Soccer On Dish

In case you didn’t see the story here or elsewhere, Dish Network has dropped WorldSportHD along with the other Voom channels.

This effectively eliminates the only all-HD soccer network until GolTV, FSC and Setanta start going HD some time by 2011. Remember, FSC showing things in HD doesn’t have as much to do with FSC as it does with the number of HD consumers in Europe, and right now, less than 10 percent of England has an HDTV. HD will not be the standard in England until 2012, so unless ESPN gets involved, there is really no rush on that side of the ocean to get everything into HD.

Now, it is heartening to know that ESPN2 will show the Champions League final in HD, but there is currently no plan (that I can find) to show more of it in HD in the U.S.

So lament the loss of La Liga in HD. And prepare yourself for the EPL on ESPN3 in 2010. Well, we can hope, anyway.

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BBC’s Director of Sport Roger Mosey wrote an eye-opening article on the BBC Sport blog this morning. In it, he describes how the ratings for BBC’s Match of The Day (their highlights show, which features Gary Lineker, Alan Hansen and others) has risen this season — and that the ratings for MOTD were much higher than the live broadcast of Wigan against Manchester United.

Living in the States, it’s something we often overlook — how Match of The Day is still an institution in England and how popular highlights shows are in that country.

Still, the article by Mosey reads like sour grapes against SkySports. Sure, BBC has more viewers for Match of the Day than live televised matches, but if you were the BBC, wouldn’t you trade MOTD for the real thing?

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The number of households worldwide using IPTV (Internet protocol television) services grew from 4.7 million in 2006, to more than 14 million last year, according to a report by analysts Parks Associates. Demand for IPTV services grew by 250 per cent in Europe last year.

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As we look toward Euro 2008 on mostly main-tier channels (with the exception of games on ESPN Classic), I’m sure most people are giddy about the idea of seeing the matches live and in HD (again, with the exception of games on ESPN Classic).

But it got me to thinking: What is the breaking point for finding soccer on my dish? 

For instance, I refuse to pay for the Copa Libertadores ($299) package. I also used to refuse to pay for the FA Cup final ($24.99 on Dish, TBA on DirecTV). I held off with Setanta until it became clear that in my part of the U.S., they had the best games in the EPL consistently.

But would you pay $9.99 for RAI International to see Serie A matches live and in Italian? Coppa Italia? How about the Bundesliga’s home network in Germany for $9.99? Such are the decisions a dish owner has to make.

A few years ago, I paid the money for the Major League Baseball package when it was available on Dish. I loved it, and when it went away, I spent the $7.99 a month for the “Superstation Package” to see the occasional Red Sox, Mets or Dodgers game (only to hear Vin Scully). But I dropped it when I added HD because my bill was north of $100 a month.

So I ask you, readers, how much is too much? Both in terms of cost and in terms of quantity. $100 a month? $150 a month? Are FSC and ESPN enough? Would you die without GolTV? Or do you need soccer 24/7 from every country in the world? Let me know. And by the way, I would pay $10 a month JUST to get old reruns of “Soccer Made in Germany.” Maybe that will be part of the next package. 

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BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) has announced that its subscriber base in the United Kingdom has now grown to 8.9 million as of March 2008. Sky is now on track to hit 10 million subscribers by 2010.

Setanta Sports, meanwhile, has approximately 3 million subscribers in the UK.

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Well, I do pay for Dish Network, Setanta and the tier with GolTV and FSC.

So I guess I pay a lot. 

My name’s Ian. I’m the new contributor over here at Soccer on Dish. In the coming days, weeks and months, I’ll be talking a lot about what’s on, what’s not and how it’s broadcast over the space-waves.

A little history: I’ve had Dish since 1999. I used to buy the Premier League package religiously. I finally broke down and got Setanta just a few months ago. I watch on a 50-inch Samsung DLP machine that makes me yearn for Man U games in HD. I’ll also post about ESPN and the family of networks and how they take on Euro 2008. This should be fun.

As a starter, I want to ask for help: Have you seen the weekly Euro 2008 preview show that ESPN is producing on Deportes? If so, let me know what you think. Deportes is not available on my tier of Dish (only on Dish latino). it should be, but I know the money isn’t there to make it more wide-spread. Oh well, if you see it, pass it along.

For more about what I think, check out my first post over at EPL Talk. And watch for me. And tell me what you want to see and hear.

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In a recent episode of the EPL Talk Podcast, Setanta Sports executive Shane O’Rourke announced that the 24/7 soccer network would be available via IPTV provider NexTV in the near future. Well, the future is now. You can order Setanta Sports for $14.99 per month, but you’ll need to also either rent or purchase the set-top box.

If you’d like more information, feel free to contact NexTV directly via email at setanta@getnextv.com.

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Soccer On Dish brings you the latest news about soccer coverage on satellite dishes. Expect to read articles and insight about DirecTV, DISH Network, IPTV and other satellite and IPTV carriers around North America and the world.

If you have story ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact me at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com

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