ESPN Soccer Thread

It's already close to the World Cup. But surely it'll be in English with Spanish sub-titles, no?

Edit: Okay, maybe not. Just saw the trailer. Oh well, some english-language version will leak somewhere.

Anyway, looks great. Definitely a must-watch!

 

For soccer I am tempted for the MLS games (especially my Fire matches)

Although the baseball games could be more intriguing. Especially the MLB package at an extra 24.99 per month. I don't think the MLB TV package has ever been offered monthly like that.
Very tempting as long as my Fire and Mets stay healthy and are in contention for playoff spots .
But if they both play like crap I will not want to pay that much. So it is a crapshoot.

*Edit, MLB TV is already available monthly so it is not as good as I thought. I guess it is convenient to see the games through ESPN's app though.

 

I'll be subscribing for the cricket alone -- but I also like a lot of "non-revenue" college sports. $5 is a fair price point that you can set and forget. Where NBC Gold should be for all sports combined.

Another note: I'd be amazed if ESPN renews the Football League contract and does not switch League and Cup matches to +

 

Yeah, that's what I'm expecting/dreading. Last year you could watch the EFL cup on Espn as long a you have a provider login. Next year they may put the EFL content behind their added paywall. But at least, with the monthly arrangement you could subscribe for less than a year... something NBC will hopefully adopt, as the market matures and gets more competitive.

 

Honestly I don't have a problem with the ESPN+ plan at all. While it seems like they're just tucking normal content under a paywall, they've added tons more sports in the last couple years (this move had to be coming). In the cricket market, $5 a month just for that is good value. This is stuff that cost 5x that price via PPV in years gone by.

 

As soon as I can, I'm signing up for the annual fee of $50. I'm primarily getting it for MLS, but just for the tennis Grand Slam stuff alone that I watch, it'll be worth it. Hell, if they add Serie A this fall (fingers and toes crossed), it'll be majorly worth it. Since I already subscribe to MLB.tv, I'm not concerned about the other stuff. I know that some people will have a problem with paying for stuff that you used to get for free, and, hey, I'm right on board, but last year I paid $65 for MLS Live, so this is a savings of $15, and I have no problem paying for something that I know will provide value for me.

 

So are they still going to have free content on Watch ESPN for subscribers or are they moving everything over to the ESPN+?

 

In their press release they mention that there will still be ESPN3 content. So I assume that will be still available on WatchESPN without having to pay extra.

 

Interesting. Wonder what gets moved to ESPN+ and what stays on ESPN3

 

ESPN announced a deal with USL today. The following paragraph confirms that espn3 will continue alongside espn+

In addition to the USL Game of the Week on ESPN3, the league’s regular-season contests will be available in the United States through ESPN+ after its launch on April 12, where the league will reside alongside Major League Soccer, the English Football League and UEFA Nations League on the new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer and International group in partnership with ESPN.

So, at least for the USL, espn3 is being treated as the "look we are giving you a free game" network. We may see the same English League football and UEFA Nations League where they throw a match on the free espn service and keep the majority on the pay service.

Here is the full article: https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/904986?referrer_id=2333971

SA
www.soccertvblog.com

 

Yeah, not seeing any Championship games after the launch date of ESPN+ so I'm curious to see what happens

 

Wish there was an ESPN+ schedule out to look at.

As for The Championship, I don't mind it moving to +, particularly if that means ESPN will be renewing the rights deal for 18-19.

 

According to AwfulAnnouncing.com, lower league EFL, League One and League Two, will move to ESPN+ along with MLS Live. The surprising move for me is that ESPN FC will be "moving over from TV to online only".

http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-soccer-programming.html

 

That kinda sucks. I liked my daily dose of ESPN FC.

 

Also mentions again what the previous press release mentioned about UEFA Nations League.
Since Univision Deportees and Unimas will be showiug matches there is less incentive for me to watch that on ESPN+

 

We have our answer.
In article posted by Gonzo it mentioned this:
"The Last Train to Russia will be an ESPN+ exclusive."

 

That plus the word that ESPN FC will no longer be carried on TV, is just the cold reality of the future arriving too soon for those of us who still find it easier (not to mention cheaper) to watch their footy shows on actual TV.

 

I wonder if ESPN is considering consolidating networks anytime soon. Maybe merging ESPNU and 2.

 

Hmmm. It's still on the schedule for the next 10 days or so - wonder if it will be a gradual phase-out after summer especially. I guess I'll just switch to the podcast.

 

Merging ESPNU and 2 might make sense for some of the year, but they might have signed NCAA Football contracts requiring them to show enough games that both of those channels are required.

 

I was about to say that ESPN U is one of the only channels that goes in depth with the college football coverage.
CBS sports Network has a couple shows but it is mostly SEC focused,

 

When ESPN+ laiunches Thursday, viewers will have a 30-day free trial. This will be good for a signup period of one week. After that, the free trial period will be 7 days.

http://www.adweek.com/digital/espn-to-debut-with-american-express-sponsorship/

The linked article also has its own link to the streaming services of Turner, which starts as a pay-per-event app, but will provide a means of purchasing of subscriptions in the coming months. Since this site, Bleacher Report Live, will be carrying the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, we will have to wait and see what they try to charge, but my first impression is to brush up on my Spanish and prepare to watch the games on Univision.

http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/turn...me-sports-streaming-app-bleacher-report-live/

 

Oh boy, things just keep getting better and better don't they!

 

Get a bullhorn and start trying to convince Zennials to watch sports, buy TVs and subscribe to cable