who can get to games in the midst of their lives while still attracting new people. People get advanced degrees in this sort of stuff. I personally think the Saturday nights are the best chance to get the most people out and provide a great atmosphere that people will enjoy. But, its not the best night to change people from going to a few games to going to every game.

[Joe Kool]

Because we had the condensed home game schedule for the last two years due to the stadium construction we had alot more consecutive Saturday games in the nicer weather months. I suspect it will be more spread out next year again but probably still not enough for some. There is no perfect time for everyone. Glad it is not my job to figure it out.

[Dunkers]

I think the whole point with Saturday night games is to make TFC the event that you plan around and not the other way. If you are going to the cottage and having bbqs on Sat night, being a season ticket holder isn't want the TFC admin want from you. They want you to know you can turn on the TV on Saturday night and see a game at the cottage or at your bbq and if you don't have anything planned on a Saturday night, sure you can go to a game. If TFC is to broaden its appeal it needs to be consistent in its timing and insist that it is the most important event of the weekend (even if some don't see it that way). TFC brands the game day as a Saturday night event, so if people enjoy the product they will plan around that event. TFC shouldn't be something everyone does on a Sunday because there is nothing better to do. You will never get mass appeal with an approach like that.

[notthesun]

I suggest Sunday night. A random baseball game (mostly non Jays) is something a successful TFC can compete with on TV. But of course TSN wouldn't want that ... remind me again why the CRTC allowed Bogers to buy this? sigh

If the rumours of TSN dropping MLS and the rights being picked up by CBC are true, I think Sunday night is a given. As I said in the TV ratings thread, CBC will be broadcasting HNIC until at least the end of next year's NHL season. That puts Saturday nights completely out of the equation, since CBC doesn't have a TSN 2 equivalent to broadcast games/sports with less pull. Sunday hockey is broadcast on Sportsnet, so Sunday afternoons and evenings are fairly open for CBC. Sundays means TFC would compete against the odd NFL or CFL game, at worst a Jays game, and those are usually early afternoons if they're on Sunday. That's manageable.

In fact, with the CBC having trademarked Soccer Night in Canada, even putting up banner ads for it on their website (you can see one here for example on their MLS homepage), I would suggest this is already in the works.

[ensco]

If the rumours of TSN dropping MLS and the rights being picked up by CBC are true, I think Sunday night is a given. As I said in the TV ratings thread, CBC will be broadcasting HNIC until at least the end of next year's NHL season. That puts Saturday nights completely out of the equation, since CBC doesn't have a TSN 2 equivalent to broadcast games/sports with less pull. Sunday hockey is broadcast on Sportsnet, so Sunday afternoons and evenings are fairly open for CBC. Sundays means TFC would compete against the odd NFL or CFL game, at worst a Jays game, and those are usually early afternoons if they're on Sunday. That's manageable.

In fact, with the CBC having trademarked Soccer Night in Canada, even putting up banner ads for it on their website (you can see one here for example on their MLS homepage), I would suggest this is already in the works.

That is actually some good, plausible dot connection.

[ensco]

I could actually see the case for a weekly Wednesday night game. When I was a kid, in the 1970s, Wednesday night Leafs hockey on CFTO was a staple. (I think it moved to CHCH in the 80s)

Problem with that is that the rest of MLS is mainly on a weekend rotation, plus all the Concacaf games are midweek, so scheduling would be messy.

I don't love professional sports in the summer, and there is no amount of schedule juggling that will make it work on TV in July-August.

I wish MLS should move to the UEFA schedule, with a big winter break.