streaming platform – The Concordian

Is paying for sports streaming platforms worth it when you can watch games for free?

Illegitimate sports streaming sites are popular for a reason

No matter which sports you’re a fan of, chances are you’ve probably had to (at least once) find some sketchy website and stream a game there — whether it’s due to regional blackouts, the price of streaming subscriptions, or maybe you’re just a casual sketchy-website user.

Who even has cable nowadays? We all watch our favourite shows on Netflix, Disney+, etc. Now let’s add sports streaming services, especially if you watch more than one or two sports, and that can add up to over $100 per month just for the equivalent of watching TV.

Let’s be realistic, why would you pay for it if you can access it for free?

It kind of makes sense not to.

If you follow one sport, then getting a subscription might be worth it, especially considering how easy these platforms make it to find games and how good the quality usually is. But even then, there will always be inaccessible games because of blackouts, which makes resorting to non-legit streams the only way to watch certain games. Another well-known bypass is to use a VPN to access other markets’ broadcasts, but that means spending even more money.

Saturday 3 p.m. blackouts in the U.K. make it so there are no soccer games being broadcast live on TV from 2:45 to 5:15 p.m.

So how are soccer fans supposed to watch these games? Well, they can find a way to watch international broadcasts instead.

However, there is more to sports games than just watching people chase a ball (or puck) and score points.

The cultural aspect of sports plays a big part in the fan experience, and a part of that experience is felt through commentary during games. That can include the language the broadcast is in, the location, and the commentators’ knowledge about the teams’ history and traditions.

All that can easily be lost when you are watching an international (or national) broadcast with people who aren’t used to those teams, and it almost makes the game lose its charm.

At the end of the day, there is a reason why those illegitimate websites exist and are so popular, particularly when subscription options decrease and prices increase.

The only way for people to consider legit streaming platforms exclusively would be reasonable prices and guaranteed access to all games. However, I doubt we’re getting there anytime soon. So in the meantime, do what you will with what you have.

Vithèque, a self-proclaimed digital anti-giant, offers access to more than 2,000 titles

Since Spring of 2019, the online streaming service Vithèque has been available to students of the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema through the school’s library website. The new platform is now on a campaign to encourage Concordia students to use it. They have been touring the university’s classes and advertising their services all November.

Vithèque has been serving as the online streaming platform of Vidéographe since 2017. It is a film production and distribution company that was founded as a division of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) in 1971. Two years later, Vidéographe became independent of the NFB, and has been growing ever since. While they don’t directly produce as much content themselves nowadays, they still help Quebec artists push the boundaries of experimental filmmaking and video art. They offer workshops, residency programs, bursaries, equipment and more.

Their work encompasses animation, multimedia art, video essays, documentary, dance videos and some fiction. Their new platform, Vithèque, brings together their entire archive, and makes it available to their subscribers.

“We’re a good alternative to mainstream streaming services such as Netflix, because not only is our offer more interesting if you’re looking for more specific auteur films, […] Vithèque also pays the artists better,” said Karine Boisvert, who put together the platform for Vidéographe.

She added that 50 per cent of the platform’s revenues go directly to the content creators. Vithèque and Vidéographe function like NGOs; their main goal is to give back to the community of artists they work with. The other half of the revenue helps to keep the platform functioning, extending their public and funding additional services for artists.

“It’s the subscribers and agreements with schools and libraries which allow us to keep expanding,” said Boisvert. “Since the beginning, Concordia seemed like an important collaborator for us, along with UQAM, because of its large film program and interest in experimental filmmaking.”

Pierre Falardeau, Robert Morin, Anne Émond, Pierre Hébert and Sylvie Laliberté are among the most well-known artists to have their work available on Vithèque. The platform’s website claims it hosts films “documenting key events in contemporary Quebec, such as the workers movement, the October crisis, the feminist movement, counterculture and LGBTQ2+ affirmation.”

Some video installations which Montrealers might have seen in a gallery or museum could also very much be found on Vithèque. For example, Chloë Lum and Yannick Desranleau’s What Do Stones Smell Like in the Forest, which was displayed at the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) this summer, is also available on the website.

Vidéographe adds about 30 new titles to its collection every year. Whether it be to deepen their research or just to explore Quebec experimental film history, at home, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, Concordia students now have access to an even wider array of possibilities.

For more details, visit https://vitheque-com.lib-ezproxy.concordia.ca/en/home.