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World Cup prices affects coffee shops
Bryna Sim | The New Paper | Sun May 9 2010
Some coffee shop owners thinking of raising prices of drinks to cover costs of screening the tournament.
http://www.soshiok.com/article/11600
Singapore, May 9, 2010 - IT’S way too expensive. So we might not pay for the 2010 World Cup broadcast, say some coffee shop owners in Geylang.
That’s because airing the matches will cost them more than $14,000 each.
Madam Eunice Yeo, 55, and Mr Alvin Chan, 35, run 24-hour coffee shops next to each other at Geylang Lorong 15.
Both Madam Yeo’s Tai Say Eating House and Mr Chan’s Ming Li’s Seafood Eating House each have seven TV sets installed.
Both are popular with patrons as they regularly screen football matches all year around.
Madam Yeo and Mr Chan pay about $1,500 a month for both StarHub and SingTel sports packages. These enable them to screen EPL and Champions League matches.
According to SingTel and StarHub’s pricing rates for commercial establishments like coffee shops, it costs $2,888 for the first TV set (screen size under 50 inches) and $1,888 for each subsequent set to show the 2010 World Cup.
Have to fork out
So if they want to show the matches on all seven of their screens, they will have to fork out $14,216 each in total.
“I’m so glad the television sets I recently installed are under 50 inches,” said Mr Chan.
Just last month, Mr Chan changed two of the TV sets in his coffee shop to 42-inch Panasonic flat screen TVs.
These two sets, which were CRT TV sets, had broken down last month and he thought it was time to buy new ones, in time for the World Cup.
If his TV sets are above 50 inches, he would have to pay $4,888 for the first TV set and $2,888 for each subsequent set under the latest rates.
The current rates are a far cry from the prices of 2006.
“Back then, we paid about $600 per TV set (to watch the World Cup),” said Madam Yeo.
The rates for commercial establishments for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were controlled by StarHub.
Ms Huang Shu-Yin, StarHub’s assistant corporate communications manager, could not confirm the 2006 rates, saying that these rates “were not made public”, and that they were “unable to disclose the rates”.
When Madam Yeo, Mr Chan and employees from two other coffee shops at Geylang Lorong 15 were informed of the latest prices, they were shocked.
“I’m seriously considering boycotting this. I will discuss with other coffee shop owners to see what they intend to do,” said Madam Yeo.
Mr Chan shook his head in dismay and said: “If I want to get cable for all seven TV sets, I might consider passing on the costs to my customers.”
This, he said, might come in the form of higher drink prices.
“Instead of charging 60 cents for a cup of coffee, I might have to charge a dollar,” he said.
Coffee shop employees Mrs Gek, 48, and Ms L M Fong, 25, also lamented about how prices “just keep increasing”.
Mrs Gek works for Yun Lai Eating House, while Ms Fong is an employee at Xin Xing Seafood Restaurant – both located along Geylang Lorong 15.
Both coffee shops also have seven TV sets each.
Competition is keen, they say.
“We need all the customers we can get if we want to keep doing well in relation to our rivals,” said Mrs Gek.
That’s why she’s sure that despite the high prices, her boss will pay.
“I guess I just have to work extra hard in getting customers to purchase our beers,” said Ms Fong.
StarHub’s Ms Huang said that she hopes commercial customers will support their carriage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“Businesses generally benefit from screening major sporting tournaments such as the World Cup as they tend to see a positive impact to the number of customers and sales revenue,” she said.
Madam Yeo’s employee Bernadette Arpon, 52, said that during World Cup season, the coffee shops are usually so packed that there’s standing room only.
“The place becomes like a ‘World Cup central’,” she said with a wide grin.
Each of the four coffee shops has about 40 tables, with four to six seats per table.
That makes for a seating capacity of about 200 people per coffee shop.
Mr Chan and Mrs Gek have already installed new TV sets in their premises.
Madam Yeo, however, doesn’t intend to spruce up her coffee shop.
“Our customers told us they like the unpretentious, nostalgic feel of sitting together watching soccer on plastic chairs and at wooden tables. So as long as they’re happy with it, we’re happy too,” she said.
Bryna Sim | The New Paper | Sun May 9 2010
Some coffee shop owners thinking of raising prices of drinks to cover costs of screening the tournament.
http://www.soshiok.com/article/11600
Singapore, May 9, 2010 - IT’S way too expensive. So we might not pay for the 2010 World Cup broadcast, say some coffee shop owners in Geylang.
That’s because airing the matches will cost them more than $14,000 each.
Madam Eunice Yeo, 55, and Mr Alvin Chan, 35, run 24-hour coffee shops next to each other at Geylang Lorong 15.
Both Madam Yeo’s Tai Say Eating House and Mr Chan’s Ming Li’s Seafood Eating House each have seven TV sets installed.
Both are popular with patrons as they regularly screen football matches all year around.
Madam Yeo and Mr Chan pay about $1,500 a month for both StarHub and SingTel sports packages. These enable them to screen EPL and Champions League matches.
According to SingTel and StarHub’s pricing rates for commercial establishments like coffee shops, it costs $2,888 for the first TV set (screen size under 50 inches) and $1,888 for each subsequent set to show the 2010 World Cup.
Have to fork out
So if they want to show the matches on all seven of their screens, they will have to fork out $14,216 each in total.
“I’m so glad the television sets I recently installed are under 50 inches,” said Mr Chan.
Just last month, Mr Chan changed two of the TV sets in his coffee shop to 42-inch Panasonic flat screen TVs.
These two sets, which were CRT TV sets, had broken down last month and he thought it was time to buy new ones, in time for the World Cup.
If his TV sets are above 50 inches, he would have to pay $4,888 for the first TV set and $2,888 for each subsequent set under the latest rates.
The current rates are a far cry from the prices of 2006.
“Back then, we paid about $600 per TV set (to watch the World Cup),” said Madam Yeo.
The rates for commercial establishments for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were controlled by StarHub.
Ms Huang Shu-Yin, StarHub’s assistant corporate communications manager, could not confirm the 2006 rates, saying that these rates “were not made public”, and that they were “unable to disclose the rates”.
When Madam Yeo, Mr Chan and employees from two other coffee shops at Geylang Lorong 15 were informed of the latest prices, they were shocked.
“I’m seriously considering boycotting this. I will discuss with other coffee shop owners to see what they intend to do,” said Madam Yeo.
Mr Chan shook his head in dismay and said: “If I want to get cable for all seven TV sets, I might consider passing on the costs to my customers.”
This, he said, might come in the form of higher drink prices.
“Instead of charging 60 cents for a cup of coffee, I might have to charge a dollar,” he said.
Coffee shop employees Mrs Gek, 48, and Ms L M Fong, 25, also lamented about how prices “just keep increasing”.
Mrs Gek works for Yun Lai Eating House, while Ms Fong is an employee at Xin Xing Seafood Restaurant – both located along Geylang Lorong 15.
Both coffee shops also have seven TV sets each.
Competition is keen, they say.
“We need all the customers we can get if we want to keep doing well in relation to our rivals,” said Mrs Gek.
That’s why she’s sure that despite the high prices, her boss will pay.
“I guess I just have to work extra hard in getting customers to purchase our beers,” said Ms Fong.
StarHub’s Ms Huang said that she hopes commercial customers will support their carriage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“Businesses generally benefit from screening major sporting tournaments such as the World Cup as they tend to see a positive impact to the number of customers and sales revenue,” she said.
Madam Yeo’s employee Bernadette Arpon, 52, said that during World Cup season, the coffee shops are usually so packed that there’s standing room only.
“The place becomes like a ‘World Cup central’,” she said with a wide grin.
Each of the four coffee shops has about 40 tables, with four to six seats per table.
That makes for a seating capacity of about 200 people per coffee shop.
Mr Chan and Mrs Gek have already installed new TV sets in their premises.
Madam Yeo, however, doesn’t intend to spruce up her coffee shop.
“Our customers told us they like the unpretentious, nostalgic feel of sitting together watching soccer on plastic chairs and at wooden tables. So as long as they’re happy with it, we’re happy too,” she said.
