It’s time for the World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag again. This week, we’re talking about the FA Cup and Championship on ESPN+, soccer on HBO Max, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup on FOX.
Don’t forget to add any soccer and/or streaming questions you may have in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer them next week!
Bill: All 16 FA Cup matches [fourth round] They were shown on ESPN+ and that’s great, but only one of the four championship games is on ESPN+. As we all know, in a normal week of 14 or 15 championship games, only 3 or 4 are shown on ESPN+. I understand the FA Cup is winner-move and David-Goliath battles plus ESPN gets EPL teams but if they can show so many FA Cup games why can’t they show more Championship games?
World Soccer Talk: It’s a great question, and it’s one we get from time to time. First, let me say that ESPN+ broadcasts every championship game that the English Football League (EFL) makes available to you. The reason why the EFL does not provide all the games is because almost all the Football League clubs have their own streaming services on a platform called iFollow.
For many of the clubs, charging fans to watch games through iFollow is an important way to generate more money.
With the Premier League, the league goes on the market and offers all the games to the broadcasters. In contrast, EFL offers broadcasters a limited package that does not include all games.
Dave: On your recent podcast, you discuss feedback from a commenter looking for a single-team option for Apple/MLS Season Pass. I’m curious if something like this is being considered for HBO Max (football only plan). Related, while I’m very pleased with Peacock so far, I want to try HBO Max’s USSF coverage for my own curiosity. Is there a month where you could get a better value of $10-$15? Mid-late February for the SheBelieves Cup?
World Soccer Talk: So HBO Max as we know it won’t be around for long. Warner Bros recently merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros-Discovery. And if that merger wasn’t enough, the new company aims to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one bundled app. The new app is supposed to be called Max with an anticipated release in Q2 2023.
Reports indicate that Max may include a separate sport tier.
So while HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial and the SheBelieves Cup will be played in February, Warner Bros-Discovery Sports has yet to announce its broadcast schedule.
My recommendation would be to wait another week until we hear from Warner Bros-Discovery Sports what their coverage plans are. And if most of the games will be on HBO Max, then February would be an ideal month to take a test drive.
Also, HBO Max has a ton of great series, including the hit series The Last Of Us, as well as my favorite, the UK version of Ghosts.
Cpcva: It’s a bit early, but how will FOX broadcast the Women’s World Cup this summer? Will it be only in FS1 and FS2? I seriously doubt it will be on FOX considering the obscene time differences involved.
World Soccer Talk: The first two group stage games for the US Women’s National Team will air live on FOX. Those benefit from 9 p.m. ET start times. The third game the USWNT plays is at 3am ET, so one is more likely to be on FS1.
Unfortunately, most Women’s World Cup kick-off times have matches in the middle of the night.
Here’s a more detailed article looking at what time the Women’s World Cup games are.
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That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to ask your questions in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you in the Reader Mailbag next Tuesday.
