After a decade and a half Oasis are back, and the UEFA Champions League has increased from 125 games to 189 a season. Both have been met with varying degrees of excitement - depending on where your passions lie…

The Gallagher brothers have sold hundreds of thousands of tickets, across five of the biggest concert venues in the UK and Ireland, crashing websites and causing public outrage at their dynamic prices (which nevertheless have still all gone).

Their return after their ignominious split in 2009 has been everywhere from leading algorithms to the 10 O’Clock News.

It was never meant to happen, Noel and Liam hated each other - but when the miracle meeting happened and a deal was struck, fans were desperate to throw money at the opportunity to see the band once again and have a big sing-song in the sunshine.

In contrast UEFA’s latest expansion of their premier club competition has had a muted response. After successfully shutting down the Super League in 2021, the tournament featuring the best performing teams in Europe has become a league. Each qualifying team is guaranteed two more games and UEFA will no doubt see their sponsorship revenues increase with greater OTS.

But do the fans want more games? 

Both of these events shine an interesting light on scarcity and fan demand - while also giving a stark warning for oversaturation and greed…

Giving enough, but not too much

Prime is a, well, prime example to draw upon. Remember back to the end of 2022 when kids and parents were fighting in the aisles of ASDA and a 12-pack was listed on eBay for £50,000? Fast forward to now, where distribution has expanded beyond Wakey Wines to Tesco and every other major supermarket, the supply has outweighed demand and no one is talking about it.

As shown by Google Trends and 2-for-1 offers in stores. 

The Logan Paul/KSI pull is of course still significant, but it’s now just another, stacked on the soft drinks aisle.

It’ll likely be similar with Oasis. If they are to continue touring into 2026 and beyond across Europe, the world and back to the UK - will they command such attention when they’re in Manchester after 24 months and a host of other shows?

Likely no - but should they make the most of it? Absolutely!

If we turn again to Google Trends - acknowledging the much higher usage of the internet and number of devices now - you can see interest in the band generally waning ahead of their split, 18 years after they formed, and following a number of less than significant albums

The data shows back in June 2009 there was only 8 percent of the noise around their split than there has been about their return.

It’s amazing how much a few years away with mystery building can do for your brand… 

Even more so when you consider Liam Gallagher has performed (often with other Oasis members), as well as Noel about 300 times each - both of them getting the biggest cheers when they play their old band’s material. 

By September 2025, fans (and casual fans) will have seen them, posted on social and satisfied that itch - plus the real possibility of once the product has been launched, it’s not as good as people thought it would be…

Does more equal better?

The maths of football authorities is simple:

More games = more money through tickets, sponsorship and broadcast revenue = more happy fans

But is this true?

Certainly players seem to be feeling the strain. Gagged to a certain extent and with difficulty attracting sympathy when their daily salary is not far off what a lot of people earn in a year - one leading, unnamed star supposedly said ‘yes I'm a millionaire but I don't even have time to spend the money’ when asked about FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup scheduled for summer 2025 in the US.

Euro 2024 - a tournament also swollen from 16 to 24 teams - was widely criticised for lacking the magic of past editions. With more teams qualifying out of the group stage than not removing most of the jeopardy from the opening 36 matches; and players arriving at the tournament exhausted (and injured) after club seasons which are becoming increasingly strenuous and game laden.

It was all pretty forgetful.

Not for a moment wanting to suggest there’s a sense of Icarus’ arrogance at the top of organisations like FIFA and UEFA - but treating their stars (and product) such as Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe with a lack of respect, and taking their fans (and consumers) for granted won’t in the long run end well for them.

Contrast soccer to NFL. Although there are talks for extra games and franchises - the regular season comprises just 17 matches (versus Real Madrid’s 62 in 2023/24) and no international matches.

Players only play once a week and fans have just eight guarenteed opportunities to see their beloved teams at home which makes it near impossible for ‘tourists’ to get into stadiums.

Furthermore the season only lasts from September to February, meaning when game weeks return seven months after the Super Bowl’s final whistle - fans, broadcasters and sponsors alike are desperate for the sport to return.  

Protecting scarcity 

In both the return of Oasis and the expansion of the UEFA Champions League, we see striking examples of how scarcity — or the lack thereof — shapes fan engagement and market value. Oasis's limited tour dates have created a buzz of excitement and urgency, demonstrating the power of scarcity in driving demand and maximising fan enthusiasm. 

Who knows how long this will last?

This could contrast sharply with the Champions League’s expanded fixture list, which, despite increasing revenue opportunities, risks reducing the attraction of the tournament rather than enhancing it.

Whether it’s a highly anticipated band reunion, a premium sports competition or even the amount of times you post on your TikTok feed - understanding and managing scarcity with your product, to your audience, is vital.

It’s about creating enough desire to keep fans engaged with a sense of exclusivity and heightened anticipation which will see them coming back for more and more. As opposed to overwhelming them, with a one-and-done firecracker leading to fatigue and diminished value.

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EDIT - The Athletic FC Podcast published their episode ‘Is too much football ruining the game?’ on September 11, 2024, after this post was published. Focussing predominantly on player welfare, PFA Chief Exec Maheta Molango also said:

‘As an industry we’ve forgotten the value of scarcity. Christmas is nice because it’s once a year. If it becomes every week, every Wednesday it’s no longer Christmas.’

David Bowie knew how to protect his brand, and embrace scarcity - we wrote about the lessons brands could learn from him here.

If you’d like to discuss any of these ideas, or find out Something About Us please get in contact.