The main problem across every delivery platform is an inability to move to a la carte. This is just not something that any provider has been willing to do. I get the move for cable and satellite companies, although I don't like the move. But streaming platforms have options to do something different and provide an alternative. For example, I had Fanatiz for about 18 months, even stuck with them in the summer when they had nothing to watch just to support them. But when Fox lost the rights to Libertadores/Sudamericana I had to jump. After having Sling's World Package with cloud DVR, even Fanatiz's recent update can't move me. The cloud DVR and on-demand are game changers for me, since I rarely watch anything live. If Fanatiz had Cloud DVR then I'd be in. I looked at Fubo so I could get GolTV. They have a nicely priced World Sports package with TyC, GolTV (English and Spanish), TyC, and FS+ but, of course, this is add-on to their larger package, which I don't need. It would seem to me that they could increase the price from $5.99 and still charge for cloud DVR and get some subscribers that they don't get now, but no, they insist on full package sales. If the package is $5.99 as an add-on, why can't they sell it for that or slightly more a la carte?
They confirmed on Twitter that it’s just live feeds of BeIN and GolTV. Disappointing given that they do archive the Superliga and Colombian content (and Bolivar home games). Still a good deal at $10 per month. (Honestly I was happily paying $10 per month just for the Boca and River league games — everything else was redundant to what I already have.) Besides Fanatiz, I’m still on a $10/month grandfathered Fubo package which has BeIN, Goal, TyC and Univision (considering whether I still need it in light of Fanatiz’s new offering). Fubo has a DVR function which is redundant given that they archive almost all matches so that you can watch on demand (including GolTV and BeIN).
I have a dream... that one day... Cloud DVR will be irrelevant because all providers will archive any games they originally showed or had rights to... for on-demand viewing... into the future, indefinitely.
Not yet but someone here reported that they said that they would be adding the connect channels to the app soon.
Do you also sub to one of their main packages or is the grandfathered deal that they give you this a la carte. So you're paying $10 only? That was what I tried to get on via chat: international soccer package and cloud DVR. But they said I needed to sub to one of their main packages, which I don't need since I still have DTV. And does your Fubo package include archived, on demand games for GolTV? For example, an Ecuadoran league game you can watch on demand?
No, I don’t subscribe to one of their main packages. I have DirecTV for my standard package. I got this before they had “main packages.” It’s their original offering which is the BeIN channels (connect not included in the app — you have to login through the awful BeIN site), GolTV, TyC, and Univision channels. I think it started at $7 per month and then they upped it to $10. There is a DVR but it’s superfluous because you can just replay past games on demand for 2 days. Right now, I was able to access Feyenoord-Ajax from Wednesday. It has On Demand from all of the channels (Univision, GolTV, TyC, BeIN). But they don’t offer this package anymore.
Yes in time Fanatiz will be rolling out all the connect channels. I spoke to a Fanatiz rep and he hasn’t been wrong yet with any of my questions.
Sling to the rescue! BeIN decided at the last minute once again to change the Connect schedules, putting ISO cams from El Clasico on Connect 4 and 5, even though a couple of Ligue 1 matches had been scheduled there. For the one scheduled on Connect 8, they moved the Huesca-Sevilla match there from 6, so nothing recorded like it was supposed to. It turned out the Ligue 1 matches scheduled for 4 and 5 were moved to 6 and 7, which I didn't set to record. But Sling on-demand came through. Even though 6 and 7 were listed as "off-air", by going into the guide and selecting the channel logos from the left, it pulled up their entire programming from the day, so I was able to select the 2PM blocks from both of those "off-air" listings and still watch the games. I kind of discovered this by accident. So when BeIN inevitably screws up the connect listings again, keep this option in mind.
Sling is pretty darn cool. Wish they would find a way to end the Univision dispute though. That would make it elite for soccer.
On another note, I just want to reiterate that it is so fantastic that beIN has the Libertadores rights now. Much better situation than Fox Deportes. There will be different games on both channels AND overflow matches on connect. Some of which will have English and Spanish streams to choose from. ALL in HD. Can't really get any better than that for us South American futbol fans.
The Group Stage begins this week. EVERY match is available in English AND Spanish. My listings are updated on the page (http://soccertvblog.com/copa-libertadores-tv/). Where a match is indicated "Spanish/English", it means that Audio Channel-1 ("Pair-1" as beIN calls it) is Spanish; Audio Channel-2 ("Pair-2") is English. I understand not every provider may offer the 2 audio channels but they are being fed by beIN and at least on their own website you can choose between the two. SA www.soccertvblog.com
Does anyone know if there is a way to toggle between languages on the Connect channels, per SA's post above using Sling (Roku)? For example, Godoy Cruz-Olimpia appears with Spanish commentary on Connect. Is there a way to get English on that cloud dvr recording/watching on demand? I'm not seeing an option but maybe there's some move akin to what Art Deco described above with Off Air.
I don't think so - the move I was talking about was to pull up something that aired earlier on a Connect channel which was mislabeled and wouldn't show up in the regular on-demand search. The OTT providers like Sling and Fubo don't offer an SAP option so you're out of luck unfortunately. (By the way, I took your cue, got onto their chat and converted to the annual $45 World Sports option today) I still have cable as well with BeIN Espanol and SAP so I set it to record the replay tomorrow morning of that match, which is probably the only way to get it in English.
Hitting the star button on the Roku remote while playing the video pulls up an audio option but then there is nothing to select. One other strange thing with BeIN Connect is that at least one game every week has a very metallic look to it. For example, the fans look like they are made of metal and players' hair will look like there is a metallic shine instead of just normal sweat. This happened one time with BeIN USA on DTV many, many years ago. But then the problem never happened again. But, again, it seems to happen about once a week with either Libertadores or Sudamericana. And the strange thing is that it almost always happens on the English commentary Connect channel but doesn't happen on the Spanish Connect. Since I have time to watch now, I decided to go with the games that had English commentary (Melgar-San Lorenzo and now am starting San Jose-Flamengo) but it looks like the Connect Spanish commentary version of Godoy Cruz's match has this problem. I didn't stick around enough to look closely but will revisit the game after I watch this one.
That's an interesting point you and others bring up. Cable has been doing multiple languages (via SAP) for matches for decades I figure. Do many providers like FOX offer something like SAP for their digital streams? I haven't really noticed.
I had Fox Matchpass for a few months and they did not have a SAP option. Luckily Fanatiz appeared at that time because the Matchpass games for Sudamericana and Libertadores were about 85% stadium sound and the same was true for Bundesliga2. It was crazy to me that given the Fox network across the Americas and the regular use South American Spanish commentary from Fox Argentina, Chile, and Colombia that Matchpass wasn't using those same feeds. Fox Deportes dumped the English SAP option around 2012--U de Chile's Copa Sudamericana win was one of the last times I remember this option existing.
I believe B/R has a no-spoilers option (I don’t subscribe since all the matches are free on Univision.) FuboTV lists the game On Demand without spoilers.
Indeed I was able to navigate to the game on B/R without spoilers. (EDIT: I guess if you look at the pic it’s a bit of a spoiler.) Now perhaps we can get back to discussion of BeIN sport.
You're right. When (say) Comcast makes a deal to carry ESPN, they know they're hosed without ESPN. Disney also knows this. The channel owners/operators naturally want their channels on low tiers. The companies (Comcast, Charter, AT&T) want the channels on higher tiers. Where things really get expensive are the channel owners that own 10-15 (if not more) channels. Disney knows a provider wants ESPN and Disney, but do they really care about ESPN Deportes, Disney Jr. or the Lifetime channels, of which Disney and Hearst own 50% each? Probably not. When the companies negotiate, they demand popular channels on low tiers and niche channels up high...one of the reasons why Fox Sports World was typically on a digital/extended or sports tier. To move to a "pick your own channels and pay individually" would get ridiculously expensive rather fast. Also, look at what happened with Setanta over the summer months. Personally, I'd never watch A&E, but I discovered LivePD a few months ago. Would I pay $8/mo for one show? No way. Something like 52 cents per month sounds a heck of a lot better. HBO is $10-15 per month and the other premium channels aren't far behind. These channels and Setanta are good indicators of prices on an a la carte system. For 15 channels, a price of $120-$150 total probably isn't unreasonable. Since the streaming options like YouTube TV and Hulu are still fairly new, they have the option of paying for only some channels owned by a company. However...my eye is on these providers. As they get more popular, people are going to want more channels.
Who are the international feed announcers on Bein English for Libertadores? Sounds like one of the guys that used to do Brazil Serie A on Goltv on the Penarol vs LDU match on now.