jordsterr Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I realize that this topic looks like it's about Winter Guard and Indoor Drumline. It's not. It's about the fact that the Fan Network is now charging a huge amount to view the live webcasts from championships this year. I have always been a big proponent of the Fan Network and the value that one gets by paying for it. This year, the basic package without the live feed is $70. It's another $85 to buy the live feed for guard championships and ANOTHER $85 for percussion. I understand that this is an expensive activity. I also know that many folks will not be able to travel to Dayton to see their loved ones perform. Nevertheless, an increase of this magnitude is suspect. I am in favor of WGI (and DCI and BOA) being able to generate money in order to keep the business afloat, but this seems like a bad business model to me. Without the access to the live feeds, I'm currently not renewing my subscription. Just wondering if anyone else feels the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I realize that this topic looks like it's about Winter Guard and Indoor Drumline. It's not. It's about the fact that the Fan Network is now charging a huge amount to view the live webcasts from championships this year. I have always been a big proponent of the Fan Network and the value that one gets by paying for it. This year, the basic package without the live feed is $70. It's another $85 to buy the live feed for guard championships and ANOTHER $85 for percussion. I understand that this is an expensive activity. I also know that many folks will not be able to travel to Dayton to see their loved ones perform. Nevertheless, an increase of this magnitude is suspect. I am in favor of WGI (and DCI and BOA) being able to generate money in order to keep the business afloat, but this seems like a bad business model to me. Without the access to the live feeds, I'm currently not renewing my subscription. Just wondering if anyone else feels the same way. I always thought WGI was maybe under-priced as far as their Fan Network: meaning they could/maybe should charge more. I haven't looked into that in a few years so I don't know what the price was last year. Can you tell us what it used to be for reference? Is that $85 fee for the entire Championships week: prelims + finals of all classes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 A VIP pass for one of the weekends (which includes seats basically where the cameras are for ALL events) would run you over 200 dollars. 85 bucks for every single show over the weekend is pretty reasonable. You're talking about 12 hours of shows a day for three days straight. What would 36 hours of streaming world championship sports that otherwise don't have a broadcast cost you? WGI doesn't have FOX or ESPN backing them, so charging for the broadcast is about the only way to make the broadcast possible. 85$ is a pretty good deal, and the combination of that with the basic subscription isn't a huge hike from what the premium subscription cost last year. They also offer individual days and smaller packages for those that don't want to watch 36 straight hours of flags and or drums in a gym. Inflation is a b----. Things cost more money than they did even a few years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 It's only a value if you can afford it. Unfortunately, it depends on which side of the line you're sitting on. (Says the guy who got priced out of most things DCI long ago.) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Can you afford to go to the movies? That's usually around 10 bucks for 3 hours of content, not to mention you have to GO to the theater. For 85 dollars, you're getting 36 hours of content. For 20$ (about 2 movie tickets) you could get ALL of Thursday's broadcast for one of the activities. Afford is a relative term. You're choosing to spend your money elsewhere. That's fine, but you're not being "priced out". You're simply prioritizing your money differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjaydub Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Exactly... you can eat or you can watch drum corps. The choice is yours. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 A VIP pass for one of the weekends (which includes seats basically where the cameras are for ALL events) would run you over 200 dollars. 85 bucks for every single show over the weekend is pretty reasonable. You're talking about 12 hours of shows a day for three days straight. What would 36 hours of streaming world championship sports that otherwise don't have a broadcast cost you? WGI doesn't have FOX or ESPN backing them, so charging for the broadcast is about the only way to make the broadcast possible. 85$ is a pretty good deal, and the combination of that with the basic subscription isn't a huge hike from what the premium subscription cost last year. They also offer individual days and smaller packages for those that don't want to watch 36 straight hours of flags and or drums in a gym. Inflation is a b----. Things cost more money than they did even a few years ago. This isn't a result of inflation, it's a result of WGI raising the price quite a bit from one year to the next. The rate of the increase in price for this service is far above the national rate of inflation. We don't want to get started about the topic of inflation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 (edited) Can you afford to go to the movies? That's usually around 10 bucks for 3 hours of content, not to mention you have to GO to the theater. For 85 dollars, you're getting 36 hours of content. For 20$ (about 2 movie tickets) you could get ALL of Thursday's broadcast for one of the activities. Afford is a relative term. You're choosing to spend your money elsewhere. That's fine, but you're not being "priced out". You're simply prioritizing your money differently. Movies are "around" $16 on the East and West coast Urban areas that I've live in recently, so good job getting $10 tickets to the movies! Wow! I can see how many many people would be priced out of an $85 event because that's their monthly food budget. Yes, some people have monthly food budgets that low... Just shows me that the marching arts is no longer a "poor person's" activity; neither for the spectator nor the performer. More to think about... If it's worth it to the person and they can do it, great! But I don't think it's that inexpensive. Edited March 29, 2014 by jjeffeory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordsterr Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Again, I have long been an advocate for the Fan Network. I have always found it to be a solid value, even if I go months without using it. I even purchased the premium package last year. What bothers me this year is: 1) The price is quite high. 2) Separate high prices for guard and percussion 3) Neither one of those packages includes the archives To compare. This past season, I purchased the DCI Fan Network. It included all the archives, coverage of several non-broadcast events and a good number of live events including Semi-Finals. This was at a fair price of about $70. If I want all of that for WGI, the total cost would be about $240. Yes, this includes Finals. I'm a reasonable person, and I have no problem paying a small premium for that. This is just a significant premium and a huge increase from last year. I realize that WGI includes many high school kids whose parents will pay it, but it's a sticker shock that has turned me off. Let me be clear, I have been a big supporter and advertiser to my network of people of this product and its value. Now, I feel irritated. Here's another comparison. I can purchase MLB.TV and watch EVERY baseball game this season streamed live for $110.00. I get that it costs money to stream this stuff, but let's be real. Just to get the 6 days of coverage for WGI is $170, but EVERY baseball game is $110. I'm a WGI/DCI/BOA apologist, but this is not cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I always thought WGI was maybe under-priced as far as their Fan Network: meaning they could/maybe should charge more. I haven't looked into that in a few years so I don't know what the price was last year. Can you tell us what it used to be for reference? Is that $85 fee for the entire Championships week: prelims + finals of all classes? yeah it's $85 for all 3 days. So if you want guard and percussion, it's $170.that's brutal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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