FIFA Youth World Cup Canada 2007 will air in the U.S. in English on ESPNU exclusively, including all the matches involving the U.S. (though the South Korea-U.S. match will air via 1-day delay). I expect ESPNU to save some money by taking either the "CBC feed" or the "international feed" (if there were a separate international feed). Government-run CBC and its French-language sister TV station Radio-Canada (formerly branded "SRC") is the host broadcaster. -- DirecTV viewers who get the sports pack get ESPNU. DISH Network viewers with the "Top 200" package get ESPNU. Let the bitching begin for cable viewers. -- Galavision and Telefutura will have selected matches in Spanish (but NOT the South Korea-US match, which will air only on ESPNU and only via 1-day delay).
Any word on how many matches they will air? Hopefully they show some of the big name teams in addition to the US games. I assume they will at least be showing the semis and final.
Time Warner recently signed a new deal with Disney which includes ESPNU. FWIW, this deal also includes ESPN News HD when it is expected to be launched in 2008, as well as other Disney-related channels
You'd think the US games would be shown LIVE I just don't get ESPN. What wonderful event do they have that day at that time on ESPNU that would send the US game all the way to a 1-day delay?
I just got an email from my cable company saying they're adding ESPNU and ESPN Deportes. I think ESPNU is part of the regular digital pack, but does anyone know if Deportes is a premium channel? Anyone with Timewarner cable pay for Deportes separately?
You will need to subscribe to a Spanish-language digital package in order to get ESPN Deportes. ESPNU should be one of the premium digital packages or the digital sports package.
i don't know the answer to what ESPNU would be showng on Saturday 6/30 to cause the US/Kor match to get pushed to Sunday 7/1. perhaps it is Disney's attempt to ruin Canada Day and try to overshadow Canada's opening match v Chile with the USA's opening match v S.Korea. seems like a strange strategy from Disney, as anyone who would likely watch the game on a 1-day delay would probably already have found a way to watch the game live on 6/30.
pseudo-fake bitching follows: if Disney holds the rights and there were rumors that the US U20 games this summer could get placed on ESPN2, why put the coverage onto ESPNU? yes, i can understand Disney wants to grow their business and get more carriage for their newer networks, but this strategy is baffling. why keep the Freddy Adu-captained US team in such a niche channel? i hope the USA goes deep in the tournament and somehow the later round US games get put on at least ESPN2. really, why aren't these US games on ABC Family or something?
Frankly I'm surprised they're showing this tournament at all--they've never shown any of the junior basketball tournaments, and those players are a lot more famous than U20 soccer players, except maybe Freddy. Presumably there will be a way to watch the CBC broadcasts online through a proxy, like you apparently can with MLS?
Not surprising at all when you consider: 1. There is practically no advertiser interest in the U20 product (ESPN and SUM are pushing their advertisers to support MLS, MLS, and MLS) 2. The head honchos at ESPN, Inc. can tolerate a CBC video feed routed straight through onto ESPNU, but not onto ESPN2. I expect ESPNU to take the CBC feeds and save itself the money and the hassle of having to use its own announcers in this U20 product.
Sounds reasonable, although I have no idea how that relates to what I said. I'm surprised they're showing the games anywhere, even on ESPNU.
eh.. correct me if im wrong.. didnt FSC show the U-20 championship 2005? you know, the one where messi and mikel became prominent? so why are you surprised that ESPNU is showing it this year?? im surprised only that FSC is not showing it this time around. or am i confused, was that tournament something else??
Props to ESPN for having Inter Milan's Hernan Crespo's stupendous header against AS Roma yesterday among their top plays of the day. Yes, they now regularly feature soccer selections, but it's good to see something as relatively obscure (to ESPN) as the Copa Italia Final (2nd Leg) featured. Particularly considering they don't have the rights to it.
You remember correctly, FSC had those matches. Just glad to know that these competitions will all be available this summer - and hoping the same is true for the U17s in Korea August 18-Sept. 9. Anyone know about Pan Am games rights?
There are lots of things on FSC that I would be surprised to see on the English-language ESPN networks.
All England Lawn Tennis Championships Wimbledon, England Jun. 25 - Jul. 9 Wimbledon is on ESPN2 on many days that the U20 WC runs. It's a programing decision by Disney.