This past weekend was the weekend many Premier League fans have been waiting on for quite some time now, at least here in the States. FSCHD went live for DirecTV subscribers last Wednesday which was a great way to enter into the opening weekend of the 2010-2011 Premier League season. The feed FSC broadcasts had plenty of new graphics to enjoy and FSC’s Fox Soccer Tonight – their attempt at a Match of the Day-type program – was also in full HD.

With a packed weekend featuring some big games, what did you think of the new service, was it everything we all hyped it up to be? For me, it was a breath of fresh air.

I for one was highly annoyed though when FSC got viewers to the Aston Villa v West Ham match some 30 seconds into the first half. Were the lineups and tactical formations shown on some pre match show before the actual match? If they were, FSC needs to remember that many a soccer fan utilizes a DVR to watch matches as we’re all stretched thin with the number of games we view each week. Usually, I arrive to my next match some 5-10 minutes after it’s started and thus will start it from the beginning on my DVR and fast forward through the half to catch up to the live broadcast.

This of course was no fault of DirecTV but of the Fox network. DirecTV prides themselves on providing the best possible and highest quality HD broadcasting and they didn’t let down one bit. Since I was no stranger to Premier League matches in HD from ESPN’s broadcasts, the thing I enjoyed the most was not having to switch back to standard definition after watching the early match on ESPN2.

When I flipped over to 619 for the Villa v West Ham match, the clear HD broadcast was awaiting my attentive eyes. Another concern for DirecTV subscribers is the process of FSC+ being broadcast in full HD. It seems for the time being that DirecTV has set up an alternate channel like that of the old SETANTA alternate on 621-1 where multiple hour blocks broadcast a match only for the channel to go black after the match is over. I was able to catch a few minutes of a Ligue 1 match on Sunday afternoon on this very channel. I’d imagine that DirecTV will fix this in the near future, but for now I’m a satisfied subscriber.

Fox Soccer Channel HD is expected to launch on DirecTV on August 11, sources confirmed to EPL Talk on Tuesday.

It’s been a long and anxious time for soccer fans in the United States who have been waiting for news regarding the announcement. Fox Soccer Channel HD began broadcasting in HD in late January and then originally launched on DISH Network in early February. Slowly but surely, Fox Soccer Channel HD has been added to TV providers across the United States. But the largest satellite provider, DirecTV, hasn’t added the 24/7 soccer network as of yet, but will now do so in August, six months after the launch of Fox Soccer Channel HD.

DirecTV is also working on adding Fox Soccer Plus in HD in the near future.

As of press time, there is no word from Comcast regarding when they, as one of the largest TV providers, will add Fox Soccer Channel HD to its programming. But as soon as we get news, EPL Talk will report it here. In the meantime, please reference How to Demand Your TV Provider Adds Fox Soccer Plus or FSCHD.

In addition to the expected launch of Fox Soccer Channel HD on August 11, sources advised that GolTV HD is supposed to be added to DirecTV on August 4.

As Premier League football fans languish in the desert of meaningful matches and as we’ve now reached a sort of middle point between the end of the World Cup and the beginning of the Premier League season, I can’t help but to wonder if soccer grew, stayed about the same, or took a small step backward in the US this summer.

As Europe’s finest clubs cash in and tour the States as we live and breathe and as the next so called ‘major’ summer friendly tournament kicks off, ends or whatever it is ‘major’ summer friendly tournaments do, this football supporter seems to notice a tad bit of exhaling from the tidal wave that was the World Cup and more specifically the USMNT’s successful ride for three weeks this summer.

Vanished are the new soccer fans that emerged to chat from around the water cooler at the office, gone are the packed pubs full of rabid celebrations and extinct is the feeling of soccer in the air one got when simply walking out the door when the World Cup was in full force.

As quickly and as casually as the additional troops mounted to represent Uncle Sam’s Army as the boys battled in South Africa, it was equally as quick that the reinforcements left the soccer battlefields and retreated to other interests.

But in my attempts to gauge if the World Cup had any lasting effects on the popularity of the sport in this country and with help from the readers of this article, I must first look at a few obvious points I’m currently observing and quite possibly hold off on passing any judgement on my fellow compatriots until the Premier League and other European leagues resume later next month.

(For the record, I believe the lasting effects concerning growth, either positive or negative, resulting from the World Cup won’t truly be felt or known for at least a few more weeks or months, and although the casual soccer newbies have dropped off like lemmings off a cliff, it’s still possible a new generation of soccer hard-cores were conceived during the World Cup. It will be these new soccer fans, lead by their friends and others who support club teams across the world that will prove whether or not a substantial growth occurred).

Point #1. The power of the World Cup

The World Cup always brings the most casual soccer fans out of the wood work especially in this country as the sheer bigness of the event itself is usually enough to hold the attention of even the most lackluster soccer fans. The point here is that the let down of momentum the World Cup concedes after it’s capitulation is only a natural result to an event that rages on non stop for a full month. Simply stated, when there isn’t much soccer going on, people don’t watch much.

Point #2. Who is the casual fan interested in watching?

As much as I enjoy watching Premier League teams take on MLS sides who have everything to prove, how much are soccer fans attending, watching or even enjoying these pre season friendlies? Is the reception the international club friendlies receive an adequate litmus test for the popularity of soccer in the US? I think it could be, but what happens when English and European giants leave the states for home? The hardcore support will always be there, but will interest and attendances wane from the casual observer who was so hot for the USMNT and so eager to catch a glance at a Premier League club?

As I view recent matches on Veetle and the dreadfully-still-in-standard-definition FSC, I seem to notice as many empty seats as I do full. Granted, recent matches were played in NFL stadiums boasting huge capacities, but major US cities such as New York left plenty of seats empty. Had the USMNT played any sort of meaningful match post World Cup, the stadiums would have easily been bursting at the seems with excitement and anticipation. Which leads me to my third point,…

Point #3. Country over sport.

Americans like their country first and their sports second. More specifically, I believe the USMNT has some incredibly devoted and brilliant fans. Yet I also believe that a pretty decent chunk of the pub goers, the downtown fan-fest attendees and the World Cup party hosts were fans of the flag on the shirt first, people who genuinely like soccer sure, yet not devoted fans of the sport we all love and hold so dear and thus viewed the sport itself as secondary.

Once the USMNT was eliminated, so too were the casual fans of the US team dismissed from the World Cup. They were never cheering for soccer in the first place, they were cheering for their country, and when their country exited, so did they.

And realistically, there’s nothing wrong with that sentiment when viewed from multiple angles, except in regards to the growth of soccer in the US as a long stay and mainstream sport. People have the right to move freely in this country and cheer on sports the way they see fit, yet that ideal doesn’t translate into supporters of the game, if anything, it detracts from it.

There is in fact a give and take to how incredibly supportive and patriotic Americans were for their country this summer. It was something to be proud of yet something I found myself oddly questioning it’s very authenticity when viewed as a soccer insider.

As a final example, I’ll point to the thousands of frustrated soccer fans in the US who have DirecTV as a satellite provider and who have waited patiently for the better part of a year or more for the provider to pick up FSC’s HD feed.

As last season’s domestic campaign blew away with the wind and the summer months pushed on, not a word has been uttered by the satellite giant as to when, if ever, soccer fans will be awarded for their patience and what’s rightfully owed to them.

In comparison, any number of NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB or any other sport under the sun available to consumers in this country are readily available in HD on a myriad of channels. And although HD broadcasts of the beautiful game have come along by leaps and bounds in this country, the two stations that provide the majority of Premier League games, FSC and FSC+ (and more football than anyone), each week remain almost unwatchable in standard definition.

One has to ask themselves, how serious does DirecTV take this sport in our country? Would they have changed their policy on picking up the HD feed had they been bombarded by the mainstream masses? As the smallish soccer community tried their hardest to persuade, DirecTV set up auto reply email responses thanking subscribers for their interest and automated phone lines with pre recorded messages to waft away the anxious. Can one imagine an NFL network in standard definition or such a prolonged wait for HD broadcasts?

As I’m only one man who can only observe so much, ultimately, I’ll count on the soccer community we’ve formed here to pitch in and tell me how the sport is now viewed in your workplace, area, community, city and state after such an eventful World Cup and summer in general.

Did soccer in fact grow at all this summer or does it remain our beautiful little secret, our niche sport that gives us our sense of purpose, or our singular ability to relate to the rest of the world?

As the World Cup wraps up today with a weary and melancholy sigh, a large group of soccer fans in the US begin again their patient wait for any news concerning the addition of Fox Soccer Channel HD to their respective platforms.

DirecTV, one of the nation’s largest satellite providers has let down it’s rabid soccer fan base for the last half year as rivals DISH Network have picked up the HD feed and has made the essential channel easily available to customers since Feb. 10, 2010.

With the brilliant HD broadcasts soccer fans have received this summer from ESPN’s World Cup coverage, one only needs to flip to channel 619 or 621 on DirecTV to quickly realize how excruciatingly tortuous it will be to start another Premier League season having to witness the beautiful game in not so beautiful standard definition.

If you’re able to view today’s World Cup final on ABC, try flipping immediately to the channel where FSC is aired in your region. If there is an old match on replay either today or later in the week, view for yourself, or should I say squint and try to even make out the names on the shirts or which player is which. It’s seemingly impossible after a summer spent in HD. But unfortunately, it could be a further sign of things to come if satellite and cable providers don’t wake up and realize how important this service is to soccer fans.

As of press time, the only satellite provider that has picked up Fox’s HD feed is in fact DISH Network. Upon further research, there are a few various cable providers who have picked up the feed as well. But the sad fact remains that some pretty heavy hitters in the satellite and cable landscape in some large areas across the country such as the aforementioned DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have all left their more than patient customers in the dry desert of standard definition broadcasts.

As always, EPL Talk will continue to provide updates when we get them concerning the addition of FSC HD on new providers and into new markets. The Gaffer has written a myriad of articles over the last 12 or more months concerning the topic and is as connected with the right people as one can get concerning the matter.

If I were a betting man, I would hope and pray (and bet) that all of the above mentioned providers are simply biding their time as the rabid soccer fan base in American have their heads turned to the direction of ESPN for the majority of the summer.

Upon further wagering, the right move for the providers would be to swoop down from their high perches and play hero to the masses just a few short weeks before the Premier League and other European leagues kick off by launching FSC and FSC+ in HD.

The aptly timed move would allow the companies to capitalize on the already established need for the channels and any newbies to FSC originating from the World Cup’s massive success in the US. The angry masses would be silenced and all involved would be happy.

Still, there’s a reason I’m not a betting man, but let’s hope I’m wrong.

DirecTV announced today that approximately 30 new HD channels will be added beginning in May. The good news is that GolTV HD will be available. However, Fox Soccer Channel in HD and Fox Soccer Plus in HD were not included in the list.

This is frustrating news for soccer fans in the United States because GolTV only announced three weeks ago — on March 29, 2010 that they would be launching a HD channel this summer. And now the news has been released that GolTV is following through with their plans.

On the other hand, Fox had been discussing HD since the summer of 2009 and soccer fans had been led to believe that HD would be available as early as January 1, 2010. However, it wasn’t until February 10 when the first TV provider, DISH Network, made Fox Soccer Channel in HD available. As of press time, personalities on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus continue to plug that both channels are available in HD, but not one TV provider is showing Fox Soccer Plus in HD and the only ones showing FSC in HD is the aforementioned DISH Network and some Time Warner regional carriers. Technically both networks are being broadcasted in HD, but when only a relatively minor portion of the audience can watch the games in HD, you can see why it’s a frustrating experience for soccer fans in the United States.

At the same time, DISH Network doesn’t carry GolTV at all (even in SD), so there is no one TV provider in the United States who offers the complete experience for soccer fans.

What are your thoughts regarding the story? If you’re a DirecTV customer, are you considering moving to DISH Network? Or vice-versa?

In the meantime, read my related article, How to demand your TV provider adds Fox Soccer Plus or FSCHD.

Fox Soccer Plus launched Monday, March 1, 2010 to lucky subscribers of DirecTV, DISH Network and Verizon FiOS. For the rest of us, it’s an anxious wait until the powers that be decide that there’s a spot on the programming dial for us.

But for those of you fortunate to have Fox Soccer Plus, what are your impressions thus far? Please use this open thread to post your observations, ask questions and provide us feedback on what we’re missing out on (such as the Premier League games that Setanta US used to show in addition to Coca-Cola Championship, FA Cup, Champions League, Serie A and more).

You can view the TV schedule for Fox Soccer Plus here. And you can see the list of live games featuring Premier League teams on Fox Soccer Plus here.

The first program aired on Fox Soccer Plus was the classic Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United from the 2009/2010 season. And the first big live game will be the England against Egypt friendly, which will be shown live on Fox Soccer Plus on Wednesday, March 3 at 3pm ET.

What’s your opinion about Fox Soccer Plus? Click the comments link below and share it with us.

On Friday night, Fox released a press release stating that Fox Soccer Plus would be available on Time Warner Cable beginning March 1. EPL Talk broke the news on Twitter. Time Warner Cable customers got excited.

Except that Time Warner Cable won’t be launching Fox Soccer Plus on Monday. Time Warner Cable will start carrying the network in select markets on dates yet to be specified, Fox Cable Networks spokesman Brian Peterson told the Associated Press on Friday. How vague is that compared to the original quote from the press release which sounds quite concrete:

“Fox Soccer Plus has reached agreements with DIRECTV, DISH Network, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon FiOS to offer the service to subscribers beginning March 1, 2010.”

This is obviously very frustrating news for Time Warner Cable customers. Their expectations were raised last night only for those hopes to come crashing down. And how much more vague can you get as “select markets on dates yet to be specified.” Ugh! Your best bet is to check with your regional TWC office.

In other Fox Soccer Plus news, Fox Soccer Plus will not be available in HD when it launches on Monday on DirecTV, DISH Network.

Fox Soccer Plus, the new 24/7 soccer network from Fox Soccer Channel, will launch on DirecTV and Verizon FiOS on March 1, 2010.

In phone calls and e-mails with DirecTV and FiOS representatives with several EPL Talk readers, DirecTV and FiOS representatives have confirmed that Fox Soccer Plus will be available. One EPL Talk reader even shared the above screen capture (see above) which shows the FiOS programming guide with Fox Soccer Plus programming on the Setanta Sports channel (1009) where Fox Soccer Plus will launch Monday.

Another EPL Talk reader said “I just got a message on my Verizon FIOS set-top-box saying as of March 1st Setanta Sports Channel 1009 will become Fox Soccer+ and no games will be missed.”

As for DirecTV customers, DirecTV has added a page to its website explaining the monthly subscription policy (believed to be $14.99). And in communications with DirecTV representatives, many have confirmed that Fox Soccer Plus will be available beginning March 1 including one who said “As of March 1st all existing subscribers of Setanta will automatically roll over to [Fox Soccer Plus].”

In both the DirecTV and FiOS instances, it is not known at press time whether either Fox Soccer Plus will be available in HD although it appears unlikely.

UPDATE: DirecTV has confirmed that the March 1 indicated above will be the launch date for Fox Soccer Plus on DirecTV channel 621. The channel will be available in SD first, and HD in the near future.

The first quarter of 2010 has been the most traumatic ever for Premier League fans in the United States with several key changes that significantly impact the quantity and quality of matches on television. Setanta US will close its doors after February 28, and will be replaced by Fox Soccer Plus which launches March 1 on DirecTV and FIOS. DISH Network customers meanwhile did a jig when Fox Soccer Channel launched in HD on that network on February 10.

But for the large majority of soccer fans in the United States, we won’t be able to watch Fox Soccer Channel in HD anytime soon (unless you’re a DISH customer). And Fox Soccer Plus won’t be available in the near future (unless you’re a DirecTV or FIOS customer).

There is something you can do about it, though. And that’s by contacting your satellite or TV provider. Here’s how:

The following is a list of contact information for the major TV providers in the United States. Included are all forms of contact that are available. If you’re a customer of any of these services and you want Fox Soccer Plus and/or Fox Soccer Channel in HD, I highly encourage you to make your voice heard and tell your provider:

AT&T U-verse:

• Twitter
• E-mail
• Contact form
• Phone: 1-877-U-ASK-ATT

Cablevision:

• Contact form
• Live chat
• Phone

Comcast:

• Twitter
• E-mail
• Contact form
• Live chat
• Phone: 1-800-266-2278

COX:

• Twitter
• Contact form (select your state from the drop-down)
• Live chat (select your state from the drop-down)
• Phone (select your state from the drop-down)

DirecTV:

• Twitter
• Contact form
• Phone: 1-800-531-5000

DISH Network:

• Twitter
• Contact form
• Live chat
• Phone: 1-888-686-2388

RCN:

• Twitter
• Contact form
• Phone: 1-800-RING-RCN

Time Warner:

• Twitter
• E-mail
• Contact form
• Phone

Verizon FIOS:

• Twitter
• Contact form
• Live chat
• Phone: 1-888-881-8161

When you’re contacting the customer service reps, be courteous and patient because they’ll often not know much (if anything) about the availability of Fox Soccer Plus and/or Fox Soccer Channel in HD. Ask them how you can request that a channel be added. And if they’re aware of either network, ask them when they plan on adding the networks to its programming lineup.

There may be a lot of upset soccer fans on March 1, 2010 when Fox Soccer Plus is launched and the network isn’t available on all satellite and cable TV providers.

During the most crucial phase of the Premier League season, the run-in from March through early May when titles are won and lost and the relegation battle takes plenty of twists and turns, it’s imperative that as many Premier League games are on television as possible. With the demise of Setanta Sports at the end of February, all of the Premier League TV rights in the United States (except for the two games per week on ESPN2) will return to Fox. The majority of them will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel but many of the other crucial games will be shown on Fox Soccer Plus.

The problem is that there’s no guarantee that all cable and satellite providers will have Fox Soccer Plus on March 1.

The same frustration that many soccer fans have been experiencing since last month when Fox Soccer Channel has been touting “Fox Soccer Channel Now available in HD” (when it wasn’t, but is now but only on DISH Network) is going to seem like nothing compared to the Fox Soccer Plus chaos.

Everywhere you look, whether it’s on Fox Soccer Channel itself during games or commercials, or on the FoxSoccer.com website or elsewhere, Fox’s promotion boasts “Fox Soccer Plus, Coming March 1″ but the reality is that it’s extremely doubtful that the majority of providers will have it available then. In fact, it’s entirely likely that it could take some cable and satellite providers months before Fox Soccer Plus is available. That’s because Fox will be negotiating deals with each satellite and cable TV provider separately. And while we would love to think that businessmen have the best interests of soccer fans, the reality is that business is business. And negotiations can sometimes drag on and on.

Fox Soccer Channel is walking a dangerous tightrope again by raising the expectations of soccer fans to expect to see Fox Soccer Plus on March 1. At the same time, Fox is not communicating with its viewers to prepare them for the possibility that FSC+ may not be available for quite some time (for many of us). Plus, Fox Soccer Channel – yet again – is doing an extremely poor job at telling us what we need to do as soccer fans to influence the satellite and cable providers so we can add pressure to them to carry the station.

Fox Soccer Plus’s ChannelFinder tool and its one page of information is simply not enough. If Fox wants us to contact our cable and satellite providers, then there are no details about that on its website. Are you we supposed to just sit back and wait for a deal to happen? Wouldn’t Fox want us to apply pressure to the TV providers and use that as leverage during its negotiations? If so, they’re doing a lousy job.

Worst case scenario, many of us in the United States may not be able to watch many of the crucial Premier League games between now and the end of the season that will be on Fox Soccer Plus. And, after February 28, with the demise of Setanta US, Setanta-i not making Premier League games available online anymore, and FoxSoccer.tv still in the dark ages by not making games available until 36 hours after they are played, what are soccer fans supposed to do? Sadly the only option for many of them will be to watch the games illegally online.

The shame regarding Fox Soccer Plus is that Fox is leaving soccer fans in the dark. By not effectively communicating with its core audience, soccer fans yet again have to scour sites like this one and BigSoccer to find the latest news and developments. For example, what will happen when Setanta US goes dark at the end of this month. Will Fox Soccer Plus immediately replace Setanta on that channel on providers such as DirecTV and DISH Network? Right now, the answer is unknown because the negotiations continue. It’s entirely likely that the station will go black.

For soccer fans, every day counts. Every day when Fox Soccer Plus is not available will seem like a lifetime for hardcore fans. When Fox flicks the switch and launches Fox Soccer Plus on March 1, there’s a possibility that no carriers will be showing it. And because there are so many Premier League games on television each weekend, as well as other leagues, Fox Soccer Channel has no way to show all of the games.

Looking at the Premier League schedule, here are some of the crucial games that could be missed by soccer fans who won’t have Fox Soccer Plus:

• Manchester United v Fulham, Sunday, March 14, 8:30am ET
• Manchester United v Liverpool, Sunday, March 21, 8:30am ET
• Burnley v Blackburn, Sunday, March 28, 7am ET
• And many others.

From Fox’s perspective, they probably don’t want to say much if anything at this time especially when they’re in negotiations with the different carriers. But loyal Fox Soccer Channel subscribers deserve to be treated better and there are so many unanswered questions. What will happen to the online Premier League rights that Setanta US were showing on Setanta-i? What leagues will be shown by Fox Soccer Plus? Which Premier League timeslots will be shown on Fox Soccer Plus? Will Fox Soccer Plus be available as a paid subscription of $14.95 per month? The list goes on and on.

There are only 16 days between now and the launch of Fox Soccer Plus but there are so many unknowns and so little information. Behind the scenes, EPL Talk will try to get as much information to you as soon as we find out the details. But until then, it looks like we need to exercise some patience and trust that Fox will secure the deals with the TV providers as quickly as possible to ensure that Fox Soccer Plus is available for soccer fans nationwide.