In the NEW episode, number 232, Christopher Harris and guest co-host Chris Wittyngham cover a range of topics including:
• FOX announces launch of sports streaming service
• The slow burn of La Liga on ESPN+
• Our thoughts about CBS’s coverage of Serie A after week 1
• What it’s like commentating alongside Ray Hudson
• MLS TV ratings get a boost
• And your feedback in the Listener Mailbag segment.
Listen to the show via the player above or via this link.
Launched in 2006, the World Soccer Talk Podcast is the longest running podcast on the planet. Every week, we share the latest news about watching soccer on television and streaming, in addition to discussing what we like and dislike, and featuring your questions and feedback in our Listener Mailbag segment.
HEAR MORE: Listen to our archive featuring hundreds of soccer interviews
Send in your questions, comments and feedback via e-mail web@worldsoccertalk-wp.futbolsites.dev, via Twitter (@worldsoccertalk) or Facebook. We’ll read them out on-air in the next episode.
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Ra
September 1, 2021 at 4:31 pm
@Chris. An idea for a future pod – it would be interesting to do one covering soccer in the US from a radio perspective. What reliable audio streams are there here in the US and the UK? What radio streams, if any, do you use? I have been using BBC5 but was just geo-blocked on the Euro Qualifying.
It is a relevant topic because it provides an alternative audio option for some obnoxious co-commentators and is a good way to be in the know when you are on the go.
I nostalgically remember my grandparents tuning in to short waves to hear news and sports from the other side of the ocean.
Truth be told, some games are much more interesting on the radio, especially when you have Latino-style commentators.
I vividly remember – I once decided to watch the replay of a match because of the excitement on the radio and was hugely disappointed. When I watched the actual video, the game was not short of a piece of garbage… LoL The commentator was excitedly narrating the most mundane dribbles and shots.
DiRT
August 31, 2021 at 11:39 am
You can’t get the full context from the pitch invasion from that clip. Payet got hit by a full bottle first which knocked him down and left a giant red welt which led to his tossing the bottles back, but that was after a fan had already jumped the wall earlier in the match and trash had been thrown at players and the refs never called for an announcement. Payet had just finally had enough because he was legit attacked.
JP
August 30, 2021 at 9:24 am
@Ra, I like your idea of benchmarking the soccer viewing. Below is what I ‘expected’ from the comment earlier with notes added for what really happened
–
TLDR: Really broke down to background noise most match windows aside from 2:30/2:45 on Friday, 2:45 and 4pm Saturday, 12:30 and 4pm Sunday. 6 matches ‘actively’ watched. 3 in full, 2 for one half, and 1 monitored as 2nd screen.
–
Friday
12:30 – Udinese v Venezia (Passive viewing, match on but not engaged)
2:30 – Dortmund v Hoffenheim, monitor Verona/Inter and go to whichever match more competitive (Verona/Inter became the main match and monitored Dortmund via PiP. Very active viewing)
4:15 – Valencia v Alaves (match on for 2nd half but even less engagement than what could be called passive)
–
Saturday
9:30am – Whichever Bundesliga match seems most competitive, probably start with Augsburg/Leverkusen (did watch some of this match)
11:00am – Celta v Athletic (watched most of 1st half)
12:30 – Atalanta v Bologna, monitor Lazio v Spezia and of course Liverpool v Chelsea and switch main screen if any other becomes uncompetitive. (Atalanta/Bologna remained the main match throughout, somewhat engaged but mostly passive. Only checked Liverpool/Chelsea a couple times and Lazio at HT to see the goal highlights for the 3-1 score at the time)
2:45 – Fiorentina v Torino (this match was uninteresting so Juve/Empoli became the main match, very engaged viewing)
4:00 – Betis v Real Madrid, 2nd half (very engaged viewing for this as well)
7:30 – NYCFC v Revs, if not burnt out (watched sparingly in 1st half)
–
Sunday
7:30am – Gent v Brugge, catch end if match is close (nope, wasn’t close)
8:30am – Ajax v Vitesse, 2nd half (actually watched most of this before it got out of hand, mildly engaged)
10:45am/11:00am – Heerenveen v AZ Alkmaar and Barca v Getafe, choose most interesting after sampling both (chose AZ match and was mostly passive)
12:30 – Genoa v Napoli, eye on Sassuolo v Samp too (very engaged viewing for Napoli, never checked Sassuolo/Samp)
2:45 – Reims v PSG only if Messi debut and/or Milan v Cagliari (didn’t watch PSG or Milan, sampled some of Roma for 1st half)
4:00 – Atleti v Villarreal, 2nd half (yes and very engaged viewing)
Mercator
August 30, 2021 at 3:39 am
Great pod and Chris W is a great guest! I was so disgusted with Arsenal’s performance I didn’t watch any football after their match this weekend. I agree with Dave the MLS gets better and better every year though. I get wanting to watch the best of the best but let’s be honest you aren’t getting that unless you are watching 10 or so teams. Even those matches can be dull because the teams are so well organized and disciplined. I can appreciate a chess match at times but the MLS frequently delivers some real bangers, great games with great goals both sides just throwing everything at it (even if technically it’s not at the highest level). I actually think it’s generally more entertaining since the defenses often aren’t well organized but you have DP level attacking talent going forward.
I think MLS’ biggest problem is many of their big market teams are awful. New York is a disgrace on that baseball field, Chicago just sucks, Houston isn’t even trying, and Miami has broken every rule in the book and will be awful for years. Only west Coast big markets have done well (and it’s probably no coincidence that European soccer is much less attractive when games like Arsenal/City start at 4:30am PST). As a neutral I find the games entertaining but no American sports league is going to succeed with terrible teams in most of the big markets. A lot of MLS owners are like Kronke and clearly are just sitting on an asset with no intention of doing anything with it.
JP
August 29, 2021 at 2:45 pm
@Ra, my Serie A recommendation of Sassuolo/Sampdoria ended scoreless, if you watched I hope it was one of those matches where the score line wasn’t indicative of the action! Was too involved with Napoli/Genoa to check it out.
Michael F
August 28, 2021 at 12:14 pm
I am with Ra on this topic. I am an American and understand the idea of supporting a league from your own country and i do for other sports. I find much more intriguing aside from watching the very best talent and the incredible nostalgia and history is how different the European league system is from American pro sports. Promotion/relegation and eligibility for other top competition (ie Champions/Europa) keeps my interest.
Ra
August 28, 2021 at 8:22 am
I’d rather watch the crème de la crème. And the lack of a relegation system makes it even less interesting.
dave
August 27, 2021 at 10:04 pm
@Edwin and @Robert, I only catch the occasional MLS game, but I am enjoying the Friday Orlando-Miami game on ESPN. The MLS-Liga MX all-star game was fun viewing also (how often can you say that about an exhibition game?). Purely anecdotal, but it seems the MLS games I watch get a little higher quality and more fun each year. I am not surprised that is showing in the numbers
Edwin
August 27, 2021 at 8:49 pm
@Robert said Some good MLS games on this week. It is great that in addition to more people getting back to the stadiums, the TV rating are going up for our league. Every country needs to support their own league. That is what builds the nations football.
Those football gourmets and name droppers have lots of choices, good for them.
I agree just finished watching the Hell is Real Derby on ESPN. Orlando vs Inter Miami is next on ESPN on this Friday Night.
Michelangelo
August 27, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Italian SAP option was available for the Udinese-Venezia game but not for the Inter-Verona game. We need more matches with the Italian SAP option.
Michelangelo
August 27, 2021 at 2:02 pm
@RA- Forza Napoli. Who do support in F1. I support Ferrari. I’m glad to see Napoli on Sunday on CBSSN. Forza Ragazzi. We need more matches on CBSSN? Italian SAP option must be brought to multiple devices.
locofooty
August 27, 2021 at 1:26 pm
Mbappe to Madrid, that’s a given. PSG doesn’t wanna miss on that transfer fee.
Fechin Attuah
August 27, 2021 at 12:13 pm
Man United getting Ronaldo is a huge win for peacock subscribers, now I wonder where Mbappe will go
Ra
August 27, 2021 at 11:38 am
@JP Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out.
JP
August 27, 2021 at 11:37 am
@Ra, I’m partial to Napoli so will always recommend their matches, and have a soft spot for Torino as well. But for the true neutral would say Sassuolo v Sampdoria should be the most fun watch.
Both always entertaining/littered with young talent. Plus on paper this is the most evenly matched of this round.
Roberto
August 27, 2021 at 11:36 am
Some good MLS games on this week. It is great that in addition to more people getting back to the stadiums, the TV rating are going up for our league. Every country needs to support their own league. That is what builds the nations football.
Those football gourmets and name droppers have lots of choices, good for them.
Ra
August 27, 2021 at 11:36 am
@Chris I have a suggestion for the pod – It would be interesting if you recommended the ,’must watch game’ for the key national leagues along with the overall best recommendation. One for EPL, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga and Ligue1.
Ra
August 27, 2021 at 11:31 am
@JP If you are to recommend one Serie A game to watch this week, what would it be and why?
JP
August 27, 2021 at 11:24 am
@Ra, hahaha no I do not. Those are all the matches that interest me at 1st glance, in reality there’s a couple must see per day and the others will watch if I can.
–
Today, Udinese v Venezia
Tomorrow, 12:30 Serie A and Liverpool/Chelsea, Betis v Real Madrid
Sunday, morning medley of Belgian and Dutch football, Genoa v Napoli, and Atleti Villarreal
Ra
August 27, 2021 at 11:14 am
@Chris It would be interesting to have somewhere in the website where users can share their viewing plans for the week. Based on what JP said, I am likely to check Fiorentina vs Torino and Atletico vs Villareal now. I am also curious to benchmark how much time I spend watching soccer.
Ra
August 27, 2021 at 11:07 am
@JP Holy cow! Do you work for The Athletic? I am able to watch only 3-4 games per week. My schedule this week is:
Wed: Sao Paulo vs Fortaleza
Sat:
Wolfsburg vs Leipzig + Stuttgart vs Freiburg in PiP
Liverpool vs Chelsea on NBC
Sun:
F1 Race in the morning
PSG vs Reims (if Messi is in lineup) + Brasileirao in PiP
JP
August 27, 2021 at 10:47 am
Good point about being spoiled for choice in our viewing options, almost too much! Going into the weekend this is my tentative viewing schedule, time/responsibilities permitting.
–
Friday
12:30 – Udinese v Venezia
2:30 – Dortmund v Hoffenheim (monitor Verona/Inter and go to whichever match more competitive)
4:15 – Valencia v Alaves
–
Saturday
–
9:30am – Whichever Bundesliga match seems most competitive, probably start with Augsburg/Leverkusen
11:00am – Celta v Athletic
12:30 – Atalanta v Bologna (monitor Lazio v Spezia and of course Liverpool v Chelsea and switch main screen if any other becomes uncompetitive.
2:45 – Fiorentina v Torino
4:00 – Betis v Real Madrid (2nd half)
7:30 – NYCFC v Revs (if not burnt out)
–
Sunday
7:30am – Gent v Brugge (catch end if match is close)
8:30am – Ajax v Vitesse (2nd half)
10:45am/11:00am – Heerenveen v AZ Alkmaar and Barca v Getafe (choose most interesting after sampling both)
12:30 – Genoa v Napoli (eye on Sassuolo v Samp too)
2:45 – Reims v PSG (only if Messi debut, fire up the cable box one last time before disconnect Monday!) and/or Milan v Cagliari
4:00 – Atleti v Villarreal (2nd half)
–
Yikes!
Fechin Attuah
August 26, 2021 at 11:41 am
So tubi sports will show live programming like Concacaf or just highlights
Basta Poco
August 26, 2021 at 11:13 am
Having watched Serie A on ESPN+ the past few years, I was pleasantly surprised for Paramount+. Being able to hear some of the games in Italian was great, and I was stoked that Matteo Bonetti moved from ESPN to Paramount+; the studio show still needs a bit more improvement, but this should come with time. Though I’ll miss being to hear the coaches yell from the sidelines, having fans in the stands added to the joy of watching Serie A.
Karl
August 26, 2021 at 11:05 am
@Michelangelo I couldn’t agree more on the Serie A coverage. I really appreciate Matteo Bonetti & Marco’s Serie A-specific enthusiasm and find it infectious as someone who has traditionally associated Serie A with afternoon naps to dull English commentators. Combined with Dre Cordero, the youth and uniquely American accents (Miami & NY) are a tremendous breath of fresh air for broadcasts of European leagues in this country. Nothing against the Derek Raes and Martin Tylers of the world of course!
Karl
August 26, 2021 at 10:47 am
I feel like Chris W is becoming a close friend with how much I’ve heard his voice in podcasts in the last year, great guest!
As someone who is largely club agnostic, I would love whip-around shows for match windows like certain MLS evenings, the five-game Bundesliga Saturday 9:30 ET slot or the up to five-game EPL 10:00 ET windows. Constantly moving to the “most interesting match at the moment” while showing every goal or key moment from across the league is a much more effective use of my two hours relative to me committing to one or two and hoping the game doesn’t suck and would help boost exposure for the smaller clubs in these leagues that are typically lucky to get even a highlight on air.
–
Selfishly, as primarily a USMNT fan whose viewership is highly influenced by USMNT players and finding myself overwhelmed on weekends by the delightful issue of “too many Americans in Europe to watch” on the weekend, I yearn for either a US-specific whiparound show or even a Sunday night USMNT-specific recap show on ESPN+ (or for Paramount+ after Champions League Wednesdays since there are 12 clubs in the Champions League group stage with USMNT players). While ESPN+ may not be able to show highlights of every player, the Bundesliga, La Liga, and MLS rights would get them pretty far and they could just discuss guys they can’t show video on. I’ve also noticed Futbol Americas (every Monday and Thursday on ESPN+) has been showing snippets from non-ESPN rightsholders NBC, CBS, beIN, Fox, and TUDN of US & Mexican players. At a minimum, I would like US Soccer to nudge someone or even offer some money to produce it because the rate of US players going to Europe is only increasing.
Ra
August 26, 2021 at 10:29 am
Regarding the MLS, I agree that it does not compete with the European championships. However, there are usually Brazilian and Argentinean matches at the same time on Paramount+ which do directly compete with MLS.
I will watch live games Tue-Wed night (Libertadores, Sudamericana, South Am leagues), but I will not watch any matches on Saturday night. I always have plans for Sat night, which may include going to the stadium, but not watching anything on TV.
My traditional ‘TV soccer times’ are Wed night (SA soccer), Sat morning (EU soccer), and Sun afternoon (a potpourri of live and on-demand matches).
Ra
August 26, 2021 at 10:16 am
Great pod. I have another tip on the HD Antenna. My reception was not ideal with the Leaf Mohu, so I called AirTV/Sling/Dish to install an amplified, roof-mounted antenna for me. It’s been three years, but I paid $150 back then, including a nice antenna and amplifier. It was worth it for me. In my internal accounting, I arbitrarily amortized it over 3 years, so it cost ~4.16/mo. It is still running like a champ and I have it hooked to a FireTV recast and a Tablo. I did not find it expensive considering that it includes the equipment and installation. They installed and ran a cable to my living room. It was the same technician that installs Dish. Sling is selling this service because Sling lacks the OTA channels.
Here is the link: https://www.airtv.net/antenna-installation/
Michelangelo
August 26, 2021 at 9:00 am
Paramount Plus in their first week with their pre-half-post coverage is excellent. Their analysts team is excellent and we need more of this. This group can create an amazing Golazo Zone since Rai Italia doesn’t have La Giostra Del Goal anymore. It would also be nice to see the Italian announcers and Paramount Plus team working working together during pre-half-post coverage having an Italian American coverage. It would be a new and interesting idea to have both interacting with each other since Marco and Matteo both speak Italian. More games with Italian SAP option and also this feature to be available on all platforms. We also need an HD quality stream. Overall excellent coverage so far and I’m excited and thrilled to see what Paramount Plus can do with the Serie A.
Chris Guardiano
August 26, 2021 at 2:09 am
Hi guys,
Another great pod this week. I especially enjoyed the piece on Ray Hudson who was one of my favorite commentators growing up. My question for you guys this week is: With the alliance announced between the Big 10, ACC and Pac-12 in college sports earlier this week, do either of you see something similar happening in Europe where the top leagues like the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga form an alliance to prevent the bigger clubs in their leagues like Real Madrid from forming a European Super League? Thanks for the great content
Christopher Guardiano
August 26, 2021 at 1:01 am
@dave Tubi is a complement to the Fox Sports app. However if you want to watch matches that are aired on FS2 or Fox Deportes you have to go through the Fox Sports app because Tubi is only designed to compliment matches on FS1 and Fox.
dave
August 26, 2021 at 12:45 am
Terrific podcast. What an interesting guest – MLS, NWSL, TUDN, Le Batard, and much more
.
1) Agree with Chris W that HD antenna is great for Univision, UniMas, Telemundo, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc., often 10-15 seconds ahead of cable and 30-45 seconds ahead of streaming
.
2) Confused about Tubi, will this replace Fox Sports app, or is it a complement like Peacock vs. NBC Sports app?
.
3) Why does MLS not flex their best games to their most important windows? NFL, NBA, NCAA and others give broadcast partners options 1-2 weeks in advance, particularly later in the season
Fechin Attuah
August 25, 2021 at 9:39 pm
Tubi should have a free tier for all movies, sports highlights etc and a payment tier for live sports because I would be glad to pay tubi it can be a range of 3-5 bucks a month broadcasted on FOX, FS1. I’m even surprised we don’t have the main Fox network on tubi at least for nfl games.