I'd love to see FSW broadcast FA Cup draws live or delayed in the future since I'm pretty sure Sky broadcasts it. Any way that could be done for next season?
Good suggestion. I wonder how much FSW has to pay for non match programming from Sky? I'd like to see them bring over (at least an hour or two of) Soccer AM on Saturday morning, as well.
Saturday Mornings are pretty crowded on FSW. There is usually a live Premiership match, a live Bundesligia match, and sometimes a delayed second Premiership game. That pretty much kills the entire morning slot. When would they fit this in?
I think the draw is done Sunday afternoon in the U.K. After the last game on Sunday. A few years ago, when FSW still had the rights of the Scottish Cup, it showed the draw on some Sundays. Don't know why they did that, as the interest of the Scottish Cup pales in comparison to the interest of the FA Cup.
I think the FA Cup draw was moved back to Monday lunchtime as part of the FA sponsorship and Cup reforms (most significantly eliminating AXA's title sponsorship of the FA Cup), quite possibly during one of the timeslots in which FSW replays Sky Sports News, which is why I made the suggestion. I'd also like to see more original editions of SSN and possibly Gillette Soccer Saturday next season (if no Bundesliga), but that's another story.
I was suggesting Soccer AM as a live broadcast, which would mean it would air at 4:00am Eastern Time Saturday morning, before the live Premiership match. DAGSports, you're right - that Monday morning (for us) live FA Cup draw would be great. Again, I wonder if that type of programming is available to FSW and at what cost?
Soccer AM There is not much of an audience/advertising market at 4 am Eastern to support it. I would like to see the Sky Sports pre and post-game shows more often, like they showed for the Liverpool vs. Man U match back in Nov. (and perhaps since then?)
Remember that EPL (and some FA and UEFA Cup games) might be ALL FSW has after this year, so while every EPL game is supposedly going to be offered starting next year, there are non-paid programming time slots left to fill. FSW can probably acquire any non-match programming from BSkyB it wants, and live too (otherwise, how would they show FA Cup matches for which Sky provides the only feed?), but ad sales (or lack thereof) figure to preclude showing programs like Soccer AM or Soccer Saturday. Showing the draw for the FA Cup or possibly other European competitions would be very nice though. We'll see what happens next season.
Re: Soccer AM I don't know if FSW could show Sky's pre/post game feeds before cutting away to TWI's international broadcast (which they need to use if available) at kickoff, especially since Sky's pregame ends with a direct throw up to Rob Hawthorne or Martin Tyler (PBP announcer with Andy Gray as the analyst) without commercials. That could be awkward for the viewing audience and not liked (or understood as to why it was done- why they are suddenly hearing Nick Webster). Also, Sky's main game is shown on PPV here (11:00 ET on Sundays), although of course they also do some 12:30 Saturday and weeknight games.
Yep, guess we're stuck with those infomercials unless I step up and become the exclusive American sponsor for SoccerAM. Oh well.
Although at 4:00 AM ET, FSW usually shows an EPL or Rugby Club replay. Of course, that is probably because the ad packages cover/call for it.
Does anyody know why the West Ham-Fulham replay will not be on FSW? The other two replays are to be televised live, why not this London derby?
Not every replay is televised (nor is every Saturday/Sunday game televised). FSW is going to show the games chosen by BBC (using Octagon CSI's feed) and then direct from Sky. One of the games will have to be televised on delay as the games usually coincide.
It looks like only the Birmingham City v Sunderland replay is on the schedule (Feb. 25). No Portsmouth v Liverpool on Sunday either.
FSWorld has now updated its schedule. Setanta sublicensed Portsmouth vs Liverpool to FOX Sports Int'l because it didn't have enough lead time to sell enough subscriptions to justify the uplink cost. If a replay had involved Manchester United, Setanta would have kept it. Not so with Liverpool, Arsenal, or Chelsea.
Does that mean that Setanta has the right of first refusal for all FA Cup matches? Also, are they keeping the other FA Cup replays from FSW so as not to conflict with their Champions League matches on Tuesday & Wednesday?
Setanta almost certainly does have the right of first refusal on FA Cup matches, otherwise their contract to carry the matches would be effectively worthless. FSW is going to get virtually any FA Cup replay not involving Man U because it's very difficult to assure that people will pack the pubs on weekday afternoons, which means that the pubs won't buy the games, so Setanta will cut their losses and sell-off those games. If FSW is then able to sell any ads, more power to them.
Oh well, I doubt that Total Gym & the Gazelle Walker or whatever they call it, have any more in their budget for February.
No, I mean ads that actually generate some relatively decent money-Guinness, Carlsberg, Bass, Nike etc.
NOW YOU TELL ME! Know anybody who wants to buy about 30 Total Gyms and a dozen Gazelle Walkers? Oh well, at least we'll get to see Upton Park Tuesday in all its glory.
For the Quarterfinal Round, FOX Sports Int'l will get to distribute Millwall vs Tranmere Rovers LIVE because Setanta couldn't sell enough subscriptions to justify the satellite uplink cost for this one. Setanta of course is keeping the other 3 matches to fill pay-per-view and closed-circuit TV slots. Basically, Setanta will keep enough matches to fill pay-per-view time slots, plus any replay involving Manchester United (and ONLY Manchester United).