‘pathetic’ – Have Bromley Misjudged BFC TV Rebrand?

August 17, 2026 James Gregory League One 0

(Image credit: @bromleyfc)

With Bromley Football Club having recently rebranded Bromley FC+ to BFC TV, have they misjudged this rebrand following divisive criticism from fans?

In a world where sport clubs can now boost finances by offering their own subscription-based streaming services, it is natural that lower-league clubs see this avenue as a major economic opportunity to reach new global audiences.

There however is a balance between reaching new international audiences and not alienating a loyal domestic-based audience, which is something that Bromley successfully managed with their Bromley FC+ service for international audiences whilst utilising their YouTube channel for domestic supporters.

Launched initially in September 2024 as an live audio commentary platform before evolving into a video streaming service just five months later, Bromley FC+ certainly proved an integral part in the club’s audience expansion in overseas territory during their promotion and title-winning 2025-26 season.

This summer however saw the service undergo a huge rebrand in a move which has certainly proven divisive with domestic supporters, so you have to wonder whether Bromley have misjudged their rebrand to BFC TV?

 

Subscription Fee Offers Value for Money

As is natural given the rising costs within the broadcast media industry, the club altered their subscription fees which used to be at the following prices across separate live audio and video (restricted to international only due to domestic rights) tiers;

Live Audio Tier
Product Price
Individual Match Pass £2.50
Monthly Match Pass £5
Annual Match Pass £45
International Live Video Tier
Product Price
Individual Match Pass £10.00
Monthly Match Pass £25
Annual Match Pass £170

Both tiers have now been integrated into the new BFC TV service with the individual match passes axed, but the monthly pass is now priced at £9.99, which is a reasonable price when could of easily charged more given that the total of monthly audio and video passes put together amounts to £30 under the old systems.

The annual audio and video passes meanwhile would of totalled £215 when combined under the old separate systems, which actually puts the £108 annual pass price into perspective because buyers will save over £100 when could of been tempting to stick with the annual video match pass value with audio added in.

Savings of £20.01 and £107 on the monthly and annual passes respectively therefore actually offers better value for money, more so on the monthly subscription because you can save £8.10 if only subscribe for the actual season which totals £99.90 and cancel across June-July.

The UK though is currently in the grips of a cost of living crisis so to ask domestic supporters to shell out a monthly subscription on top of new kits (priced at £55 for adults and £38 for children – excluding additional £1.50 cost per letter print, capped at 10 letters) and season ticket prices is a big ask.

The club’s rise into League One also means more expensive away ticket prices which will stretch budgets for some supporters even further, before factoring in cup matches – not included in season ticket – which have varied costs depending on how deep the club goes in individual cup competitions.

Aside from the effective cost-savings, the club have also released a new app which is a huge positive in terms of expanding reach across devices, given that many young audiences nowadays use phone or tablets and will be particularly welcome by those demographics aboard in terms of watching live matches on the move.

 

Divisive Domestic Support

Whilst the new service is clearly suitable for international audiences, there is surely a feeling that the club has neglected the domestic support base as evidenced by mixed responses across social media, as some suggested alternative free ways to watch highlights and others offered creative ideas to appease fans.

X user – @t_g1000 pointed out that highlights are “free” on YouTube without spending further money.

Fellow X user, @erbromleyfc meanwhile expressed his view that “putting post game interviews and highlights behind a paywall is pathetic.”

@FPL_Liger meanwhile has called for the club to use common sense and strike a balance between chasing revenue and providing a cost-effective option for those unable to pay for various personal reasons, as he suggested full-version interviews on BFC TV and shorter-versions on the club’s YouTube channel.

@Stevemaile9 alternatively suggested that BFC TV subscription should be included as a free add-on for season-ticket holders, whilst echoing the sentiments of YouTube and alternative means of watching highlights.

Across on Facebook in the Bromley FC (Ravens Mad) Fans Forum, fans were susceptible to the rebrand referencing the UK’s cost of living crisis and whether season-ticket holders should be given a special reduced offer on the subscription fees.

A member of Bromley FC Fan Group, Luke Willbourn added in the wake of Saturday’s maiden League One victory at Barnsley that he feels “great frustration” at having “to pay for the privilege” to watch post-match interviews, and echoed calls for season-ticket holders to have free access.

 

Value for Money But Compromises Needed

On the whole, there is logic behind the rebrand with the merging of audio and video services into one integrated service in order to reach global audiences, which is reflected in the subscription prices offering value for money – which is one of the biggest complimentary positives alongside the app.

I however do think that the club misjudged the timing of the rebrand slightly in terms of wider social context on a domestic level, as the country faces a cost of living crisis meaning that not many domestic supporters can afford a subscription amidst rising costs of food, heating and etc.

We also shouldn’t ignore the fact that the club’s careless handling of the rebrand has played right into the hands of independent websites like From Bromley with Love, and even national websites like the BBC who would of enjoyed an increase in fans wanting cheaper or free club-related content.

The club therefore should of considered the likely responses from domestic fans and had potential solutions in place to counteract the inevitable backlash, like free or reduced subscription fee for season-ticket holders or even compromising on full content on BFC TV and shortened versions on YouTube.

I also noticed that one fan in a supporters’ group on Facebook stated that there wasn’t a consultation with fans on the rebrand, which is pretty disappointing because fans are the heart of clubs and deserved a say in a rebrand like this given the price changes and account disruptions.

The club therefore need to learn from this experience because it simply misjudged the rebrand in terms of domestic social context timing, yet it was perfectly timed on an international level with the new season whilst lack of fan consultation and compromises shows greed and price of success.

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