GOL TV website is down!

[TOTC]

Grrr! Can't someone do something about the servers? I need to schedule my soccer fix!

[Epikoinos]

check the listings on soccertv.net

[constantino3]

Grrr! Can't someone do something about the servers? I need to schedule my soccer fix!

Our dedicated server had a major meltdown, and on top of that our provider had a sequence of internal problems, and the sum of problems and coincidences was and is so terrible that we are still down. Already solved a few problems, we expect to be up by Sunday or Monday.

Sorry for the trouble. Games for Sunday are:

900 am - Empoli x Inter
1100 am - Shalke 04 x Dortmund
100 pm - Atletico Madrid x Espanyol
300 pm - Peñarol x Danubio
530 pm - Nacional x Tolima
730 pm - Valencia x Deportivo La Coruña
930 pm - Sevilla x Real Madrid

Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks,

Constantino
GolTV, Inc.

[danielmak]

Our dedicated server had a major meltdown, and on top of that our provider had a sequence of internal problems, and the sum of problems and coincidences was and is so terrible that we are still down. Already solved a few problems, we expect to be up by Sunday or Monday.

Sorry for the trouble. Games for Sunday are:

900 am - Empoli x Inter
1100 am - Shalke 04 x Dortmund
100 pm - Atletico Madrid x Espanyol
300 pm - Peñarol x Danubio
530 pm - Nacional x Tolima
730 pm - Valencia x Deportivo La Coruña
930 pm - Sevilla x Real Madrid

Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks,

Constantino
GolTV, Inc.

Constantino,

Thanks for the update. Can you give us some info. about the reasons why Gol doesn't update the on-line schedules in ways that would be most user friendly. For example, Setanta and Fox Soccer Channel have schedules listed two weeks prior to a given programming date. Granted, those schedules can change but for the most part the schedules are set. Gol obviously knows which matches will be shown so why do you wait until Thursday to list the weekend matches and Sunday night (best case scenario) to list the weekday schedule. Listing in advance would not only be convenient for soccer fans in terms of seeing what's on but it also would be nice because that information could be forwarded to the satellite and cable companies so they could update their guides. For example, four weeks ago I was out of town but there was no way for me to program my DVR to record Serie A and La Liga matches before I left town because you hadn't updated your schedule. I just got the generic Italian League Match but had no idea what match or if you would even show a Serie A match during that time. Thanks for considering the request. I'm sure I'm not alone with this frustration. Take care.

[HDSports]

I hope Constantino reples, but I thought I'd offer an explantion as I see it:

GOLTVs schedule is set later due to:

1. Some of their leagues they carry do not confirm game times until the week before...this is true of La Liga, which is a major attraction of their schedule, and might totally affect their schedule where they are trying to show the most attractive matches live. GOLTV might slot in a Bundesliga game for Sunday 11 am ET, but bump it if a marquee team in La Liga is playing at that time. (I believe WorldSportHD picks a match and that affects availablity as well). That is in contrast to the EPL schedule and game times are pretty much known way in advance (except for an occasional change due to an added cup tie or cancellation due to field conditions).

2. GOLTV strives to show relevant games. In the past, they have switched from tentatively showing one league for another because the former leagues title race was determined by a midweek result.They have even shown a smaller league title game in preference to a bigger league match (Italy, Spain) late in the season when the title in the bigger league has already been determined. The other networks are not as flexible (and don't really need to be since they don't cover the number of leagues GOLTV does) so they can confidently publish a schedule in advance: Setanta, for example, would never delay a live EPL match even if the tie was between two terrible teams, to show a French or Dutch match that might determine the title in their league. FSC's can reveal their schedule of Serie A matches early since they only have the rights to four teams home games while GOLTV has a choice from the other sixteen.

3. Unlike the EPL, some of the leagues that GOLTV carries do not televise all matches and so they have to wait and see what is available before deciding the best schedule. While the same is true for the French league, for example, Setanta has no other soccer matches in which to show on Sunday afternoon so there is no decision to be made (although they will often bump it if a rugby match becomes available).

In short, while the other channels centerpiece is the EPL, GOLTV chooses from 10 leagues (even if you narrow things down to the 3 European leagues) they have conflicting matches to resolve and do not know all the game times until days before.

[constantino3]

I hope Constantino replies, but I thought I'd offer an explantion as I see it:

GOLTVs schedule is set later due to:

1. Some of their leagues they carry do not confirm game times until the week before...this is true of La Liga, ......

I couldn't have explained it better than HDSports, the explanation is so exact that I'll copy it so that I can paste it ( acknowledging the source ;-) ) whenever someone asks me about this issue.

Usually, we sit down and produce the programming grid for a Saturday to Friday cycle, the Tuesday before. Yesterday, we programmed the grid from Sat. 16.Dec to Fri 22.Dec. We send the grid out to the press and the electronic grid providers on Wednesday night. (today)

No only we do know approximately, not exactly, which games we can show the next 4 months, ( it depends for example on the 1st pick for La Liga [not ours], what will be on satellite for Italy and Germany, etc.; but there might also be several changes, for example the Colombian final is still TBD, etc.

The latest grid is always on www.goltv.tv , and several sites like soccertv.com also have up to the minute grids. We will be sending RSS grids shortly.

Thank you,
Constantino
GolTV, Inc.

[danielmak]

Thanks for the replies. The information helps a lot and ends what has been a long-standing frustration with Gol's site. Now I can work on DirecTV to try to get them to implement the schedule sooner--lately the on-screen guides for the weekend schedules haven't bee updated until Thursday night and sometimes Friday, which is a drag in situations where the weekend is busy. It's nice to be able to program the DVR well in advance. Take care.

[Jabinho]

You guys have all hit the nail on the head with my complaint about Gol TV.. Getting scheduling info in advance.. Fox Soccer Channel is easy .. Gol TV is not.. There must be a way to solve that..;)

[OldFanatic]

I gave rep to Constantino just for being a class act, and coming here and actually talking with us in an ongoing manner. We may not like all of his answers (can you tell Ray Hudson to keep his shouting down please, while you're at it? ;)), but GolTV shows they're committed in talking with their core customer market. I still continue to get frustrated from time to time having to listen to Phil Schoen/Ray Hudson, but I've learnt to live with it without major bother. That's because GolTV listened and did implement changes of more locally based/knowledgeable commentators.

About the scheduling problem, I envision a day when all of these DVR devices could be accessed using wireless devices or on the internet. That way, even if you were on vacation, you could setup recording schedules remotely, or maybe even watch the content remotely. Anyway, that's not just a GolTV specific comment, but a generic wish.

[MasterShake29]

I don't follow GolTV's schedule via their website too keenly (I usually go by soccerTV), but I think even preliminary schedule info would be good.

While I understand some matches may not be confirmed right away, some probably are. For example, if Inter Milan is playing AC Milan, that game is going on GolTV no matter what.

I'd rather see the schedule with 75% TBA if need be than waiting for everything to be confirmed. List matches as tentative if you like, that way people will know when something is likely to change.

For example, there's nothing listed for this weekend yet. Surely you have some idea on it. I realize Spain sets games 5 minutes in advance or so, and that causes issues, but I think something is better than nothing.

[joebloe888]

The major difference between the attitude of the EPL and the attitude of La Liga when it comes to scheduling of matches in advance attributes to the following:

The EPL knows that the majority of its TV viewing audience is now in the Indian subcontinent and in Chinese-speaking countries and territories in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and to a much lesser extent Taiwan) instead of the U.K.

You did NOT see any Chinese-language ad boards during EPL matches 3 years ago. You do now, with the most prominent being "100 Glories Beer", better known to most of you as Budweiser.

La Liga, on the other hand, still draws most of its TV viewers from Spain. The key export TV viewing markets for La Liga, namely Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, are still relatively small compared to the domestic viewing market.

(Even the Italian Serie A is getting its act together by scheduling matches in TV time slots a month in advance instead of 2 weeks as in the past.)

The EPL has to schedule matches for TV slots far in advance because its TV partners around the world, the most prominent of which is NewsCorp-managed ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) in Asia, need the lead time to hype its telecasts. (The government of GuangDong Province in China will get into the act next season after it outbid ESS for the EPL video rights in China.)

Until La Liga reaches the point where it has more TV viewers outside Spain than inside Spain, I wouldn't expect La Liga to get its act together regarding scheduling of matches for TV time slots.

--

As for GolTV, scheduling has gotten a bit easier now that the Ecudorean League has left (for Ecuavisa Int'l) and the Brazilian Leagues will probably NOT return (Globo is launching PFC Int'l, with Brazilian Futebol 24 x 7). The Bolivian League is another one will not be missed by too many viewers if it does not return to GolTV. That would leave GolTV with 8 domestic leagues: Spain, Germany, Italy, Colombia, Uruguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

[cescfabregas]

I gave rep to Constantino just for being a class act, and coming here and actually talking with us in an ongoing manner. We may not like all of his answers but GolTV shows they're committed in talking with their core customer market

Constantino = Class Act, Absolutely. Many thanks - as you can see i havent complained lately. Way to go Goltv.


[/QUOTE]
(can you tell Ray Hudson to keep his shouting down please, while you're at it? ;)), . I still continue to get frustrated from time to time having to listen to Phil Schoen/Ray Hudson, but I've learnt to live with it without major bother.
[/QUOTE] Same here, 75-80% viewing ratio is topnotch.

Will it be too much to ask that Ray Hudson gets a show where he doesnt have to speak or analyze anything relative to football? He his just abysmal - Goodness.

[danielmak]

It is 10:30 am CST on Friday and DirecTV's on-screen guide still lacks specific information for this weekend's action on Gol TV. Although I think DirecTV could be better about updating the guides, I think Gol needs to be more agressive about these updates. I say this because FSC, Setanta, and FSE all have up-to-date programming listed on DirecTV's guide from today through next week. Gol is the only futbol network that lacks specific information. I don't know if this is an area that you deal with Constantino, but you might share the info. with your colleagues if it is not your area and see if things can be updated in a more timely fashion. I can always use the manual record function using Gol's web site as a guide but that's a pain. Take care.

[OldFanatic]

BTW, DirecTV's Setanta guide, although up, is many times off by 15 minutes or so. They always show events starting or ending on half or full hour, but Setanta has lots of events starting on :15 or :45. Compared to the DISH 622 DVR, the interface of DirecTV DVR I have also sucks, w.r.t. padding extra minutes before or after an event. (Not as many options as the DISH DVR.) If you want exact recording of an event, you almost have to setup manual recording, which sucks big time. That's because you lose the title of what you recorded, and everything shows up as "Manual" after the fact.

Not exactly related to your complaint, but pointing out a generic problem on DirecTV's side.

[cescfabregas]

Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks,

Constantino
GolTV, Inc.

C'mon Constantino - Fiorentina v. Milan with ray and phil calling the plays? Jeez, with all the monitors they couldnt differentiate between kaka and Gilardino and i only have one tv and i knew that was Gilardino. BTW Ray - he his not the replacement for Sheva, get your facts right prior to opening your sorry trap.

Constantino, these morons make Goltv look really bad with all the good work you do...

Ray and Phil - Your Bust had two goals today.. Another sign you shouldnt be anywhere near football..... If you have nothing tangible to say - just hush...

[GutBomb]

C'mon Constantino - Fiorentina v. Milan with ray and phil calling the plays? Jeez, with all the monitors they couldnt differentiate between kaka and Gilardino and i only have one tv and i knew that was Gilardino. BTW Ray - he his not the replacement for Sheva, get your facts right prior to opening your sorry trap.

Constantino, these morons make Goltv look really bad with all the good work you do...

Ray and Phil - Your Bust had two goals today.. Another sign you shouldnt be anywhere near football..... If you have nothing tangible to say - just hush...
dude, enough with that. keep it to the proper threads. this thread is NOT for complaining about commentators.

[Visca...]

Constantino, since you are subscribed to this thread, a question...will GOLtv show the U-20 South American Championship (qualifier to the Youth World Cup) this January? GOLtv usually has the youth CONMEBOL tournaments.