Telefutura Stinks

Discussion in 'USA Men' started by gherter, Jul 17, 2005.

  1. gherter

    gherter Member

    Sep 16, 2002
    Leesburg, Virginia
    IMO, the US should refuse to participate in the next Gold Cup if it isn't on English language television in the US. Whoever made the deal with Telefutura should be fired. Think about it, this thing is being held in the US, and isn't on TV available to most of its citizens. US games weren't even on DirecTV for crying out load, let alone in English, only games of interest to the other teams participating. I'm totally out of this tourney having missed all of it, when I would have watch every US game. I'm the demographic the USMNT TV needs to grow into (I'm a middle-aged white guy with some money). What the heck are they doing? If this junk keeps up, people like my mother-in-law, who dismiss Soccer as only of interest to Hispanics, will never wake up to the sport (ok, she is hopeless, but the next generation ...). It is this sort of idiocy that makes this sport second-rate here.

    I'm not buying arguments about how their isn't interest in this tourney. Gold Cup matches would get normal ratings for USMNT soccer in the US, especially the next ones. These games could easily work on Fox Soccer Channel and should be on there, in additon to Telefutura's coverage of Hispanic interest games, which ignored the US anyway. Telefutura stinks. I don't care how much they paid, Concacaf should have required them to resell the US games to FSC or something.
     
  2. Stinkey Turner

    Dec 15, 2000
    Tell ya what, next time the tv rights go up for bid, we'll make sure to let you know.
     
  3. Detective40oz

    Detective40oz Member

    Jun 16, 2000
    Fairfax, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    actually in the DC area Telefutura is a basic local channel. You can get it even without cable, and personally I haven't missed listening to the babble coming from Rob Stone or Marcelo Balboa's mouths.
     
  4. writered21

    writered21 Member+

    Jul 14, 2001
    Middle of the Road
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It has to be ESPN's fault somehow.
     
  5. Jabinho

    Jabinho New Member

    May 29, 2004
    I'd rather blame Jim Rome.. ;)
     
  6. gherter

    gherter Member

    Sep 16, 2002
    Leesburg, Virginia
    I don't live in DC, and I don't want to hook up a special TV or go to a bar just for this situation. Even if I was, that doesn't get the game in front of other semi-casual fans. I'm tired of USMNT games not getting shown of regular channels. Concacaf could have required that the winning bidder at least figure out a way to get the US games on, in English, on channels that are easily available to most US TVs (i.e. something that you can at least get on DirecTV, the McDonald's of cable), or free up those rights to someone who can. Concacaf is cutting off our feet to get a few more bucks. That is what is ticking me off. The USMNT should force the issue next time, and withdraw from the competition, unless this happens. We should be beyond this.
     
  7. MFRONE

    MFRONE Member+

    Jul 24, 2000
    Columbus, Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    It's on basic cable in Chicago as well, along with Univision which is a basic local channel.
     
  8. gherter

    gherter Member

    Sep 16, 2002
    Leesburg, Virginia
    Maybe I missed it, but I don't think any US games were on Univision. If they were, I would be Ok, even if it were in Spanish. Telefutura is not on DirecTV, but Univision is. Heck, even tape delay would have been Ok with me, but they didn't have that either that I saw.
     
  9. Detective40oz

    Detective40oz Member

    Jun 16, 2000
    Fairfax, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    when the games get good enough ratings to get a good television deal without SUM bribing ESPN and ABC with the World Cup broadcasting rights then maybe...but at this point the ratings suck and you really can't blame stations for not wanting to spend money to pick it up especially when they can't sell half the commercial time they could with any other programming.
     
  10. Detective40oz

    Detective40oz Member

    Jun 16, 2000
    Fairfax, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    and also I'm glad that telefutura decided to pick this up, because who knows..maybe it was the only station that even offered to carry it. Then it could have been without TV coverage all together.
     
  11. mickhayafe

    mickhayafe New Member

    Jun 4, 2002
    Bakersfield, CA
    I watch on rabbit ears and it's not too clear, but it's better than reading the score or PbP on BS
     
  12. Eric B

    Eric B Member

    Feb 21, 2000
    the LBC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Telefutura is owned by the same people as Univision, who have US rights to at least this Gold Cup. They've been putting Mexico games on
    Univision, because that's there bread and butter. US games have been on Telefutura, their secondary channel. Some other matches have been on Galavision, also owned by the Uni-folks.

    I believe SUM is involved in the promotion of this year's edition, but didn't get in the door early enough to get games on in English somewhere, say FSC.
     
  13. scaryice

    scaryice Member

    Jan 25, 2001
    When was the last time the games were on in English? 1998? It's actually drawing good ratings.
     
  14. SpeedyOne

    SpeedyOne New Member

    Jul 12, 2005


    That was OUR Channel! Damn you!! Damn you all to HELLLLLLLLL!! Filthy stinking apes at ESPN. :)
     
  15. Onionsack

    Onionsack BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Jul 21, 2003
    New York City
    Club:
    FC Girondins de Bordeaux
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    So how is this Telefurutra's fault and why do they stink?? Sounds like misplaced anger to me.
     
  16. Flyin Ryan

    Flyin Ryan Member

    May 13, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ^ agree

    That's not remotely near the truth that the U.S. should boycott cause this is CONCACAF's fault. ESPN and FSC didn't buy the coverage. If they don't buy, it's not going to be on English-language TV. I doubt CONCACAF would've turned down money, so it's not like they didn't put it on English to spite off the U.S., it's because no one offered to buy the coverage. That's expected with ESPN, but not FSC, considering no one is playing now except MLS, and that's one game per week. Be thankful the Univision group did buy coverage. Otherwise, these games would be on PPV.
     
  17. apqjr

    apqjr Member

    Aug 30, 2003
    PB Gardens, FL
    Blame Univision. You would be foolish to think otherwise. If they wanted to really start the wheels in motion for getting people to request Telefutura, they should have had rotated live coverage amongst all the teams at some point onto Univision. The only thing that was definite was that all of Mexico's games where going to be covered live. I'm not stupid.....I realize that's where all the ratings are........so that makes sense. But it is an outright show of disrespect for the way the US team falls into their plans. How many times have we had to catch a SAME DAY DELAYED broadcast of a US game on UNIVISION OR TELEMUNDO at 11:30 pm or 1:30am later that night? I love watching it live but I would have taken this otherwise. I realize soccer coverage is incredible now compared to what we had in the past, but things could be MUCH BETTER!! The amount of outright insults and backhanded compliments that are thrown at us by the broadcasters of Univision and Telemundo and their respective channels is appalling. I enjoy the frenetic commentary (SOMETIMES) during these games, but it's a shame how biased and slanted they also are!
     
  18. jshnull

    jshnull New Member

    Jul 15, 2004
    NYC
    While I totally agree that the games should be live and in English since we are the gold cup hosts, I think overall coverage has been pretty good. It is a little ridiculous, being that the US is one of the few countries in Concacaf that can really host the tournament without the fans getting mugged on the way to the games or the stadiums imploding on the fans, without english language broadcasts. But personally I prefer live games to the tape delays they show on FSC & games in spanish to no games at all. The commentary is actually pretty good. I think it shows just how crappy Marcela Balboa is as a commentator. I mean he really sucks. Having spanish only broadcasts should be a motivation to get some more US fans at the games. I drove up to Foxboro for US game this weekend, decent turnout, and I'll be at the Honduras/US game this week.
     
  19. Lord15

    Lord15 New Member

    Jun 20, 2001
    Southeast
    Well, It doesn't bother me when Univision puts Mexico first. It's their market, it's where they make their money...so no problems there.

    But, with Mexico out, why is the US still relegated to Telefutura. This is an American company we're talking about here, and there is no way Panama v. Colombia is a better draw than US v. Hond. No way at all.

    We should start an email/phone call campaign. I remember when they switched coverage to a US U-20 game because of how many requested it.
     
  20. Poose

    Poose New Member

    Mar 17, 2001
    Why don't the spanish channels use the SAP to provide an Enlish language narrative to the game? Wouldn't that boost their ratings quite a bit, for a nominal expense?

    Is there some technical reason they can't?
     
  21. LuckyNat

    LuckyNat New Member

    Mar 9, 2005
    Chicago, IL
    These rants are ridiculous. This is Capitalist America, remember? If an entity (let's call them CONCACAF) has a product of value (say English Language rights in the U.S. to Gold Cup matches), then there will be buyers at a certain price (i.e. market value) looking to purchase the product.

    The fact remains, there were no buyers for English Language broadcasting rights in the U.S. for this tournament. As much as I share in the disappointment (I want to watch), the blame doesn't rest with any of the companies mentioned above. It's simply a lack of market demand.

    So deal with it.
     
  22. smock7

    smock7 Member

    Aug 4, 2004
    New York City

    They stink because their coverage stinks. They leave action not to show highlights but to show silly fouls or obvious dives. The commentators laugh a bit, then we miss developing plays. Their man in the programming booth sucks.

    Case in point: The Jamaican goal on Saturday. Anyone know how it happened? We caught the end, and in the replay all they showed was what they caught live, just slowed down. All it showed was the ball going in the net. No development, no replay showing what happened at all. Just crappy management by a supposed sports broadcast. Even Univision would have been more professional.

    Only positive: I enjoy hearing the guy say "Cher-oooooooooooooooon-dolo"
     
  23. LuckyNat

    LuckyNat New Member

    Mar 9, 2005
    Chicago, IL
    If you want to say 'Telefutura Stinks' because their production quality stinks, then I'll give you that. (Since I don't get Telefutura, I can't comment personally on this, but I'll trust you).

    However, if you want to say 'Telefutura Stinks' because of the lack of English language broadcastaing in the U.S., then you do have some misplaced anger....
     
  24. lfcli30

    lfcli30 Member

    Jun 21, 2005
    New York
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I blame FSC, if they truly are America's soccer channel. they would try to buy the broadcasting rights to American Games at least.
     
  25. LuckyNat

    LuckyNat New Member

    Mar 9, 2005
    Chicago, IL
    Again, misplaced anger.

    OK, multiple choice question. Please selected from one of the following:

    (a) FSC is a business. They are motivated to broadcast soccer programming, consistent with the financial constraints of the enterprise. If they act with financial malfeasance, they won't have the resources to broadcast ANY soccer programming. If smart, they will follow the market demand. They will only pay for programming to the extent there is viewership to attract offsetting advertising revenue.

    (b) FSC is here to serve our desires. Some of us (me included) really would like to watch the Gold Cup on TV. FSC's job is to give us what we want independent of the marketplace realities. They are here to serve a social cause.
     

Share This Page