Interesting thread. Nicely illustrative of the differing perspectives we bring to news of this sort.
(28-07-2024 14:48 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote: This bunce can't get their shit together on one channel let alone 2.
I'm not disputing the experiment, it was unnecessary, & the decision was more than likely made already.
Profit and loss is always key not just the number of interactions per se. And yes, it smells of a "Can we get away with this YET?" sort of experiment.
(27-07-2024 09:44 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote: I've see it quoted in this thread that BS make something in the region of 10% of their revenue from tv, I'm not sure how accurate that figure is, & I would argue that it would be hard to calculated the true value of tv exposure be it SKY or Freeview. If nothing else TV will direct casual viewers & callers to the web based area of their business which lends itself to sign-ups & regular spenders. They do doubt still make money off the on-screen pics & vids. I have no figures regarding the turnover of BS, but 10% will still be a considerable amount.
The 10% is the right answer to the wrong question at this point. (I don't know Rammy's source for the 10% figure either, but I'll take it as read for now.) It's a typically dumbed-down stat in any case (as you imply Boom) devoid of all nuance, meant to excuse all the changes we've seen when, in itself the caller downturn, doesn't necessitate anything like ALL the stuff BS have 'revised' in recent times. (Nevertheless, TV's influence on how the shows are truly consumed these days is, clearly, deeply on the wane - but more of that anon).
As to the central fact, surely the closure of another 900 channel can come as no surprise to anyone who's been around here for more than 5 minutes!? We've known for years that the TV shows were doomed. Their ultimate fate at BS was sealed from (at least) the moment that quoted figure began its steady decline (a good many years back now). (As Snooks was referencing, BS undoubtedly speeded the caller decline by weakening the standard service offered in return for their call rate.)
These days, tele is largely a weak profile sustaining platform for babes; its reach was once essential to the shows, but those days are now long gone. (Broadband's reach and the internet's pervasiveness were perhaps always set to see it off in the end.) Regardless, it's the
form the tele content took that's important, not the platform itself. That's what created this forum, what basically gave us a new the freaking genre of TV ffs, and what birthed a multitude of embarrassed jokes of sad solo male fumblings from many a stand-up comedian. In achieving these things, the shows became a unique part of the country's popular culture. And now 905's death is just another, entirely predictable, nail in that remarkable coffin.
Drilling down though, the more important question has long been NOT when will BS leave the 900s but,
how much do we want BS's web output to look like the tele stuff of old. Or, more practically, how much of online are we prepared to let look nothing like the shows on the box?!
...I'll counter the 10% stat with another at this point: 100% of XP's income comes without a single paywall leaving ANY fta stream black. Just how and why did BS's output end up looking so different to XP's? That's what makes the totality of the former's changes feel gerrymandered - like a product of design rather than demand. Intentional not organic. Meanwhile, taking the altogether opposite route, XP have clearly survived to this point
by ensuring caller and their fta visuals remain of prime - if not exclusive - importance. (Actually, it's probably a good job these last surviving operators are so different in outlook at this point; likely offering something starkly different to BS is helping XP right now.)
Boom's second comments above come to the fore when things are viewed from this pov. And a very relevant query hoves into view along side them: How much of BS's revenue comes from babes maintaining active fta content? (Active=with more than just a babe staring into space waiting for some mug to click Private!) Alongside such a question the 10% reference looks like propaganda! The other is the real figure we need to know.
It has to be a much bigger figure than 10% (because it includes all of Rammy's 10% for one) but of course it's impossible for us to formulate further. In fact, I'm pretty sure even BS can only guess at the true measure because it's not something that can be easily calculated is it? I'm mean, the answer lies not in balance sheets but in each interactor's head! Dubious assumptions don't play when we get down to the individual's horn levels and inspirational motivators!
So... Do BS want to do away with
active fta in the future? I think that's a far more intriguing question than 'When will the inevitable end of their TV presence happen?' Are they arrogant enough to think they can survive where so much other adult stuff has gone by the wayside with similar thinking? Thinking that they knew best about ever more restricted access being required... similar downfall? Is that path inevitable for them now?!