SPL in the US [Archive]

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C-bus

27 Dec 2008, 03:08 PM

lovingthegreen

28 Dec 2008, 09:33 AM

Can anyone tell me how to watch SPL from the US? I've been looking for television stations that carry it and "free" online services that are never actually free. What's the best way to follow this league from abroad?

It's the MLS offseason and I want to adopt a Scottish team to follow but am finding it difficult to watch any games!

Thank you!

For the most part, the only way I know to watch live games is either to subscribe to Celtic's Channel 67 or head to a subscribing pub that hosts Celtic or Rangers games (~$10-$20 per game cover charge). Also, Setanta will broadcast all live games being broadcast in Scotland (i.e. those not being played at 7 a.m. PT/3 p.m. Scottish time) that do not involve Celtic or Rangers. These do not happen very often, however - probably about once a month.

You should be able to also find streams for SPL games (mostly Celtic/Rangers games) at http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=home.

Another option is subscribing to audio coverage through the teams (or finding a way to listen to BBC's broadcasts by getting around the issue of it not being accessible to Americans).

Bottom line, it is unfortunately not easy (or cheap), especially so if you want to follow a team not named Celtic or Rangers.

C-bus

28 Dec 2008, 01:00 PM

That's a lot of good info. Thank you very much. I'm interested in watching as many games as possible regardless of who's playing but I will be supporting Heart of Midlothian FC.

lovingthegreen

28 Dec 2008, 05:15 PM

That's a lot of good info. Thank you very much. I'm interested in watching as many games as possible regardless of who's playing but I will be supporting Heart of Midlothian FC.

I know they are one of the teams that broadcasts each of their games on the Internet (audio only). Looking at their website, http://www.heartsfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/loginOrBuy/0,,10289,00.html?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heartsfc.premiumtv.co.uk%2Fpage%2Fsub%2FLiveCommentaryIndex%2F0%2C%2C10289%2C00.html%3F, it is confusing as to whether you can pay for it from outside the U.K. or not. I know I subscribe through Plymouth Arygle's site and have access to broadcasts from many, many teams including Hearts (http://www.pafc.co.uk/page/loginOrBuy/0,,10364,00.html?WT.mc_id=nav). If you get it right now, it costs £24.99 (~$35-$40) to get audio for the rest of the 2008-09 season.

As for video, unfortunately Hearts will not be on very often, although the Hearts-Hibernian game on Saturday (7:30 a.m. PT kickoff) will be broadcast live on the regular Setanta channel - and there will likely be "free" links at that other website I listed above. If you subscribe to that service mentioned in the previous paragraph, you will be able to view highlights of every match, which is pretty cool.

frasermc

28 Dec 2008, 07:01 PM

That's a lot of good info. Thank you very much. I'm interested in watching as many games as possible regardless of who's playing but I will be supporting Heart of Midlothian FC.

fresh meat for our moderator... :D

The Tartan Hoop

29 Dec 2008, 07:54 AM

One website that I know of is White Rat TV I think, there is a few of them frasers being the more popular. Just google the game you want but add ''online streaming'' at the end and you should eventually find one that loads up a streaming section for you to watch.

Red Sky

01 Jan 2009, 12:39 PM

That's a lot of good info. Thank you very much. I'm interested in watching as many games as possible regardless of who's playing but I will be supporting Heart of Midlothian FC.

Dumbass question (probably): are there any 'soccer' pubs in Boulder? Good luck with your hunt, C-bus.

Jasonma

01 Jan 2009, 01:49 PM

I don't know about Boulder but the best place to watch soccer on the Front Range is the British Bulldog in Denver. Always open in the early morning on Saturday during European season, and the home away from home for Rapids supporters during the MLS season.

Pedro's greasy do

01 Jan 2009, 03:40 PM

Dumbass question (probably): are there any 'soccer' pubs in Boulder? Good luck with your hunt, C-bus.

There's a Scottish pub just off pearl street that might show the football.

Red Sky

02 Jan 2009, 12:24 PM

Thanks for that, folks. Does the Denver pub show soccer from most leagues or mainly MLS and the Premiership?

Jasonma

02 Jan 2009, 04:15 PM

Primarily MLS and British soccer because of their customer base, but if its on Fox Soccer or Setanta (I don't know if they get Gol TV) they'll show it if you request it. They have enough TV's in there to show 3-4 games at once.

Red Sky

02 Jan 2009, 05:01 PM

Thanks Jason. :D I meant to say earlier, for anyone in the US who's interested in SPL highlights, the BBC Scotland website regularly runs highlights.

frasermc

02 Jan 2009, 05:15 PM

Thanks Jason. :D I meant to say earlier, for anyone in the US who's interested in SPL highlights, the BBC Scotland website regularly runs highlights.

i don't think you can view them outwith the UK though.

Yankhibee mentioned this a couple of months ago when trying to click on a link i had posted regarding a Charlie Mulgrew red card.

C-bus

03 Jan 2009, 01:14 AM

Dumbass question (probably): are there any 'soccer' pubs in Boulder? Good luck with your hunt, C-bus.

Unfortunately no. Unless that new Scottish Pub Pedro mentioned has soccer. I've searched many times throughout the are and found nothing in Boulder or surrounding areas. It can be hard sometimes for soccer fans in the US.

My buddy told me about this site (www.atdhe.net) that has live free streaming video of any sport that has a free feed anywhere online. That plus myp2p (thanks to lovingthegreen) should hopefully cover some games as my cable provider does not carry Setanta :(. So tomorrow at 5:30 AM I'll be looking for feeds for Hearts/Hibernian! What a great first game to watch!

I'm also going to check out that new Scottish Pub in Boulder. If the owner is Scottish, maybe he/she will be easily convinced to subscribe to pay per view if he/she hasn't already.

TonyStarks

04 Jan 2009, 04:16 AM

I think there's only 2 channels that show the SPL in North America:

1. Setanta - As everyone knows, but its going to run you about $10-15/month

2. Kuwait TV3 - A free channel on available on satellite that shows about 2-3 live SPL games a week

Hope that helps!

justboy

11 Jan 2009, 12:11 AM

lovingthegreen

11 Jan 2009, 04:14 AM

Good luck with your search...I have lived in the US for almost 6 years, and in that time i have seen ZERO live SPL games on TV. The closest was a tape delay of Rangers v Celtic last season - FSC showed the game 24 hours later.

In that 6 yr time period there have been about 5 or 6 live Scotland NT games between Setanta and FSC, but no SPL.

Just to correct what has been said in this thread by a couple of members, the monthly subscription to Setanta WILL NOT get you live SPL games. You can get live SPL thorugh Setanta on a pay per view basis, but only for a commercial customer; such as a bar or pub.

:confused:

I have watched live SPL games just in the past month on regular Setanta. The only thing is that there will be exactly zero Celtic/Rangers games which will be broadcast live on Setanta (for whatever reason, those are only on Setanta Pay Per View at bars/pubs), but Hearts-Hibernian was on last weekend and Hamilton-Motherwell was on several weeks ago.

justboy

11 Jan 2009, 12:59 PM

:confused:

I have watched live SPL games just in the past month on regular Setanta. The only thing is that there will be exactly zero Celtic/Rangers games which will be broadcast live on Setanta (for whatever reason, those are only on Setanta Pay Per View at bars/pubs), but Hearts-Hibernian was on last weekend and Hamilton-Motherwell was on several weeks ago.

Really? I personally don't have Setanta, as i have Comcast cable, but when i have called their customer service, or looked on their website, I am always told there is no live SPL...

Do you think it is worth it - taking into consideration having to have an ugly dish on the house?

lovingthegreen

11 Jan 2009, 07:51 PM

Really? I personally don't have Setanta, as i have Comcast cable, but when i have called their customer service, or looked on their website, I am always told there is no live SPL...

Do you think it is worth it - taking into consideration having to have an ugly dish on the house?

There are absolutely no live Celtic or Rangers games. However, there are some live SPL games, like about once a month, especially for a derby like Hearts-Hibernian or, a new one in the SPL, Hamilton-Motherwell. And all of the Celtic and Rangers SPL games are broadcast a few days after they happen (at least I think it's all of them - there's always at least one game rebroadcast for each of those two teams every week).

If you're okay with getting it online, you can subscribe to Setanta Broadband for $15 a month. That includes all the EPL, SPL and Ligue 1 games that go over their regular channel.

Bottom line, probably not worth it if you're just looking for live SPL games. Might be if the Celtic/Rangers taped games are something you're looking for. Since I follow the SPL in addition to Ligue 1 (and the EPL, as well, on occasion), it's definitely worth it to me. Not sure what you're looking for, though, and I know that $15 a month is not cheap.

FYI, here is Setanta's broadcast schedule for the next two weeks: http://www.setanta.com/us/TV-Listings/. If you want to see the Setanta Broadband listings, make sure to click it on the dropdown menu. There isn't too much difference between the two.

Pedro's greasy do

12 Jan 2009, 06:46 AM

Good luck with your search...I have lived in the US for almost 6 years, and in that time i have seen ZERO live SPL games on TV. The closest was a tape delay of Rangers v Celtic last season - FSC showed the game 24 hours later.

In that 6 yr time period there have been about 5 or 6 live Scotland NT games between Setanta and FSC, but no SPL.

Just to correct what has been said in this thread by a couple of members, the monthly subscription to Setanta WILL NOT get you live SPL games. You can get live SPL thorugh Setanta on a pay per view basis, but only for a commercial customer; such as a bar or pub.

I watched Rangers at the Rangers Dallas supporters club before. What an experience that was! :D