FSC and Gol TV

[FORZA AZZURRI 406]

Hi I really want to start watching more soccer on tv. Right now all I have is basic Comcast cable and I rarely get to watch any soccer. ESPN nevers shows soccer. :mad: All I want to know is how to get such channels as Fox Soccer Channel or Gol TV. Tell which channel shows more Serie A and International competions also.
Thank you very much. :cool:

[Kryptonite]

ESPN does show soccer (just read this forum), but what they show tends to stick to US Soccer (MLS, USMNT, USWNT) and two Champions League matches per matchday, one live and one delay. But, I agree that soccer on ESPN is usually hard to find.

You say you have basic Comcast. If you upgrade to get a cable box and sign up for their "Digital Sports Package" or whatever they call it, that will give you FSC. A box and this package should be around $15 extra per month.

Now, if you want Dish Network, their "America's Top 180" package will give you FSC, as well as Gol TV in English and Spanish.. It's my understanding that the "Top 180" package includes one channel of Gol TV in Spanish, and another one in Spanish that you can change the SAP setting and get English commentary.

And yes, Dish 180 also includes FSE, Univision, Telemundo, etc.

If you want DirecTV, you'd need their Sports Pack, at ~$12.95 a month. DirecTV also includes an optional Setanta channel at ~$12.95 a month. However, you can look into a product called ITVN that can get Setanta through your broadband internet, and display it on your TV.

You live in South Jersey, so i'm assuming you get Comcast Philadelphia as your local RSN. If you sign up with a satellite provider, you'd lose your Comcast Philadelphia channel. All the games on there (Flyers, Phillies, etc.) would be blacked out on the appropriate sports PPV package (Center Ice, MLB Extra Innings, etc.) Many times, rebroadcasts of games are not blacked out through satellite TV, but Comcast Philadelphia is not available through satellite, so you can forget about CSN Philly.

If you want Comcast Philadelphia and the local teams, the best thing to do would probably be to call Comcast, get a box, and sign up for the digital sports package.

I don't know if Comcast offers Gol TV, but their website could tell you.

[HDSports]

GOL TV holds the rights to home games of 16 Serie A teams and usually shows 3-4 Italian games per weekend. FSC has rights to the other four teams home games and shows 1-2. (GOL TV also carries leagues from Spain and Germany, while FSC mainly covers England)

The UEFA Champions League is shown on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic (two games each per gameday, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday), while Setanta has been showing three games per day through the group stage (which I believe will go to two games a day in the knockout phase).

Euro 2008 qualifiers are carried mainly by Setanta, with FSC getting a couple of the leftover games. (Setanta also carries games from Englans, Scotland, France , and the Netherlands)

UEFA Cup is currently being shown by Setanta, while starting with the quarterfinals, FSC will carry it through the final (with the exception of one quarterfinal on Setanta).

The ESPN networks have the rights to Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Where to get these stations:

The Comcast sportspack, which is $4.99/mo here in Central NJ, includes both FSC and GolTV. (The package also includes 3 Fox College Sports Channesl and College Sports TV, which carries college soccer in the fall.) But, as has been already stated, you need digital cable to get this optional tier....Their digital packages are something like $68 and $73.

If you can get Verizon FIOS, they have GOLTV, FSC, and Fox Sports in Espanol (English SAP) as part of their $5.99 Sportspak (or included in a combined Movie/Sports package), and their basic digital package is $42.99. They also have ESPN Deportes, which has extensive Champions League coverage in Spanish as part of an $11-12 Spanish tier.

Krytonite covered both Dish Network and DirecTV quite well, but I must mention the Dish Network has a VOOM premium tier, which covers a first choice weekly La Liga contest from Spain in HD.

Setanta is available three ways at 14.99/mo: IPTV, where it is sent through your high-speed internet connection to a box connected to your TV. (IPTV recently added GOLTV for $9.99/mo as well). If you commit to a year's service, then they supply the box for no cost, other wise you must purchase it. DirectTV, where they exclusively have a secondary channel available to occasionally show two simultaneous live broadcasts, or Globecast (which is what I have for Setanta), a satelltie dish where you buy and install the equipment, but then there are no other charges besides the subscription fee. Most of the other stations are foreign language, but a couple show soccer, mainly Abu Dhabi Sports which mainly shows soccer from the middle east, but has from time to time shown Euro 2008 qualifiers, Asian Champions League and Asian Cup qualifiers, and Asian Junior Cup. It is in Arabic and is FTA (free-to-air, no fee). There are 35-40 FTA stations (in addition to subscription stations), but I believe only one is in English (Al Jazeera's English News Channel).

[Kryptonite]

Verizon today (December 4, 2006) announced a programming- distribution agreement with Comcast for Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia and Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia HD. Verizon will carry the channels in its all-digital FiOS TV Premier package in its Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey TV markets.

Comcast SportsNet-Philadelphia provides local sports coverage including live game action for the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers, the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies.

"We know that Philly sports fans are passionate about their teams and expect their TV provider to carry all the action," said Terry Denson, vice president of FiOS TV content strategy and acquisition. (Yet, CSN Philly isn't on either satellite provider...hmm.)

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061204/nym099.html?.v=59


For CSN Philly, FSC, FS Espanol, GolTV, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, ESPN News, ESPN, and ESPN2, Verizon might be the way to go. You could easily add Setanta through ITVN as well.

That's what i'd do. Sign up for Verizon FIOS and ITVN. That'll give you more soccer than you'll have time to watch, even with a DVR.

[simont]

I recommend going with GOL TV. It broadcasts a lot of the more attractive Italian games in english and Spanish. They also show a lot of La Liga games and German games, not counting their S. american games. But if it is international competitions youa re after, I recommend going with Sentanata Sports, which is available via Direct Tv and ITVN. Sentanta shows a lot of UEFA championship games and also shows the UEFA Cup and EUro 2008 qualifiers. I would also recommend checking out www.soccertv.com that will give you all the listings for soccer matches that are televised via the USA and you can check out what leagues are shown onwhat networks. Keep in mind that Sentana Sports is an Irish sports netowrk that has a deal with ITVN, but a lot of their programs have a British feel to it. also Sentanta is a pay channel you get an ITVN box for and is around $15.95 p/m but worth it.
SimonT

[HDSports]

I recommend going with GOL TV. It broadcasts a lot of the more attractive Italian games in english and Spanish. They also show a lot of La Liga games and German games, not counting their S. american games. .......Keep in mind that Sentana Sports is an Irish sports netowrk that has a deal with ITVN, but a lot of their programs have a British feel to it. also Sentanta is a pay channel you get an ITVN box for and is around $15.95 p/m but worth it.
SimonT

Setanta has a Brithish feel to it because they take a lot of their coverage (including UEFA Cup, Champions League, Englsih Football, and Euro 2008 Qualifiers) from Sky Sports when available. They also cover quite a bit of rugby, Australian-rules football, and hurling. Their UEFA Cup coverage is more focused on English and Irish teams in contrast to the coverage GOLTV gave it last year when they had the rights. I agree that GOLTV is the best bet when it comes to Italian Soccer and overall covers about 9-10 leagues. Games are broadcast in English, Spanish, and Geordie. As I mentioned earleir, ITVN shows both of these (Setanta $14.99/mo, GOLTV 9.99/mo), but I believe DirecTV is the only provider that has GOLTV, Setanta, AND Fox Soccer Channel. I currently have Comcast for FSC and GOLTV, and Globecast for Setanta. When FIOS becomes available to me allegedly early next year, I might choose them for the first two.

[joebloe888]

I have DirecTV, which has 4 soccer-centric channels back-to-back-to-back-to-back:

613 FOX Soccer Channel (1/2 of EPL, FA Cup, 1st choice Argentine, 20% of Italy, UEFA Cup/UEFA Super Cup "A" and "B" packages, Gold Cup games involving the US, MLS on Saturday nights, 2 leftover USMNT and 2 leftover USWNT games each year after ESPN passes on them)

614 GolTV (Spain [except first choice], 80% of Italy, Germany, Colombia, Uruguay, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador)

615 Setanta Sports USA (1/2 of EPL, France, Netherlands, Scotland, 2nd Choice UEFA Champions League games through semifinal round, UEFA Cup games from SportFive through round of 16, 2nd choice UEFA Cup quarterfinals, Euro qualifiers)

616 FOX Sports en Espanol (1st choice Argentine, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, overflow Mexican League games from Azteca America)

Try finding that kind of coverage for Bobsled or Badminton (sorry, couldn't resist taking a shot at Michael Hiestand of USA Today).

[MasterShake29]

Just to add to that, the GolTV Spanish coverage includes both Barcelona v Real Madrid games.

And despite the name, FOX Sports Espanol does English SAP for many of the Libertadores and Sudamericana games, if you're into that sort of thing.

[FORZA AZZURRI 406]

Thanks for all the info.
You have all been helpful. :D :D