CELTIC TV QUIETLY REVERSES IDIOTIC MEDIA POLICY
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
Well, I hate to say I told you so, but I did indeed forecast mere weeks ago that Celtic’s ill-fated experiment with making content fans are used to seeing for free on YouTube exclusive to subscribers to the utter mess that is Celtic TV, was doomed to fail.
No doubt the club will try to frame this as “we’re listening and willing to learn” or at least that’s what they’ll tell Chat GPT to say for them.
The truth is this was a textbook case of greed ruling over common sense and it could only ever end this way.
Celtic TV Brings Back Full Videos on YouTube But Will it Last?
As of this week, no doubt in response to the reception of their nameless Saturday night “statement”, which was about as well received as an order for Communion Wine down at the Bristol Bar, Celtic have dropped their previous policy of showing one-minute-long snippets of videos, before none too subtly encouraging fans to “subscribe to Celtic TV for more”.
Instead, they’ve returned to the way it has been for years, showing the full content on YouTube where fans can access it freely.
Some would say the club deserve credit for this. But rather than say “thank you” to Celtic’s media team (all 30 of them apparently!) I would instead say: “Thank yourselves, for undoing a problem that was entirely of your own creation.”
Also, while I’m on a rant, Celtic better not try and pull this nonsense again once they think the fans have “calmed down a bit”!
In my previous post on this subject I likened it to the insidious greed of microtransactions that has crept into modern video games, and over a period of time become normalized.
There was resistance and back-pedaling from publishers in that sphere initially as well. However, over time, they pushed the envelope that little bit more, year by year, and eventually normalized the “nickel and diming” as my American friends would say of consumers.
We must remain vigilant to make sure Celtic’s 30-strong media team, and the current occupants of the boardroom don’t try to stealthily pull this same stunt again next season, or perhaps even later on this season.
Like I said, paywalling of content fans have come to expect for free is greed, pure and simple. You can’t take something that was freely available and just expect people to accept that they now have to pay for it.
Instead, I hope Celtic’s team of 30 in the media department will refocus their efforts on how to improve Celtic TV and add genuine value to the subscription.
That’s how you generate more revenue and also build stronger goodwill from existing customers like myself. And if I’m being entirely honest, I only use Celtic TV because there is no other, legal means for me to watch Celtic games here in Japan. If there were, I wouldn’t hesitate to cancel the service.
I know from speaking with friends in Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore and Korea that I’m certainly not the only one who feels this way.
