Hibs to stop producing match day programmes

[Logie Green]

For those interested Hibs have announced a review of communications which include no longer producing a match day programme.

A sad day for all collectors.

[blackpoolhibs]

Although i never by them bar the odd cup final or European game, it is a very sad day indeed, maybe it's time for the fanzines to make a comeback?

[Iggy Pope]

Sad in lots of ways. Assuming they’ve stopped right away. I’m certain folk better versed than me have said in the past that Hibs and Hearts are the longest uninterrupted producers of a match day programme in Scotland.

[bigwheel]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

For those interested Hibs have announced a review of communications which include no longer producing a match day programme.

A sad day for all collectors.

The comms strategy looks good apart for this decision . It’s a modern day o hectic right commercial decision that misses a key element of the emotion, tradition and history of football fans and programme collectors . Programmes mean something to a decent number of people, they mark a moment in time, show the evolution of the club , note a game in time and they are memory makers in their own right ..a wrong call.

[Mikey_1875]

It is sad for the collectors but I suppose if enough people were reading/buying them then they wouldn’t be stopping it.

The introduction of a quarterly magazine is good though and its something I would be interested in reading as someone who has not bought a programme in a very long time.

[worcesterhibby]

My initial reaction is to agree that it's a bad decision. But I have to admit to not buying them very often, I guess that is the crux of it, if there was demand for them, they would produce them..it's all very well us 50somethings saying it's a sad day...but if we don't buy them..what did we expect ? Huge numbers of printed magazines have gone out of business in the last 10 years, because the majority of people don't want to buy them, it's a commercial decision I guess.

[SaulGoodman]

How many people actually buy the programmes? And how much does the club print bi-weekly?

[BILLYHIBS]

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

[Logie Green]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

It is sad for the collectors but I suppose if enough people were reading/buying them then then they wouldn’t be stopping it.

The introduction of a quarterly magazine is good though and its something I would be interested in reading as someone who has not bought a programme in a very long time.

I think the statement from Hibs is misleading. The main reason that the sales numbers will be down is that they don’t print any for sale on a match day. This means that to get a paper version you have to order from the printer or a programme dealer.

When this started this season I couldn’t understand why they’d go to the bother of producing 50 odd pages of content but not put any on sale.

[Vault Boy]

They just aren't popular enough to justify the workload and spend. A quarterly magazine is a nice solution.

[bigwheel]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

My initial reaction is to agree that it's a bad decision. But I have to admit to not buying them very often, I guess that is the crux of it, if there was demand for them, they would produce them..it's all very well us 50somethings saying it's a sad day...but if we don't buy them..what did we expect ? Huge numbers of printed magazines have gone out of business in the last 10 years, because the majority of people don't want to buy them, it's a commercial decision I guess.

Few of those have the traditions and history of a programme for a specific football match ..I get your point, but I’d rather they produced a better match day programme and get more people connecting with them again ..

People don’t buy the match day mag for the same Reason they might want a quarterly magazine ..may be a good commercial call, but it’s a sad day for Hibs
Match days for me

[bigwheel]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

They just aren't popular enough to justify the workload and spend. A monthly magazine is a nice solution.

It’s planned quarterly and I’d say they are largely for completely different purposes …

[Vault Boy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

It’s planned quarterly and I’d say they are largely for completely different purposes …

Quarterly, yeah. It's being produced as a direct answer to the demand for print material from the club, so I'm sure the intention will be to make them an apt alternative. Not a like for like experience for those dedicated to match day programmes, but certainly better than providing nothing.

Ultimately if the demand was sufficient, they wouldn't be pulling them.

[Logie Green]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Sad in lots of ways. Assuming they’ve stopped right away. I’m certain folk better versed than me have said in the past that Hibs and Hearts are the longest uninterrupted producers of a match day programme in Scotland.

I believe this is the case. Apparently during the ‘Covid season’ hertz had decided not to produce programmes but when they found out that Hibs were and we’d therefore have a longer uninterrupted’ ‘run’ they changed their mind.

[Since452]

I can see why. There is really no need for programmes these days other than to collect and can't be cost effective to produce.

[bigwheel]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Quarterly, yeah. It's being produced as a direct answer to the demand for print material from the club, so I'm sure the intention will be to make them an apt alternative.

Ultimately if the demand was sufficient, they wouldn't be pulling them.

Hibs have made it less easy to get programmes in recent times. Most recently this season , when none have been available to buy on game day ..it feels like they’ve been trying to get out of it for a while tbh..

I think it’s a regretful decision .. the product hasn’t been great of late , but it’s a Hibs tradition that has lasted longer than probably all of us have been on this earth..sad day

[Iggy Pope]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Quarterly, yeah. It's being produced as a direct answer to the demand for print material from the club, so I'm sure the intention will be to make them an apt alternative. Not a like for like experience for those dedicated to match day programmes, but certainly better than providing nothing.

Ultimately if the demand was sufficient, they wouldn't be pulling them.

Stand to be shot down in time but the quarterly thing won’t last the course.
A lot of people disappointed and also very sad at this news.

[Vault Boy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Hibs have made it less easy to get programmes in recent times. Most recently this season , when none have been available to buy on game day ..it feels like they’ve been trying to get out of it for a while tbh..

I think it’s a regretful decision .. the product hasn’t been great of late , but it’s a Hibs tradition that has lasted longer than probably all of us have been on this earth..sad day

I'm certainly not going to tell anyone that they shouldn't be upset about a long held tradition coming to an end, completely sympathise with that.

I do think the decision is led by the figures and that's probably based on more than just last season, but that's by the by.

[EHZERO7]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I think the statement from Hibs is misleading. The main reason that the sales numbers will be down is that they don’t print any for sale on a match day. This means that to get a paper version you have to order from the printer or a programme dealer.

When this started this season I couldn’t understand why they’d go to the bother of producing 50 odd pages of content but not put any on sale.

They can tart it up with their analyse etc but they simply don't get what a match programme means. How can you use purchases of each edition as ammunition if it isn't available on matchdays at the stadium?
Yes possibly they don't sell as much as previous years? Although I have never seen any figures to say if this is true or not. But IMHO part of the Matchday Experience that Hibernian say they are trying to create is getting a programme before the game at the ground?

A real big mistake and really disappointing

[Iggy Pope]

Team Sheets will now be like rocking horses *****.

[Vault Boy]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Stand to be shot down in time but the quarterly thing won’t last the course.
A lot of people disappointed and also very sad at this news.

Yeah that first point is something the club need to get right. Having a reliable and long-term option for collectors is important, I hope they commit to it properly.

[Iggy Pope]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Yeah that first point is something the club need to get right. Having a reliable and long-term option for collectors is important, I hope they commit to it properly.

I’ll see what the first one is like but nothing about a quarterly appeals to this collector.

[CMurdoch]

The end of an era

[Sir David Gray]

As much as I find this sort of move inevitable I'm really not a fan of these kind of moves in the modern world.

Programmes and other things like cashless societies are really not for me but it's the way things are going I guess.

Really poor decision for me.

[Bobo]

A very poor decision by the club to do away with match programmes.

They're clearly more intent on flooding every online media channel with endless clickbait rather than looking to continue producing a tangible publication despite matchday programmes having a proven historical importance and value to supporters for over the best part of a century.

Maybe they'll use the money they save on fixing all the issues with our sub-standard official website by employing someone who can actually keep it functioning properly and ensuring all it's information is up to date!

[Peevemor]

I understand why some will be disappointed by this (I collected hundreds of programmes), but I don't think they'll be missed other than by the more nostalgic among us.

Programmes used to give us a bit of insight that we didn't get elsewhere (including whether the featured player preferred The Clash or Spandau Ballet) but "the new generation" look for more than that.

By the time anything gets printed now it's already old news.

[bigwheel]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

They can tart it up with their analyse etc but they simply don't get what a match programme means. How can you use purchases of each edition as ammunition if it isn't available on matchdays at the stadium?
Yes possibly they don't sell as much as previous years? Although I have never seen any figures to say if this is true or not. But IMHO part of the Matchday Experience that Hibernian say they are trying to create is getting a programme before the game at the ground?

A real big mistake and really disappointing

This sums it up for me better than I could articulate

[Bobo]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I understand why some will be disappointed by this (I collected hundreds of programmes), but I don't think they'll be missed other than by the more nostalgic among us.

Programmes used to give us a bit of insight that we didn't get elsewhere (including whether the featured player preferred The Clash or Spandau Ballet) but "the new generation" look for more than that.

By the time anything gets printed now it's already old news.

Match programmes over the past 40 years have grown larger and larger with increasingly more adverts and additional irrelevant content, making them overly large and ultimately more expensive to produce/buy.

For me a programme is a keepsake or memory of attending a match and only really needs to have a cover and team lines with managers comments and maybe a previous results/fixtures page which could include academy and woman's scores as well?

4-6 pages is probably enough to be honest, as I said, they're only ever meant to be a keepsake for supporters to remember the occasion.

[Since90+2]

Very much something of a bygone era. I can appreciate it brings fond memories for some but the sales must be tiny these days.

99% of the support won't be bothered at all.

[Peevemor]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Match programmes over the past 40 years have grown larger and larger with increasingly more adverts and additional irrelevant content, making them overly large and ultimately more expensive to produce/buy.

For me a programme is a keepsake or memory of attending a match and only really needs to have a cover and team lines with managers comments and maybe a previous results/fixtures page which could include academy and woman's scores as well?

4-6 pages is probably enough to be honest, as I said, they're only ever meant to be a keepsake for supporters to remember the occasion.

I thought the same and bought a programme at every match without fail.

When I moved to France I could easily have brought them with me, but on thinking about it I realised that I never looked at them so, apart from a select few, I gave them away.

I honestly haven't missed them.