24/7 Soccer Channel; Interview w/ Phil Schoen

[The General]

If you haven't heard about it yet, here it is. GolTV, the 24/7 soccer channel.

Soccer Loop had the opportunity to get an interview from one of the main men behind the scene of the new network, Phil Schoen. Phil gave us the rundown on the network and what programs, Leagues, and matches it will cover. Also how you can watch it. Here's how it went:

http://www.soccerloop.com/

[galperin]

WOW!

I hope it gets up and running well. My only worry is I am not sure there is room for 2 soccer channels. I guess we'll see. I will definately call my Time Warner Cable office and demand GolTV. Everyone should do the same for their respective Cable co.'s.

[BennyDee19]

Good article, hopefully it will get through to the cable companies.....

-PB20

[TheMutts]

What are the chances that it will make it on Digital Cable or dish? I would love to watch it all day.

[puttputtfc]

If this does happen to work, I wonder if MLS will be lost in the mix.

[eric515]

Maybe they can get in good with Comcast... :(

[kevbrunton]

Originally posted by TheMutts
What are the chances that it will make it on Digital Cable or dish? I would love to watch it all day.
The article says that it's on Dish Network's Latin package (because it's mostly spanish lang coverage). Once they get their SAP (secondary language) up and running and they get more English language coverage, they'll be in DishNet's America's Top 150 package.

As for Digital Cable, you'll have to start calling your systems as soon as it's available. Sounds like us DirecTV people will have to do the same -- start bugging DTV to pick it up too.

[SABuffalo786]

I first read it as GO ITV. :D

Sounds like a good deal. The Prem and Bundesliga(not to mention Brazil, Argentina, and Scotland) from FSW and Serie A and the GOOD La Liga games from Gol TV. That American Soccer show sounds awesome.

I wonder if they're going to use Paid Programing as much as FSW?


No Erendivisie. :(

[harttbeat]

"Soccer Loop: Bring everyone up to speed on what you have been up to since leaving the ESPN broadcast booth.

Phil Schoen: Well, let's ignore the three years in a Turkish prison and move right along shall we? (Wink, wink!)"

haha... good stuff

[Fuegofan]

Best of luck to it, but until there's a soccer channel that carries MLS games, I'm not getting cable (or satellite).

[astabooty]

Originally posted by Fuegofan
Best of luck to it, but until there's a soccer channel that carries MLS games, I'm not getting cable (or satellite).

i am sure once the MLS' contract is over with ESPN that FSW or GolTV will pick them up.

[anderson]

It'll be interesting to see how all this shakes out. If Fox holds on to most of its present rights and ESPN Deportes and GolTV turn out as expected, then it looks like:

ESPN Deportes - three first-choice La Liga games (but probably not Real Madrid if they're moving to GolTV?), perhaps Champions League; plus MLB and NBA en espanol

GolTV - Serie A live, Real Madrid on tape delay; plus possible live/delayed games from various Latin American leagues (but probably not Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, or Chile); also maybe some games from Mexico (but see below)

FSW - live/delayed games from EPL, Bundesliga, SPL, some La Liga, Brazil, Argentina, some UEFA Cup; plus Colombia, Chile, Libertadores, and Sudamericana if you toss in FSE

I'm not sure how cable systems will deal with the options, but I'm not optimistic about FSW or GolTV. ESPN Deportes will have the Mouse's leverage in its favor. It'll also have MLB and NBA in its offerings. If cable systems decide that they can carry only one of these options, then I don't see how the Mouse's entry loses out. I also doubt most cable systems will carry more than one obscure soccer-heavy channel.

MFL games would help out GolTV's cause, but virtually every MFL game is already carried in the US on Univision, Telefutura, Galavision, Telemundo, or Azteca America. Moreover, Televisa (and therefore the three Univision nets) and TV Azteca (and therefore Azteca America) have ownership interests in several of the big Mexican clubs, so I doubt those games are going anywhere. I suppose GolTV could fight it out with Telemundo for rights to the leftovers, but who knows if that's enough.

[monster]

Originally posted by astabo0t
i am sure once the MLS' contract is over with ESPN that FSW or GolTV will pick them up.

Got some lottery numbers for me? 2007 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the road.

Good luck to Phil and those guys. But after reading a story that said a partnership between Comcast and Radio One would have trouble getting carried, I doubt the liklihood of GolTV working out in the long run.

And while I'm a booster of the MLSTV idea, I think it will take either flexing Anschutz's muscle in other entertainment arenas or partnering with one of the big media players to even have a snowball's chance at getting on the air.

[Toon³]

Speaking from and english point of view i don't see how 2 dedicated football channels can survive in a country when football is not in the top three of popular sports.
Here in england we don't even have one.

We do have a 24/7 football news channel but since Sky(British Fox) owns the rights to basicly all football coverage in the country it shows all the games and highlights and they are shown on the regular sports channels.

However if they both go ahead then lucky you with your TWO football channels

[jmeissen0]

Originally posted by Fuegofan
Best of luck to it, but until there's a soccer channel that carries MLS games, I'm not getting cable (or satellite).


you mean like MLS ShootOut?

[astabooty]

i could really care less about the MLS but i am in the minority in that respective but from my knowledge doesnt ESPN only show one or two mls games a week?
if that is the case any1 believe that ESPN would loan some of the unshown games to GolTV? or even all of them but on a tape delay (for the ones espn does use)? seeing how it seems they have club specific rights (ie: Real Madrid), why not seeing if they can get some rights for some latin clubs like Olimpia (Hondurus), Universitario (Peru), Nacional (Colombia), Deportivo de Calle (Colombia), etc?

[rangers00]

Originally posted by Toon_toon
Speaking from and english point of view i don't see how 2 dedicated football channels can survive in a country when football is not in the top three of popular sports.
Here in england we don't even have one.

...
However if they both go ahead then lucky you with your TWO football channels

I am a minority voice here, but I'll say goltv doesn't stand a chance to survive in the U.S.

If PSN, a predominantly futbol channel that features all the Conmebol Eliminatorias and European World Cup quals, can't survive in the Latin American market, it would be a miracle for a futbol channel to survive in the U.S. market.

Yes, there are lots of people IN THIS FORUM saying how they are excited about FSW. Worse yet, you would hardly see any people in any forum of other sports saying how they are excited about ESPN, Fox Sports Net, etc. What does that tell you? the FSW fanatics here, and I can generously give you 100 unique posters posting here that they desparately want FSW, would make up about 0.0001% of the TV households in the U.S.

Sure, if some billionaires have lots of money to burn, that would make a money-losing venture sustain...

And why would people want a 24-hour football channel that shows lots of MLS? MLS would be better off selling its product in a season package, i.e. MLS shootout. Afterall, there is a NBATV and a NHLTV (in Canada). And there are very few live games on these channels. Most of the live games go to the package.

[monster]

Originally posted by rangers00
And why would people want a 24-hour football channel that shows lots of MLS?

Because we have good taste.

[Northside Rovers]

Best of lick to Mr Schoen. But I have a hard time seeing 2 independent predominantly soccer channels making a long-term go if it here.

FSW and GolTv - it would be nice - but right now a monopoly by FSW is probably the safest money-making route.

And if St Phil and SUM/MLS are dabbling about with their own ideas - that could further dilute the market or more likely see SUM purchase an existing soccer network.

I am just afraid of too much too soon and then ending up with nothing because the networks out-bid themsleves to death.

[Soccerholic]

Originally posted by monster
Got some lottery numbers for me? 2007 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the road.


I missed the part about 2007. What are you referring to?