ESPN Soccer Thread

Discussion in 'TV, Satellite & Radio' started by Lovac1, May 20, 2016.

  1. Mikebsiu

    Mikebsiu Member+

    Mar 15, 2008
    Club:
    RSC Anderlecht
    Oof, CCM? Bottom of the ladder! Perth or Adelaide for me. MacArthur should be good this year.
     
  2. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yup.

    And IMHO there's a need for a one-stop clearninghouse for buying all these disparate digital service subscriptions... one which not only makes it easy to manage but perhaps saves you money by buying bundles.

    And beyond the economics, there are also a varied slew of technical issues for streaming that really scream to be improved.

    I've been writing about all of these shortcomings of fragmented streaming services for a few years now. And so far it's not clear that the providers are listening... what a shock. ;)
     
  3. Kryptonite

    Kryptonite Fancy Title Here

    Apr 10, 1999
    Columbus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Again, everyone:

    The ESPN app only offers linear channels if the user's TV service offers that. In this regard, it's no different than a lot of other apps.

    ESPN+ is extra stuff not shown on TV. In rare occasions, ESPN+ has additional angles/presentations of games shown on linear channels. You won't get the ESPN broadcast this way, but maybe an "All-22" or a "Pylon Cam" or similar. These angles may or may not have commentary.

    As soon as Disney and Sling agree to carry ESPN News, then it'd be possible to log in to ESPN via a Sling account and see ESPN News. I just logged in to the ESPN app via my U-Verse credentials and saw ESPN News.

    Perhaps Roku comes close to this guide? Yeah, it's a bunch of different tiles for each channel, but it's customizable.
     
  4. chrisdon72

    chrisdon72 Member

    Feb 23, 2000
    It's the least fragmented it's been in a long time. Maybe ever. Fubo has all the euro league/UEFA content except for the ESPN+ and Peacock stuff. They've got the TUDN (UCL, etc.) and BeIN overflow channels, too. I paid for the ESPN+ annual sub and get Peacock for free. So my only monthly bill is Fubo for more soccer than I could ever watch.
     
  5. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Point taken. Maybe we (I) should be looking more seriously at Fubo.

    Does Fubo really have English-language UEFA matches, a la CBS? Can you watch Fubo on Roku?

    However, for my team, I mainly need EPL, followed by FA/EFL/UEL cups. Only the last one of those is on Fubo right?

    And if you compare this to to what I used to be able to get via my singular Cable TV package it's still annoyingly fragmented.
     
  6. Redbullsnation2012

    May 26, 2010
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Fubo does have an app on Roku

    Only CBS All-Access has games in English. The only way to watch any EL/CL coverage in English is through the Golazo Show on CBSSN.

    I think the value for money compared to CBS AA/ESPN+/Peacock is there. The thing about Fubo is the lack of RSNs (which will be problem if you want to watch your local team).
     
  7. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Watching EFL cup again on ESPN+. Once again they have virtually zero half-time coverage. They showed the stats and that's all. 4-5 times they show the stadium for 15-30 seconds and then back to ads.

    I'm pretty sure the raw feed has more analysis to offer during HT. I've seen it in past years. Why can't ESPN figure out how to include that?
     
  8. corolla

    corolla Member

    Jan 8, 2008
    Club:
    Olympique de Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    I’m sure this has been mentioned here before but I bought an lg smart tv and you can’t upload the espn app to access espn+. Is there a story behind this?
     
  9. Lovac1

    Lovac1 Member

    Jun 6, 2012
    Not sure. Maybe they stopped updating their app for the tv. I remember I used to have similar issues on my samsung tv a while back. I primarily use roku app. Some of the tvs are not prioritized so the app support lags or is stopped at some point since not many people access the app this way.
     
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  10. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    Well, I still get the ESPN app on my Samsung tv (QLED). Am still waiting for Peacock to become available though.

    Would be crazy if networks stopped making their app compatible with smart TVs. It's still the most user-friendly and convenient way to switch between "regular TV" and streaming IMO.
     
  11. Kryptonite

    Kryptonite Fancy Title Here

    Apr 10, 1999
    Columbus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  12. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Today I was using my Roku to watch ESPN+ for FA Cup, and I had a few annoyances that seem mostly ESPN-driven but maybe a little Roku-driven?

    1) My ESPN app (Roku) seems to be able to join a match in progress but ALSO rewind it to the beginning if you'd like to watch from the start. That's nice (and something NBC doesn't seem able or willing to provide) BUT...

    2) The thumbnails for choosing which match to stream show the match time & score, which is obviously a complete spoiler if you wanted to watch from the start without knowing the future.

    Wouldn't it be more user-friendly if they skipped the spoiler info on the thumbnail and then when you click on a live match you could be asked "do you want to start from the beginning or watch it live in progress?" That's what my DVR does.

    3) At one point after rewinding to replay some key action, I then tried to fast-forward to current/live. BUT it kept backing me off by 10-20 seconds from the live time. So I closed the match stream and started it again from scratch and then it seemed to get me back to current/live time.

    That last issue was the one thing I wasn't sure whether it was Roku or ESPN/app driven.
     
  13. Lyrical S.

    Lyrical S. Member+

    Aug 22, 2006
    Morelia, Michoacan
    Club:
    Club América
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Just don’t pay and use the service...
     
  14. beInSchwartz

    beInSchwartz Member

    Aug 20, 2012
    Club:
    ABC Natal
    In my ESPN app I'm able to turn off scores in the settings. I think this is a new development.
     
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  15. KensingtonSC

    KensingtonSC Still Lazy After All These Years

    FC Vaduz / Philadelphia Union
    Jan 7, 2010
    Andalusia, PA
    Club:
    FC Vaduz
    Interesting. I don't have the ability to do that. Where did you find that setting?
     
  16. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks for that tip!!! I just went into my Roku settings and there is one and only one useful setting which is: "Turn on/off scores".

    Previoiusly I had looked into my ESPN settings on my iPhone app and also the ESPN website but didn't see any useful settings.

    Now if only I could figure out how to make it know that I'm basically not interested in any sport other than Soccer (OK that'as an exaggeration but not by much!). I tried adding Favorites (sports/leagues/cups) but that doesn't seem to change the order of their home screen.

    Anyway, thanks again for that tip about scores within the Roku app.
     
  17. BocaFan

    BocaFan Member+

    Aug 18, 2003
    Queens, NY
    In fact adding favorites is detrimental to what you're trying to achieve because then scores of your favorite teams and their leagues pop-up first when you open the ESPN app (not on Roku, but when you open the app through a tablet or your phone).

    The ESPNFC thumbnail also can be further improved. They are no longer blatant spoilers like they were a year or so ago, but they do give out hints to the outcomes of matches.
     
  18. Lovac1

    Lovac1 Member

    Jun 6, 2012
    That irritated me so much I had to remove all my teams and sports from favorites to avoid scores. Then I had to add NCAAW basketball as my favorites because sometimes scores are the first thing that pops up when you open the app. This way, at least I am not surprised with the scores of things I follow although it’s unavoidable sometimes.
     
  19. KensingtonSC

    KensingtonSC Still Lazy After All These Years

    FC Vaduz / Philadelphia Union
    Jan 7, 2010
    Andalusia, PA
    Club:
    FC Vaduz
    If you're using it on your phone or tablet, you can change the home page of the app to ESPN+ under the setting "Default Tab". Just be aware that whatever it live streaming will show on the top banner. Until I can figure out how to hide scores in the app, I just quick select "Schedule" while glancing away from what's showing live.
     
  20. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Some day the people who design sport streaming portals will finally get it! :D

    It just seems that that day is likely to be years down the road. :(
     
    beInSchwartz repped this.
  21. Kryptonite

    Kryptonite Fancy Title Here

    Apr 10, 1999
    Columbus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    It shouldn't be *that* hard.

    Show/hide spoilers setting.
    Don't show run times.
    Give an option for a 30-minute "condensed game" version that shows all the bookings, injuries and goals.

    Anything else I'm missing?

    Unfortunately, for us, it seems soccer fans are a rare breed in what we do. If NBA fans (for example), can't watch a game live or record to DVR, they're content with highlights on SportsCenter or NBA TV. How many Lakers fans are going to sit down and watch a matchup of 2v3 in the division after the Lakers game ends?

    Lakers game at 7pm.
    2v3 starts at 7:30pm.

    They'll record that 2v3 and watch later.

    That...just doesn't happen. If they want to watch both live, they'll use a second screen, change channels or do a split image.


    A soccer fan may watch EPL at 7am, then do a German game at 9:30, then a DVR of a 10am EPL game, followed by the 12:30pm EPL game before maybe a La Liga match on DVR and maybe 2-3 MLS games in succession.

    That would definitely turn heads in the network studios.
     
  22. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #1897 NorthBank, Jan 13, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2021
    Yes. But I don't have the time or the heart right now to repeat all the ideas I've added to the various media threads in the last year or two (espec. NBC & ESPN)

    But it makes me think that if someone wanted to make an open letter/petition to all the big streaming outlets, listing all of the features we'd like to see*, and then posting it on the Internet and asking for signatures/votes for emphasis, then somehow notifying those same streaming companies to please go have a read... I wonder if that might actually help us get there sooner?

    *Note: Step 1 would probably be to make the list of features, and I guess it could start on BigSoccer. Ideally it would be a collaborative effort but someone would have to act as an editor with final say and editing responsibility.

    I'm not saying I'm necessarily volunteering to do this. For starters I'd have to carve out some time. And I'm not sure I'm the best-suited. BUT if people were interested I might consider it. Along with other/different suggestions on technique or strategy on how to get attention from those big media firms.

    Hmm...
     
  23. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #1898 NorthBank, Jan 24, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
    I'm watching replay of MUFC-LFC in FA Cup right now. I'm 8 mins in and already have notice at least 4X where the stream dropped serious frames, like about 3-6 seconds worth of frames, each time it happens.

    Edit: At one point later in the half, I noticed several episodes of dropped frames like this, in quick succession. AND when I rewound and played that minute again the dropped frames were in exactly the same spots. SO it seems it's their encoding/recording which is messed up. And at 80:12 & 86:52 it did this predictably, every time I rewound and replayed that segment.

    Is that a problem that ESPN has tended to have at certain times? Or could it be that the problem originated with the feed they got from the FA?

    Prior to this I've generally rated ESPN as the best sports streaming provider I use, at least better than NBC.
     
  24. socceraction

    socceraction Member+

    Oct 20, 2000
    While reading your post, I remembered how I watched the 1974 World Cup in black-and-white. Yes, there were color TVs then but they were a rarity in eastern Europe. And as I went back to those memories, I realized that I have no right to complain about ANY TV or streaming service... ;)

    SA
    www.soccertvblog.com
     
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  25. NorthBank

    NorthBank Member+

    Arsenal; NYRB
    United States
    Mar 29, 2006
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But did the broadcaster drop several minutes in total from the full 90? ;)

    Ps. I watched a bit if that World Cup a little bit, but in glorious color TV In London. That fueled my putting up Cruyff and Muller posters in my boyhood bedroom next to Oscar Robertson.
     
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