Piataks now face first major supporter test since Carlisle United takeover: View | OneFootball

The owners have now been presented with an issue that they can do something about.

Highlights

Carlisle United have been brought forward into the 21st century by the Piatak family since their takeover last November, but one of their latest upgrades to the club has caused a bit of a stir.

For years, the Blues struggled to keep up with the rest of the pack in the EFL, whether it was due to a lack of finances, a lack of a vision for the future, or a bit of both. The renovations that the American family have brought to the club, including even the simplest of things like proper toilets in the Warwick Road End, are starting to make the Blues look like a modern football team.

Of course, improving the state of the bogs is not all that they are doing. They've pledged £8.5 million total to go towards upgrades to the stadium and to build a brand-new training facility at the Sheepmount, with £4.5 million going to the former, and the rest going to the latter cause.

Even before they were officially anointed as the new custodians at the club, and that magical unveiling at home against Charlton Athletic, they were very well liked by supporters. 98% of the Carlisle United Official Supporters Club voted in favour of the Piataks' proposal to obtain 90% ownership of the club, which meant that the supporters group would drop its voting stakes down from 25.4% to 10%.

Other than the on-pitch issues which led to the club's relegation back to League Two, pretty much all the feelings towards the club from the fans since the Americans touched down in Cumbria have been positive. However, their latest attempt to modernise the club even more hasn't been received exactly how they may have wanted it to.

CUTV presents first hurdle for Carlisle owners to navigate

After revealing that it was coming some weeks ago, Carlisle have announced the launch of their new streaming service: CUTV.

It has become their new home for the international streaming of their games, plus domestic streaming when available, and they said that it will give fans "exclusive access to manager and player interviews, extended match highlights, full match replays, training content, pitchside match footage and much more."

To gain access to CUTV, fans can either pay a £4.99 monthly fee, or £49.99 for a year-long subscription. Many leaped at the opportunity to get involved with it, but recent revelations about the service have upset some.

After United's pre-season meeting with St Mirren, which ended in a 2-2 draw, summer signing and goalscorer Terell Thomas spoke to the club's media team about the game. Previously, this would have been uploaded on the club's various social media channels, but this time it was put behind the paywall of CUTV.

The weekly videos that they have produced about the upgrades to Brunton Park, showing the steady progress being made on upgrading its facilities, are also only accessible if you subscribe to the service.

Some United fans are not happy that this previously free-to-view content, which tends to be free when produced by other clubs too, is no longer available to all. In what has been a generally positive eight months, despite the relegation, this is probably the first time that a decent number of Blues supporters are unhappy with an off-the-pitch decision that's been made.

Carlisle United and The Piataks' quick reaction to CUTV upset

As much as they tried to help the team out in January, and are also doing so in this window, by providing Paul Simpson and the recruitment team with the funds to go and make solid signings, the owners can only have so much of an effect on what happens on the pitch.

What they can do is make sure that Carlisle, as a business, is run well. Given the success of their other businesses, including a logistics company that had a net revenue of $85 million in December 2022, the trust in them to do the right thing for the club should be firm.

And that's partly what they may be trying to do with CUTV; provide a new, consistent revenue stream for the Blues to benefit from.

Elements of the service may have been overlooked initially, but the club have reacted promptly and made the latest Brunton Park building update video free for all to see.

Whether the interviews like the one they did with Thomas, and future ones to come, will also return to being free remains to be seen. They haven't sat on their heels in this instance, though. They've listened to supporters and acted quickly, which looks to be the Piatak way.