Chivas TV: Pros and Cons of the new Chivas streaming service

So it's finally here, Chivas TV. The team-only pay-to-watch-channel for all Chivas fans. After weeks of speculation, Chivas TV has finally been announced. Though many questions were answered in the announcement by Jose Luis Higuera, there is still some questions lingering for many of us. Since the announcement of Chivas TV, rumors flew all over social media. Some of those rumors were about viewing formats, others about content, and the most popular rumor was always about pricing. Was it going to be free? How much would it be? Will it be only via internet? Will I watch games via cell phone only? Why do I have to pay for something that I used to get for free? The questions were countless. After the announcement, we know for a fact many will love this idea and many will hate it. So what are the pros and cons for Chivas TV?

Pros: Chivas Only Channel
Any Chivas fan would love a Chivas only channel. Who wouldn't love to get all access to their favorite team? This is just the beginning, but in the presentation for Chivas TV, Higuera mentioned all access to pre-game as well as post game shows. I'm sure that with time more Chivas all access shows will be presented. Possibly live streaming of practices? Mid-week press conferences? Friendly games that are not shown on national TV? The ideas are endless, we just have to wait and see what Chivas TV has to offer.

Cons: Price
Everyone and their momma is talking about the price. Before Chivas TV even launched, countless rumors circulated on what would be the price for Chivas TV. The price was finally announced and people were not very happy. Total Access to Chivas TV, which includes nine local games, Liguilla games, Copa MX games, pre-game/post-game coverage, and game replays, will be $1,550 pesos per season (about $83.90 US dollars). All access for the whole year will run for $2,750 pesos ($148 US dollars).

Now for many of us here in the U.S., it's not that bad, as well for many in Mexico. Some people will be perfectly okay with this price. But what about for those who earn minimum wage in Mexico? Many of those fans don't have the luxury to pay these amounts to watch their team on TV. Now I'm not trying to get into "social issues" here, it's just a fact that paying extra for a futbol game will affect many. Chivas is a business, simple as that. People often fail to realize that in the end of it all, it's a money making business. But it also feels wrong to charge this much for games that used to be free for many. We all know of the difficulties for some families in Mexico.Paying to watch a game will probably not be a priority. But also it's not the end of the world, as harsh as it sounds, watching a game on TV is NOT a priority. If you can't afford it, then don't pay it. It's incredible how all of a sudden many Mexican journalists have become activist and demand everything to be free. *lights up cigar with $100 bill*

Pros: No Televisa
What was more satisfying hearing that Vergara and Co. would not accept a new contract with Televisa? As we all know, Televisa owns Club America. As Chivas fans, we definitely don't want anything associated with that team. Most of us speculated that with the breakup with Televisa, there was a possibility Chivas would move over to ESPN, Fox Deportes, or even TV Azteca. Though none of those networks landed the TV rights for the goats, the breakup with Televisa, in simple terms, just feels good man.

Cons: Internet only/one device only
Chivas TV will be internet only streaming. Even Higuera mentioned that connecting your computer to your TV via HDMI is very simple. Yeah of course it's simple for those of us that know about technology. What about the old school grandpa who doesn't even know what internet is? (I'll get into this one later). Now I'm not 100% sure on this, but apparently Chivas TV will only be available through one device only. If that's the case would we be able to pay for the service but only have one device to watch it on? What if we are not home, with our paid subscription can we watch on our phone as well? We also know that internet streaming might not always be reliable. Many of us who saw the presentation yesterday saw that the live stream crashed many times. Most of the viewers had to jump on YouTube to be able to watch. Of course this was due to the amount of people watching at once, and it being the first time there is going to be plenty of room for adjustments. But the only one device per subscription will definitely be a deal breaker for me. If services are only limited to one single device only, I would probably skip on buying a whole season and stick to single game purchases.

Pros: US viewers won't have to deal with this until 2018
This is both a pro and a con. Our fellow Chivas fans in Mexico will be the guinea-pigs for this Chivas TV experiment. While us here in gringo-landia will still enjoy our game on TV via Univision. Univision still has a contract with Chivas for three more seasons (until 2018). I'm sure by 2018 we would know if Chivas TV was a success or total failure. But don't worry my fellow Goat Nation, you can still get a taste of Chivas TV for all access before and after games if you pay $10 bucks a month. For now, we can sit back and see how this experiment unfolds.

Cons: The old school generation
This was my biggest concern since the first day I heard about Chivas TV. That old school generation who grew up watching the games only on TV. What happens to them? I'll give you guys my example. My father has been a Chivas fan all his life. He's actually the reason I'm in love with this team. But my dad is old school, he doesn't want to deal with the internet, HDMI, WiFi, or watching on a phone. He wants to be able to sit back in his couch, turn on his TV, and kick back and watch a game, the same way he has done it for 25+ years. The day I explain to him Chivas TV will only be via internet will be the day he probably will only watch away games. Same goes to the older generation in Mexico. My grandfather, who used to love his futbol on TV, would sit on his couch, ask my aunt to turn on the TV to futbol and watch for hours. This generation of people I believe are the ones that are going to miss out the most. There is countless of examples related to this. I feel for that 50+ year old generation that will probably choose to skip on half the games in a season.

Even with the announcement of Chivas TV and all the details, there is still many questions left unanswered. Many of those questions will probably be answered months from now. Though I have weaker pros than cons with Chivas TV, I really do hope it's a success one way or another. Vergara and Co will go down either as the biggest innovators for Chivas TV, or as complete failures if Chivas TV doesn't work out. That said, Vergara is taking a risk. That is something he has done plenty and has succeeded, as well as failed in many of his decisions. All I can really say is "A for effort". If it doesn't work, then he has the resources and options of trying something else. But we have to give him credit, he is taking a risk on Chivas TV, which could be a start to a new way of watching the beautiful game and our beloved team.