In the past few weeks, I’ve been reading several comments from readers who are complaining how expensive it is to watch soccer on television. Of course, it’s all relative. Based on the quantity of games shown, it’s probably the best bargain we’ve ever had. But it made me think. How much is each of us paying to our cable or satellite TV company to watch the Beautiful Game?
If you’re like me, 75% or more of the TV I watch is soccer. So, when I pay the cable bill (Comcast, in my case) each month, most of that money is going to pay for my soccer expenses even though I have 100’s of channels available and I watch hardly any of them.
My Comcast Cable bill each month is $98. For that, I get:
- FOX Soccer Channel (in SD),
- GolTV (in SD),
- HBO,
- ESPN, ESPN2 (and access to ESPN3.com),
- HD service,
- Broadband Internet access,
- DVR rental ($15/month), but
- No FOX Soccer Plus.
Since I don’t have FOX Soccer Plus, I end up paying $20/month extra to get FOXSoccer.tv.
How much is your cable or satellite TV bill each month? Share yours in the comments section below.
200+ Channels With Sports & News
- Starting price: $33/mo. for fubo Latino Package
- Watch Premier League, World Cup, Euro 2024 & more
- Includes NBC, USA, FOX, ESPN, CBSSN & more
Live & On Demand TV Streaming
- Price: $69.99/mo. for Entertainment package
- Watch World Cup, Euro 2024 & MLS
- Includes ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 + local channels
Many Sports & ESPN Originals
- Price: $6.99/mo. (or get ESPN+, Hulu & Disney+ for $13.99/mo.)
- Features Bundesliga, LaLiga, Championship, & more
- Also includes daily ESPN FC news & highlights show
2,000+ soccer games per year
- Price: $4.99/mo
- Features Champions League, Serie A, Europa League & NWSL
- Includes CBS, Star Trek & CBS Sports HQ
175 Premier League Games & PL TV
- Starting price: $4.99/mo. for Peacock Premium
- Watch 175 exclusive EPL games per season
- Includes Premier League TV channel plus movies, TV shows & more
38 Comments
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
SOCCER TV SCHEDULES APP
 |
 |
STREAMING OFFERS
 Includes: Premier League + 84 Sports Channels | |
| 7-Day Free Trial | |
 Includes: Bundesliga & La Liga | |
| Sign Up | |
 Includes: Champions League & Serie A | |
| 7-Day Free Trial | |
 Includes: Premier League | |
| Sign Up | |
 Includes: 24+ channels that broadcast soccer | |
| 5-Day Free Trial | |
Mark
January 23, 2012 at 2:19 pm
I don’t have cable. I only pay $30 for high speed internet from Comcast and with that I can watch EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 and any other league I want as well as tons of other sports. If you have internet access, you really shouldn’t be paying a sh*t load for hundreds of channels you don’t really watch except 3 or 4. Saves me thousands a year.
Internet person
January 14, 2012 at 2:45 am
I paid zero dollars per month, on top of Internet anyways, to watch soccer games! I love piracy!
BA14
January 12, 2012 at 11:08 pm
Nnothing like paying for a boat load of channels you don’t watch.
BA14
January 12, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Charter TV
Digital Home Package $54.99
Basic Cable Service
Expanded Basic Cable Service
Digital View Plus $10.00 BBC AMERICA, MILITARY CHANNEL, HISTORY
BROADCAST TV SURCHARGE $1.16
Sports View $10.00 FOX SOCCER, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, NFL NETWORK AND REDZONE, TENNIS
CHANNEL
DVR Equipment Upgrade & Service Fee $15.00
DVR Receiver
Charter Internet
Internet Service $39.99
Monthly Service Total* $141.14
brian c
January 12, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Verizon Fios in Philadelphia…
Total is $116/m. I split the internet with my neighbor for $20.
I have the normal “extreme HD” package with most of the ‘digi cable’ channels but no pay channels.
I get:
FoxSoccer HD
ESPN package inc. espn3.
HD DVR
25mbit bi-directional internet (realistic is about 20/23mbit)
Offered but declined:
FS + SD
Gol TV SD
Fox Deportes SD
The top two are offered on a Fox Sports Net sort of $6 sports tier. I don’t watch much spanish soccer and espn3 has most of the big matches as well as Bundesliga, so that works for me.
PaulfromMiami
January 11, 2012 at 1:36 pm
DirecTV
$ 58
-Choice Xtra $35
-Sports Package $12.99
-Showtime for 1 year *Free
——
Thank god for ESPN3
Harry
January 11, 2012 at 7:02 am
Where I am, I do get Fox Soccer in HD GolTV in SD. and our FIOS bill is about $150. Over the holidays, I purchased a Slingbox which despite the costs for the equipment and extras I had to get to make it work perfectly, is a good investment which allows me to watch even when I am away from my TV.
If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can get the Watch ESPN app and watch ESPN for free.
Hey Adam!! Baltimore has FIOS now? Where in Baltimore are you? My parents live near the Hamilton area and have been trying to get FIOS for YEARS and nothing.
The Gaffer
January 11, 2012 at 7:09 am
The WatchESPN app isn’t available for Comcast Cable customers, but ESPN and Comcast just did a deal so it should be available in the next few months.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
gbewing
January 10, 2012 at 10:34 pm
I pay $144 a month Time warner here in middle america – it’s digital with HBO and I get sports tier which is where soccer channels are (Fox Fox+ and Gol) I have 3 boxes and the sports tier is actually a great deal 3.99 a month and I also get MLB network NBA TV and a bunch of college channells. I watch these the most- I watch MLB TV and Fox Soccer more than ESPN – espn costs me more than soccer
Jack Tomczuk
January 10, 2012 at 10:14 pm
My package is almost exactly the same as the Gaffer’s. Comcast supplies my internet, cable, and phone, so I forget what the price is just for the cable. Fortunately, I get Fox Soccer and Gol TV in HD because I live in Philadelphia. They really need to start carrying FS Plus. I don’t pay for foxsoccer.tv, but I do pay for Arsenal TV so I can watch the Arsenal press conferences, interviews, highlights, and full matches. That’s about $60 per year.
daS
January 10, 2012 at 9:32 pm
in toronto with a basic cable box for $45 and with all the free previews i get my soccer fix!
and with my 25 mbps (pretty fast for canada) i can stream all the games i want!
Derek
January 10, 2012 at 6:32 pm
$140 a month. Service Electric
Paying an extra $20 for the tier that gives me FSC (sd only)
No access to ESPN3 (I use xbox live for that)
Really sucks compared to paying $98 a month with FIOS for everything I have now (HD/DVR) PLUS a ton more..oh and FSC in HD (I really miss FIOS)
MNUfan1991
January 10, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Time Warner Cable for NYC
$130/mo for:
FSC in SD
ESPN and such
No Gol TV
No other sports package (who needs other sports when you have EPL and F1?)
No HBO or other premium services
Decent broadband access
HD box but no DVR
Steve
January 10, 2012 at 5:42 pm
i have DirecTv and the soccer channels are apart of the gigantic sports package full of sports i dont watch. Or i can subscribe to the UEFA channels and get a crap load of o games all at the same time on one or two days every few weeks.
DirecTV offers a baseball package, a football package and a basketball package. No soccer.
Or i can get the Foxsoccer.tv and watch none of the games i want to see because they say “licensing” keeps them from showing the same matches they show online as they show on FSC. Which must be crap because mlb.tv shows all the games anywhere no matter where you are. The world doesn’t want me to watch my games 🙁
Lee
January 10, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Legally, anyways.
SeattlePat
January 10, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I’m in Seattle, WA on Frontier FiOS.
Monthly cost: ~$130 (after fees & taxes)
Footy-related: FSC (no FS+), ESPN, ESPN2, access to ESPN3, MSNBC (all in HD)
TV5 (French package, occasionally shows games)
This also includes FiOS internet access, which is silly levels of fast.
David
January 10, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Don’t forget with DirecTV, you get all the Europa League matches for free in HD. You get all the Champions League matches as well during the group stages in HD. The only matches you can’t watch are the ones on Fox Soccer Channel and your regional sports network if you aren’t currently subscribing to those channels.
Adam
January 10, 2012 at 1:12 pm
I live in Baltimore, MD and all told (including everything) we pay $180/ months for FIOS and that includes:
High speed internet
Phone
Cable (2 boxes with DVR)- HD including 10 HBO’s, 6 Cinemax, Epix, Showtime, and a few more movie channels I am not remembering
FSC in HD
Goltv in SD
The ESPN’s
fosxsoccer.tv subscription
Pete
January 10, 2012 at 12:50 pm
I spend £70 a month for the full package on SKY. I think that’s about $110. It’s a lot of money but I get quite a lot for it:
10 Movie channels
10 Discovery channels
5 Sports channels
10 Music channels
Cartoon channels (lots of)
Plus loads of other channels that show sit-coms, sci-fi and dramas
I justify the price by telling myself that I’m saving money by staying in a lot and watching programmes rather than going to the pub all the time.
Oh yeah, I have to pay for the TV license which is £150 a year on top of the SKY bill. That is actually harder to swallow as this amount is really only for the BBC and it’s nothing more than a forced tax. It doesn’t matter if you watch the BBC or not, you still have to pay it or it’s a fine or prison.
Simon
January 10, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Raleigh, NC TWC
Basic Cable & Road Runner (Broadband Internet) – $118.64
Digital Tier (required for FSC) – $7.68
Cable Card for TIVO – $2.00
Regulatory Fees – $5.52
Total: $133.64
I had FSC+ last year but canceled it at the end of the season and have not missed it.
FSC+ (part Sports Pass) – $5.95
I am looking at canceling cable and using Netflix and Hulu Plus, but giving up footie on the weekends is a tough prospect. ESPN3 is good and I’ve been looking as Foxsoccer.tv but not being able to watch all of the matches live on FSC+ is a big drawback. I would definitely be willing to order PPV for the matches I want to watch (Setanta had a good system). Having to pay for all of the other garbage on cable just for football is getting tougher to stomach.
CTBlues
January 10, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I have DirecTV and have the highest package and sports package and NFL Sunday ticket so I pay ~$235 for like 4 months and ~$180 per month the rest of the year.
Barry
January 10, 2012 at 11:58 am
I have Cox in Connecticut. I pay $102 for TV and $49 for high-speed internet (50 GB limit per month). This is what I get in return:
Fox Soccer (HD)
ESPN2 (HD)
ESPN Deportes (SD)
Gol TV (SD)
Fox Deportes (SD)
ESPN3.com (internet)
foxsoccer.tv (internet)
Dan
January 10, 2012 at 11:55 am
I live in St. Petersburg, FL and have Bright House Cable.
My monthly bill is $115.
Fox Soccer is a part of the extended basic package, but to get Fox Soccer Plus HD and GolTV HD, I spend an extra $7/month for the Sports Pass. During the brief summer off-season, I drop the sports package and save myself $21.
NotTheNoob
January 10, 2012 at 10:41 am
I’m a Dish Network subscriber. I pay a heck of a lot of money every month to watch soccer….
The basic channel package (ESPN2) – $35 per month
add High Definition – $10 per month
DVR service – $6 per month
Multi-Sport Pack (Fox Soccer Channel) – $7.00 per month
Fox Soccer Plus (a la carte / not available in HD) – $15.00 per month
Latino Bonus package (ESPNDeportes / not available in HD) – $15 per month
The lack of GolTV, no access to ESPN3, and FS+ & ESPNDeportes only in SD are big drawbacks for viewing soccer with a Dish Network subscription.
Yespage
January 10, 2012 at 11:00 am
You spend $57 on packages for FSC and ESPN2. Thought about Latino Dos, you’d lose ESPN2, but get the Latino Bonus channels (including ESPN Deportes which hopefully will be HD one day) automatically.
I agree that Dish is a bit more limited on soccer, but good luck getting FSC on Directv for $45 a month (everyday price via Latino Dos). Directv gives you more, but you have to pay for it!
NotTheNoob
January 10, 2012 at 11:42 am
The prices I listed above are what I’d be paying if I downgraded my subscription, but kept all of the soccer. I don’t get the basic package, I get America’s Top 250 ($70/month), as well as HBO, Showtime and Blockbuster Movie Pass. I pay far too much money every month for television.
Back in November, I added the International a la carte channel RAI Itialia ($5.00/month) because it was the only network broadcasting Italy v Uruguay. I’ve since cancelled it.
Yespage
January 10, 2012 at 4:13 pm
I had 250 as well, but when the bill eclipsed $90, I balked. I lost a few channels, including the ESPNs, going to Latino Dos, but most of them show junk anyway, and with the $25 a month savings, got Netflix. BBMP helps add content, though I may be dropping that too in order to go the HBO route… as Dish appears to be adding HBO Go via the receiver soon. This is sorely getting off-topic. Sorry.
Todd
January 10, 2012 at 10:38 am
I live in central Illinois –
Direct TV (WAS super cheap the 1st year, but reality has set in)
$130 /mo:
– Sports package – FSC & GOL TV
– HD/DVR access
– FSC+ ($15/mo)
– HBO (which I hate and don’t approve of!)
I stream Netflix, so b/t myself and my g/f, the bill is not great, but it could be worse?
bluemoon70
January 10, 2012 at 9:19 am
i have twc in raleigh, nc. I pay about $125 a month for…
FOX Soccer Channel and FOX Soccer Plus (in HD)
GolTV (in HD),
ESPN, ESPN2 (and access to ESPN3.com),
HD service,
Broadband Internet access,
DVR/HD box and an extra HD box without DVR capabilities.
No premium movie channels. I have Netflix that I stream through my PS3 if i want to watch a movie which is rare since I watch mostly sports (80% soccer).
Yespage
January 10, 2012 at 9:07 am
Is it really that simple these days? You’ve go the Sat Subscription (Latino Dos via Dish Network). You have the Internet speed (Uverse). You have the online subscription (Foxsoccer.tv).
Latino Dos gets me FSC, ESPN Deportes, and soon Univision Deportes and Univision Deportes Dos (according to the announcement by Dish). This is the lowest price to get Dish for. My bill is a little off because Ohio is one of those tax Sat TV subscribers, but not Cable subscriber scam states.
So soccer costs me $50/2 (Latino Dos for FSC… we do watch other stuff) + $20 (foxsoccer.tv) + $5 (speed upgrade from 6 to 12 Mbps with Uverse) = $50 a month. I think this is a reasonable representation of my soccer costs.
Patrick Irvin
January 10, 2012 at 8:53 am
I pay less than $60 for Dish Network. This gets me ESPN/2 and FSC, both in HD
Fabulous value, in my opinion
Steve
January 10, 2012 at 8:30 am
I cancelled a few months ago, but this is what I recall:
2nd tier package: $60
HD fee: $10
Sports package (required for fox soccer): $15
Fox Soccer Plus: $15
+ taxes
Bill was normally around $100-$115, and the only thing I used it for was football and futbol… Add in the football package as an extra $180/y.
Steve
January 10, 2012 at 8:30 am
Err, this was DirecTV.
JerZGooner
January 10, 2012 at 8:12 am
I currently live in New Jersey but will be moving to Raleigh, NC in 2 months. I have Cablevision/Optimum now but plan on getting DirecTV once I move. If anyone has tips/advice re: DirecTV it is hugely appreciated. Here is my current bill breakdown:
Total spend on TV: $82.75
—————————————————-
Base package : $29.95 (provides HD and base sports channels like ESPN, Fox Soccer)
HBO OnDemand: $4.95
HBO: $14.95
iO Sports Entertainment Package: $6.95 (provides regional sports networks and FS+ in HD)
iO enEspanol: $6.95 (provides ESPN deportes, Fox Deportes, GolTV in SD)
DVR Service: $10.95
Cable box: $6.95
Various Taxes: ~$1.10 (don’t feel like adding them up
Based on what I have heard from others this is pretty solid coverage for us. FS+ in HD is really the key I suppose. Getting the Deportes channels in HD would be nice.
Is DirecTV comparable??
Bob Tomlinson
January 10, 2012 at 8:46 am
JerZGooner,
I actually live in the Raleigh area right now. I’d recommend DirecTV just because the Time Warner service in this area is truly horrendous. I think they have U-verse available in Raleigh though, so it might be good to look into that. Good luck.
JerZGooner
January 10, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Thanks, Bob. My wife and I are also huge MLB and NFL fans, the package availability for DirecTV may push them into the lead. But I will definitely check out U-verse.
What clubs do you support? Any pub recommendations for a Gooner? Thanks!
Titus Pullo
January 10, 2012 at 8:47 am
Love DirecTV. We made the switch about 3 years ago and it’s so much better than Time Warner.
The only drawback is have to pay extra for the sports tier to get Fox Soccer and the tier includes a host of regional sports channels that I never watch. That extra cost keeps me from paying extra for Fox Soccer Plus.
But everything is in HD and we’ve never had a problem with the signal and we live in NE Ohio where we get a lot of snow, rain, etc.
Our bill works out to about $95 a month.
iDontKnowWt2say
January 10, 2012 at 7:55 am
from India
Using Airtel DTH
Costs INR around 550/- ~ that around $10 to $11
That gives me all 14 HD channels which are available including 3 Sports HD channels & all other entertainment channels
*Sports Channels in HD: ESPN HD, Star Cricket HD, Ten HD all three costs INR 90 in total that’s approx $2
*Sports Channels in SD: ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, Neo Sports, Neo Cricket, Ten Sports Ten Cricket,
Ten Action+ & DD Sports
* Other HD channels: Star Movies HD, Star World HD, Movies Now HD, NatGeo HD, Discovery HD, History Channel HD