According to a recent article in The Times newspaper, the Walt Disney Company has expressed an interest in bidding for the TV rights to the Premier League in the United Kingdom and United States. The next auction of broadcast rights is due to start next January for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. If ESPN […]

Here's a video to get in the mood for the upcoming La Liga season that'll begin on August 30, 2008. It's created by ESPN and airs on the ESPN International station in Australia/New Zealand and parts the Caribbean, Central and South America. [display_podcast]

ESPN's broadcast of Euro 2008 was the best production ever of a soccer tournament for TV viewers in the United States. While it wasn't perfect, it was clearly evident that ESPN had listened to the past criticism and corrected the annoying habits that had previously distanced diehard soccer fans from its network. After ESPN vastly […]

Television companies that feature the Premier League throughout the season face the harsh reality of trying to keep their viewers returning during the three months in late Spring to early summer when the Premiership is on break. The issue is especially troubling for soccer networks such as Fox Soccer Channel, GolTV and Setanta Sports. They […]

Sunday afternoon's Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany on ABC was watched by 2.4 million overnight households according to numbers announced by Nielsen Media Research. That gives the broadcast a 3.1 overnight rating based on the 77 million households in America which make up the overnight numbers. That number is a little more than double the […]

ESPN has finally cracked the code of how to produce soccer for the American audience. Show it in high definition, feature a strong team of commentators, promote the tournament across your networks, don't cut the national anthems, include advertising at appropriate moments, reduce the hype and include intelligent discussions during the pre-game, halftime and post-game […]

As we head into the final weekend of Euro 2008, ESPN decided to take the occasion yesterday to put out a new press release talking about how the tournament is doing viewership wise through the quarterfinal round. So, what did they have to say? As noted in the headline, the Spain v Italy quarterfinal shown on ESPN Sunday […]

When was the last time you saw a banner advertisement on the homepage of a major website promoting soccer in the United States? I had to rub my eyes when I saw it earlier Thursday afternoon on the homepage of Yahoo Finance, one of the top financial websites in the U.S. (see screenshot below). The […]

ESPN and ABC's dreams have come true. Sunday's Euro 2008 final between Germany and Spain is a far better proposition for the Disney owned TV networks than Turkey against Russia would have been. With plenty of German Americans living in the United States as well as a massive hispanic population, TV ratings should be high. […]

Football fans around the world must have cursing their TV sets Wednesday night when the TV transmission was interrupted three separate times during key moments in the thrilling Euro 2008 semi-final between Germany and Turkey. UEFA is investigating the situation to find out what happened, but it appears that a thunderstorm is blamed for the […]

It was supposed to be a classic. Two of the top teams in Europe, Italy and Spain, with some of the best footballers in the world on display. But what we saw was a dire game featuring two teams more focused on avoiding defeat than trying to win. Other than the Romania against France game, […]

At the start of the Euro 2008 tournament, ESPN pundits were asked who was going to be their star of the tournament. Pundit Julie Foudy picked Thierry Henry. Her choice showed how clueless she is about the sport. I'm still scratching my head why ESPN selected Foudy as a member of their Euro 2008 broadcasting […]

Modern day football coverage is such that the commentators don't even need to be in the stadiums anymore. ESPN's Euro 2008 commentators are all huddled in Bristol, Connecticut. Most TWI commentators, meanwhile, broadcast Premier League games out of their studios in west London. With the world being a much smaller place today plus with the […]

Soccer fans in the United States watching the Turkey against Czech Republic game were in for a double treat on Sunday. There was the incredible comeback from Turkey who found themselves two nil down but came back to win the match 3-2, which knocked the Czechs out of the tournament. But there was also the […]

A few years ago there were rumors milling in Bristol, CT about the possibility of ESPN trying to buy Gol TV. That rumor evaporated alongside the Dave O'Brien experiment. With the Worldwide Leader in Sports trying to justify that self-proclaimation, this is news is starting to pick up steam as the feedback they received from […]