Sports Extra (TNT/Premier)

Andy454 wrote: »

I have to say, it is some feat by the TV Providers in this region that I'm paying a 160 euros a month to watch the premier league on SKY and BT and I'm left watching a blank screen tonight listening to MU vs Stoke BBC radio 5!!!

Meanwhile the neighbour across the street is watching the match live with some sort of illegal hook up!

BT are also bizarrely showing Arsenal vs Southampton tomorrow night when the much more high profile Chelsea vs Tottenham match is on at the same time.
Traditionally the midweek matches are usually poor picks ,I guess they have to show each team a minimum number of times.

Sunderland V Burnley on January 31st.

They'd be better off showing paint drying on a wall instead of that tripe,some of the 3pm matches they have shown this year have been diabolical .

Arsenal v Southampton is a poor pick? That has much more promise than Chelsea v Spurs.

flazio wrote: »

I've seen BTS use the Red Button on a couple of occasions for multi matches, any reason why they didn't tonight?

They couldn't. They can only show a set amount of games per season.

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

Its all to do with the amount of first picks. Its dissected in detail over on another forum site but basically as has been said if they pick a team like Utd now it leaves them having to not pick them at a later date. You'd want a degree in maths or sports pyschology to figure out all the combinations.

As the package in use last night also covers Bank Holidays, Manchester United have already been picked the maximum number of times in this package (to be shown over over the Christmas period).

One might argue that Leicester v Liverpool was the more attractive pick last night but it still disenfranchised large numbers of supporters - particularly as Manchester United were also playing. And they wonder why people are turning to illegal viewing!

And, as pointed out already on this thread, there are fortunes required for sports subscriptions only to find that you still don't get to see all of your team's games.

Whatever the merits (or otherwise) of blocking live TV football at 3pm on Saturdays, this argument doesn't and shouldn't apply to midweek matches where you frequently have not only other Premier League matches at the same time as the live TV game, but usually full programmes in the other divisions too.

channelsurfer2 wrote: »

A season ticket perhaps is the only solution to watch your team on the TV, but I guess that will never happen in the UK and Ireland anyways.

The only way that can happen is if the collective TV rights deal collapses.

Offering it at the moment would seriously devalue the TV packages the Premier League sells to UK broadcasters where they deliberately do not offer all matches (in part using the archaic Saturday 3pm argument to justify it).

All it is doing is is drive people to look at alternative means of watching their football team and putting money into foreign subscriptions or pirate providers.

If true, then it's good that some games are being kept free-to-air.

Wonder will the whole spectacle of the Champions League rapidly decrease next year in the UK with it being exclusively on BT Sports. I'm sure Sky Sports News won't be dedicating much time to it, apart from the main headlines. And with no live games on ITV - interest for some neutrals will fade.

Rizzo the Rat wrote: »

Fans will also be delighted to know that each participating British team will feature for free at least once each season."

Don't know where they got the word 'delighted' from. How would fans of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City be delighted from watching their team possibly 3 or more times (depending on how far they go) to watching them just once for free.

radiowaves wrote: »

Where are you getting "just once" from?

Oh, apologies, just glanced at the quote.

radiowaves wrote: »

And maybe you don't realise it but featuring each British team for free at least once is more of a guarantee than exists at present.

I agree that ITV do have a tendency to show Man Utd at any given opportunity, over another English club, but they have shared out the live coverage this year so far (what with Man Utd not there).
What exists at the moment with ITV is that they can show 17 matches live a season (including play-offs). I can't see BT Sports showing as many free live games.

iseegirls wrote: »

I agree that ITV do have a tendency to show Man Utd at any given opportunity, over another English club, but they have shared out the live coverage this year so far (what with Man Utd not there).
What exists at the moment with ITV is that they can show 17 matches live a season (including play-offs). I can't see BT Sports showing as many free live games.

ITV haven't showed arsenal. them & l'pool are in same half of groups, so they've went with l'pool so far.

so have RTE here for the same reason, i'll assume.

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do any of think BT will end their partnership with setanta any time soon?

that's good to hear anyway (end of '16 season). the reason i asked is i signed up to the 1 year setanta pack deal for €99, thinking is there something to this with BTs CL rights kicking in, would they go alone here, so setanta are making hay basically.

yeah i read that on ceefax or whatever it's called, is it not a discounted deal?
though BT are very healthy company are they not, will they not be looking to make sure they get these rights off sky or whoever else.
they're really using them to drive broadband subs, is that right

redabbey wrote: »

Only after seeing this post, I just can't see that slot being approved for games. The police would be totally opposed to it as well as the fans of clubs who go home and away to matches.

The bolded bit made me chuckle

Southampton is the longest round trip for Manchester United fans. That match is scheduled for this weekend. What slot has it been hijacked for? :eek:

An extra slot (at least) will almost certainly be made available in the next round. Friday night has also been mooted.

redabbey wrote: »

Yes, I know. Norwich v Liverpool was last year on Easter Sunday with a 12pm ko in Carrow Road. Impossible to get from Liverpool using public transport early enough for the kick off time.

Newcastle v Southampton is the longest commute, again last season matches scheduled for television were inconvenient times for fans.

Sunday night's would really be the most difficult though and as I said I don't think it will happen, but that is just my own opinion and I have often being wrong in the past.

I agree that Sunday nights might not happen but one of the reasons will not be because of travelling fan concerns (or it'll be last on the list).

There is talk that the opinions of fan groups are being taken into consideration and that the new match slot will feature clubs close geographically if it is to be Friday or Sunday night.

That doesn't seem practical to me though - Champions League and Europa League weeks will make choices difficult and once picks are made for other packages it'd be a very limited selection left. And then if there are to be quotas applied (and there will need to be quotas) then what you'd be left with might just be Norwich v Liverpool or Southampton v Manchester United

One option is to allow it to be flexible so that the slot can be played Friday night or Sunday daytime if European weeks make the selection process a problem or if the pigs flying overhead mean that travelling fan is actually being taken into account.

What are Setanta playing at today.
They are showing Burnley vs Southampton ,who wants to watch that rubbish .
Setanta are the only tv station in Europe showing that match !

ftakeith wrote: »

most of the ESPN content won't increase subs

It wont increase subs but it's content for them to show when there is no live programming and there are people who like those studio based shows that ESPN make.

On a slightly unrelated note Premier Sports HD will be available in the Summer.

Sorry if I'm dragging up an old topic, but is there still no way to access the BT and Setanta channels online for Irish customers?