Fan Channels: the elephant in the room

Is the criticism of AFTV fair? – firstemploy.co.uk

Since Gary Neville used the word ‘embarrassing’ to describe Arsenal fans on Arsenal Fan TV slating Arsene Wenger, the subject of fan channels has captured national interest.

Robbie, the voice of AFTV and perhaps fan channels more generally, has responded strongly. He argues that his channel gives committed, ordinary supporters a voice in a footballing world that was otherwise becoming corporate and disconnected.

While there is merit in that claim, it would be naïve to think that his motives are solely altruistic. There are regular speakers on there who have well-documented personal problems – as we all do at certain points in life – that make it unfair for them to be watched by thousands of people. Also, on a video on Ellis Platten’s Away Days, former AFTV contributor James spoke of a lack of communication and respect.

However, it is important to also look at it from the perspective of the producers of fan channels. While the nature of football coverage is changing, the transparency of opportunities to earn is dwindling.

Social media and blogs are now more popular than newspapers while fan channels threaten to overtake TV punditry. Customers have to pay for a newspaper and a TV subscription, but not necessarily for its rivals. And yet, bloggers and YouTubers often make as many personal and financial sacrifices to keep their project going as mainstream pundits and journalists.

A lot of the things we might justifiably deem immoral for YouTube – sensationalist titles, exaggerated arguments, shouting, exploitation, content divided into several parts – can help draw short-term attention and advertising revenue. That is the elephant in the room and much less of the above would happen on fan channels, if there were not financial opportunities that come with it. There is a similar theme in written journalism too.

Some, myself included, prefer channels that don’t do so much of the above such as Toffee TV and The Villa View. After Aston Villa’s fifth defeat in six games at Nottingham Forest, TVV’s Matt Lynch pledged to avoid an AFTV-esque rant and he simply provided an insightful and balanced reflection on the positives and negatives of his team’s performance.

In an ideal world, that is how all fan channels would be. In this world, money affects everybody’s daily life – many have to compromise principles to forge a career out of their caveated ‘labour of love’.