Special 1 TV, the cult TV show that was a hit on Setanta Sports from December 2007 until May 2009, is making a triumphant return to the airwaves this June courtesy of BBC. The new show, still under the “Special 1 TV” moniker, will be available on BBC 3.

The show was a bigger success in the United States than the United Kingdom. And I’m sure there were far more people who watched the episodes via YouTube in the States than in the UK.

The relaunch of Special 1 TV on BBC3 this summer is perfect timing especially with all of the fodder Mario Rosenstock – the man behind the show and the voices – will have available to him during the World Cup. Imagine what they can do with Jose, Sven (managing Ivory Coast), Rooney (hopefully winning the World Cup for England), Drogba and so many other characters.

“Special 1 TV episodes will be produced by production company Caboom for BBC3 and BBC online ahead of each of the England games, capturing the mood, atmosphere and anticipation from Jose’s South African studio in the lead up to what’s undoubtedly going to be one of the most exciting World Cup tournaments of recent years. With Wayne and Sven embedded in the tournament, Jose will be doing what he does best – shouting in his opinion from the outside,” according to a post on the production company’s website.

Damian Farrell from Caboom says that “We are delighted to be working with the BBC on a World Cup version and very excited in particular with the opportunities presented to us in working with BBC online to further build on the social media and online potential of content like this. The show will also feature a puppet version of England manager Fabio Capello whose approach and attitude to the beautiful game will undoubtedly stand in complete contrast to puppet Sven’s tactics of hanging out in South Africa for the month, on an all expenses paid trip courtesy of the Ivory Coast.”

“Special 1 TV” begins on BBC3 on June 11th with daily episodes available on BBC online during the World Cup.

Sunday, February 28, 2010 marked the final day of Setanta US’s history. The US division of the Irish broadcaster has gone out of business and most of its rights have been acquired by Fox and will be shown on Fox Soccer Plus, which launched March 1.

For many of us, Setanta has a been a large part of our life for the past several years as we’ve watched plenty of brilliant scenes on the channel including Liverpool beating Manchester United, and Manchester United lifting the trophy last season, to name just a couple.

But what will you and won’t you miss about the channel? Here’s my list:

What I Will Miss About Setanta US

1. Watching live Premier League games on Setanta-i. Sure, the site had hiccups in the beginning, but I really loved how Setanta-i was so easy to use as well as all of the features and functionality the broadband player allowed which were miles better than the previous incarnation, Setanta Broadband. Setanta-i changed my viewing habits and allowed me to watch games wherever my laptop and Internet connection went.
2. Memories of Special 1 TV. Just like Setanta-i had two different names, Special 1 TV was first known by the brilliant name “I’m On Setanta Sports” which was a genius marketing move to make the Setanta brandname familiar with audiences in the UK, US and elsewhere. The show was so popular that once people knew it was on Setanta Sports and were famiiar with the channel, it changed its name to “Special 1 TV” and became even funnier. It’s just a shame that Setanta UK went bankrupt and the channel wasn’t able to finance the show anymore, but you can still find the classic videos on YouTube.
3. Paul Dempsey and Pat Dolan. Here in the United States, there are very few quality choices on a Saturday morning for expert coverage of the Premier League by pundits. “Fox Soccer Saturday” is too stuffy and scripted. BBC Radio Five Live is usually blocked. So when the duo of Dempsey and Dolan came on air via the Setanta Ireland studios, this was a godsend for viewers in the States where we could get insights and opinions on the game, and analysis we couldn’t find anywhere else. They both will be missed (but will continue doing their show for Setanta Ireland customers).
4. Quantity and quality. For a few seasons, Setanta US had more Premier League coverage on its channels that Fox Soccer Channel thanks to Setanta Xtra (Setanta’s overflow channel for DirecTV customers). Plus, Setanta used to have the 7:45am ET Saturday game and the Monday games, in addition to its bounty of matches on Saturday and Sunday’s, as well as midweek matches. Plus on top of all this, we used to get more international and friendly matches on Setanta. Over the past 12 months, the number definitely declined but the quality was always there. Let’s just hope that Fox Soccer Plus does just as good a job and is available nationwide to viewers in a timely fashion.

What I Won’t Miss About Setanta US

1. When were they going to be on cable? Setanta’s quest to be available on most TV providers in the United States was a long and arduous task. It wasn’t Setanta’s fault, but after several years of trying, I still didn’t have the option to subscribe to Setanta via my local Comcast provider. And the issue was the same for most soccer fans throughout the States. If you had satellite, you could get it with no problem. But the roll-out of Setanta on cable providers was painfully slow.
2. Setanta promos. Some of the promos that used to run in-between games were awful. The latest one being the “We Will Be There” which is so full of itself and annoying that I quickly changed the channel or muted it whenever it was on. And because Setanta had very few TV commercials, we got to see the same promos over and over again for most of the season.
3. Gameflash. During Premier League games, Setanta would pop-up the latest scores of Premier League matches near the top left corner of the screen and would ruin many a match that I was recording on DVR from another channel. After a while, I learned to get used to it but would still grimace whenever the scores popped up. Unfortunately, for Setanta, there were only two choices. One, use the Setanta Ireland feed and give viewers the option of watching Dempsey and Dolan and then, the gameflash. Or use the TWI feed and have no Dempsey and Dolan, but not be ruined by gameflash. To me, the choice was obvious.

Looking back on the history of Setanta in the United States, what will you and won’t you miss about the network? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Fox Sports International launched the redesigned FoxSoccer.tv today to coincide with the launch of Fox Soccer Plus. FoxSoccer.tv is the broadband portal that previously offered delayed broadcasts of Premier League matches. But with the acquisition of many of the rights from the defunct Setanta Sports, FoxSoccer.tv is now able to show some Premier League matches live – as well as plenty of other content from other leagues including rugby.

“Foxsoccer.tv was redesigned to manage an influx of new live and on demand rights,” said Bhavesh Patel, Vice President of Interactive Media for Fox Sports International. “The enhanced site will offer up to eight live soccer and rugby competitions at once and provide for the ultimate broadband viewing experience.”

Fans can enjoy live matches and unlimited access to on-demand viewing through one of two subscription packs: Championship Pass, offering all matches through May 31, 2010, is available for $44.95 and Monthly Pass is available for $14.95. So viewers can experience foxsoccer.tv, for a limited time the site will offer a Day Pass, offering access for 24 hours, for only $4.95.

Here’s the schedule for all live streaming soccer matches on FoxSoccer.tv this week (all times eastern):

• Tues., March 2, Velez Sarsfield v Boca Juniors, 5pm
• Wed., March 3, England u-21 v Greece u-21, 12:50pm
• Wed., March 3, England v Egypt, 3pm
• Sat., March 6, Portsmouth v Birmingham [FA Cup], 7:25am
• Sat., March 6, Arsenal v Burnley, 10am
• Sat., March 6, Fiorentina v Juventus, 11:55am
• Sat., March 6, Fulham v Spurs [FA Cup], 12:20pm
• Sat., March 6, Roma v AC Milan, 2:45pm
• Sun., March 7, Reading v Aston Villa [FA Cup]. 8:45am
• Sun., March 7, Bologna v Napoli, 9am
• Sun., March 7, Chelsea v Stoke [FA Cup], 10:55am
• Sun., March 7, Inter Milan v Genoa, 2:45pm
• Sun., March 7, Independiente v River Plate, 3pm

Later this week, EPL Talk will speaking with a Fox Soccer Channel executive to learn more about the redesigned broadband portal, so if you have any specific questions you’d like me to ask, please post them in the comments section below.

DISH Network announced today that it will launch Fox Soccer Plus on Monday, March 1.

As of Monday, Fox Soccer Plus will be available on DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and now DISH Network. The announcement was made by a crawl at the bottom of the Setanta channel on DISH on Friday, mentioning that the channel would be available as Fox Soccer + on Monday.

Fox Soccer Plus will feature much of the programming that Setanta US used to have including Premier League games, FA Cup, Champions League, Coca-Cola Championship, Carling Cup as well as England games, Serie A and select rugby leagues and tournaments.

Fox Soccer Plus will be available as a premium service at the same price as Setanta Sports, $14.99 per month.

DISH Network is currently the only TV provider in the United States to announce the availability of both Fox Soccer Channel in HD AND Fox Soccer Plus. No word yet when Fox Soccer Plus will be available in HD on DISH Network.

The year is 2010. Fox Soccer Channel still doesn’t have a podcast, which would have been a perfect medium to tell people about going to HD, and to answer questions about Fox Soccer Plus. And neither Fox Soccer Channel nor the Premier League have an official iPhone app, although in case of the Premier League, maybe it has more important things to worry about right now such as the first EPL club going into administration.

So, is it too much to ask that either Fox Soccer Channel or the Premier League will launch anytime soon on Roku? Based on the above information, I believe the answer is, sadly, yes.

Let me explain.

Roku is a set top box that sits on top of your television set and plays streaming video on your television set. So far, Roku has sold more than 500,000 units (a Roku box starts at $99) and it has quickly risen to become one of the must-have gadgets for tech-savvy consumers in the United States. Backed by deals with Netflix, Amazon Video, Major League Baseball, Pandora and many other content providers, Roku stands on the precipice becoming absolutely huge in 2010.

But where is the soccer content? Where is Fox, the Premier League or other soccer content providers on Roku?

The answer is they’re nowhere to be seen. One, we’re not sure if they’re even aware of Roku. And two, even if they are aware of Roku, they may see it as “the enemy” instead of a new distribution channel.

In the case of Major League Baseball, who has embraced Roku, the channel offers an incredible amount of live baseball coverage in HD which far exceeds the experience you could find on television (and even satellite). Read more about how Major League Baseball is on the cutting edge of broadband elsewhere on EPL Talk.

We all know that the Premier League is an albatross when it comes to adopting technology especially online. That’s partly because the league has a stubborn grip on its cash cow, television, which its TV rights worldwide is expected to cross the 1 billion pounds mark shortly. Even outside of online rights for its matches, the Premier League continues to be behind the times. The league didn’t launch its own website until 2002. And it’s current website’s only saving grace is the Fantasy Premier League, which I’m sure the league has little to do with on a day-to-day basis.

So what would Roku offer the Premier League? It would give the league the opportunity to bring Premier League soccer into the living rooms of people worldwide, cutting out the middle man (i.e. TV providers) and delivering matches in HD with superior quality. As we have seen in the United States, some of us (myself included) have been waiting several years for our TV provider to make Setanta Sports available, which limited the amount of Premier League soccer we could see (thankfully, Setanta-i filled that gap for many of us). Even though Setanta US is closing its doors this Sunday, the problem still remains that many of us in this country will not be able to see all of the Premier League games that will be televised.

The same issue happens around the world. The Premier League would be better suited to launch a Premier League Broadband channel on Roku making it available to viewers around the world and offering every game in HD on a monthly or annual subscription rate.

The reality is that a Premier League Broadband channel on Roku would not kill Fox Soccer Channel or other TV providers. Many soccer fans would still subscribe to DirecTV or their local cable provider to get the full array of content available including Fox Soccer Channel (or their local 24/7 soccer network, depending what part of the world they lived in).

The Premier League would argue that Roku would cannibalize TV rights money, but I disagree. If you provided quality HD content that was available via broadband thanks to a Roku box, I believe this would reduce the amount of pirated Internet streams of Premier League games. Why? Who wants to watch choppy games on the Internet in different languages when you can watch any game you want on your television set with the best quality picture at a reasonable price?

Just as Fox Soccer Channel delivers Premier League games online via its FoxSoccer.tv service, it could do the same thing – but better – with Roku. A Fox Soccer Channel could be preconfigured on Roku to only show games to people who have paid the FoxSoccer.tv subscription rate. And for those Roku customers who haven’t signed up to FoxSoccer.tv, they could watch a promo reel which would describe the benefits of watching games on Roku in the comfort of your living room.

The shame of all this is that it feels futile. I honestly don’t believe that the Premier League nor Fox Soccer Channel will adopt Roku any time in the near future. Technology is just not in their DNA. And both companies seem to move so frustratingly slow when it comes to adopting new techology.

So if the Premier League and Fox Soccer Channel don’t plan on it doing, it makes me wonder whether EPL Talk should launch on Roku instead. Seriously. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to provide streaming matches, but I could provide the daily audio podcast as well as video content such as interviews, documentaries, as well as plenty of other video content that EPL Talk has created in the past, and more video content in the future.

The Roku content from EPL Talk would supplement what you already read online, on Twitter and listen via iTunes. Some of it would be the same, but the video content would be created in HD and available through Roku. At the same time, the Roku box would have all of the other content and features such as being able to stream Netflix movies to your TV set (or via Amazon Video, if you prefer) as well as Major League Baseball games and much more.

So what do you think? Would you buy a Roku box if EPL Talk was available on it (in addition to the other channels that already exist such as Netflix, Amazon Video, MLB, Pandora, Facebook, Flickr and others)? And, if so, what video content would you be interested in watching? If you’re on the fence, learn more about Roku, then come back and post your feedback in the comments section below.

I value what you, as a vital part of the EPL Talk community thinks, so thanks in advance for sharing your opinions below.

As the Setanta era of soccer broadcasting in America comes to a close, and Fox Soccer Plus looks to fill in its spot, the good people at Newscorp will have to wrestle with one important difference between Setanta and Fox Soccer – the Fox brand. Will consumers spend money for a stand-alone Fox channel that is not so distinct from the myriad of other Fox offerings?

I am a U-Verse customer and subscribe to the hefty U450 package which gives me a total of 31 Fox channels. That package includes FX, Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Reality, Fox Sports en Espanol, a whole slew of FSN stations, a bunch of High Def channels, and, of course, Fox Soccer Channel. In fact, every single current Fox offering is available to me under the U450 umbrella. When Fox Soccer Plus is added into the U-Verse line-up, it will be the only stand-alone Fox product that I would have to purchase as a separate channel.

Fox Soccer Plus will have a difficult challenge in getting people to both feel good about their product and buy it. To the consumer, the logical question is going to be why do I have to pay for Fox Soccer Plus when FSC is already part of my package? My package gives me both ESPN and ESPN2. I get both Fox Sports West and Fox Sports West 2. Why don’t I get both Fox soccer channels in my package?

Furthermore, there is a very thin line that Fox has to walk in allocating which games go on which channels. If viewers are continually frustrated by seeing Stoke v Bolton or CSKA Moscow v Sevilla on FSC while Fox Soccer Plus gets Manchester United v Liverpool or Chelsea v Inter, there are going to be some angry fans. Truthfully, Fox probably cannot continually do that because they have advertising to sell and sponsors to make happy on FSC. However, every good game that is only available on the premium station is going to be a paper cut in the finger of people who don’t understand why that game is not on their normal sports package.

This is a problem Setanta never had. There are probably only a handful of viewers who realized that Setanta’s games were shown under a Fox license, so people never made the connection that it was Fox deciding which games were part of the sports package and which were only available on the premium channel. Fans who missed a big match because they did not subscribe to Setanta may have felt the loss of the game, but understood it was because they did not pay for it. Now, if they miss a big ManU or Arsenal game that is shown on Fox Soccer Plus, they will be pissed at Fox for reserving it for their “first class” fliers while the rest of us are watching Wigan play in the mud sitting in coach.

Finally, throughout most of Setanta’s tenure, their only competition for EPL games was FSC. Now, with ESPN in the mix and planning to double their EPL coverage next year, the case for Fox Soccer Plus is a lot less compelling. Between FSC and ESPN2, the average viewer will already have access to about half the EPL games. Adding the premium station for another couple of games seems like a bigger extravagance. If Fox decides to flavor the Fox Soccer Plus stew with more original programming, they risk angering viewers who wonder why FSC does not have access to that type of material too.

Of course, if you are a rugby fan or really want to follow the Coca-Cola Championship League, Fox Soccer Plus may make more sense. However, those fans are in the distinct minority of American consumers of European sports. It is the EPL that makes the FSC go, and it will be the EPL that will drive subscribers to Fox Soccer Plus.

I was never a subscriber to Setanta. As I was plunking down about $100 for over 500 channels, it seemed silly to spend $15 for just one more. Similarly, I am also going to hold back on Fox Soccer Plus. Fox will have a big challenge trying to convince me, and the rest of the soccer fans out there, that it is worth it to spend money on the premium channel without relegating the FSC brand, in which they have heavily invested, to a second class status.

Fox Soccer Channel will begin live streaming of select Premier League matches on FoxSoccer.tv beginning March 6, 2010, a Fox representative told EPL Talk on Wednesday.

Earlier today, Setanta Sports sent an e-mail to Setanta-i subscribers informing them that Fox Soccer Channel “your favorite club competitions are coming to FoxSoccer.tv starting March 1″ and included logos of the Premier League, Serie A, FA Cup, Champions League, Coca-Cola Championship as well as rugby leagues and tournaments.

However, EPL Talk believes that only those Premier League online rights that Fox Soccer Channel is acquiring back from Setanta US, who will go off the air this Sunday night, will be streamed live on FoxSoccer.tv.  EPL Talk believes that the other Premier League online rights that FoxSoccer.tv has, that it has been showing on Fox Soccer Channel on TV, and that are being shown on FoxSoccer.tv on delay, will continue to be delayed and not aired until Sunday midnight ET.

The Fox representative confirmed with EPL Talk today that a schedule will be released this Monday, March 1 for the games that will be shown March 6-7, 2010.

Current FoxSoccer.tv pricing is $4.95 for a day pass, $14.95 monthly and $49.95 for a season.

Fox Soccer Plus, scheduled to debut on March 1, has released TV schedules for the first three weeks of its programming, giving soccer fans a glimpse of what they can expect on the new soccer network.

Fox Soccer Plus will show two live Premier League games each weekend as well as two on delay in addition to live games during mid-week. Not surprisingly, the schedule of Premier League TV games is very similar to the Setanta US schedule. On Saturdays, Fox Soccer Plus will show one of the live 10am ET games as well as two Premier League games on delay during the mid-to-late afternoon. On Sundays, Fox Soccer Plus will show the early 8:30am ET kickoff.

Outside of the Premier League, Fox Soccer Plus will show a live Serie A game each week at Noon ET as well as a Coca-Cola Championship game on some Saturdays at 2pm ET.

Elsewhere during the week, the 24/7 programming schedule features reruns of Premier League, Serie A, Champions League, Argentine league, Fox Soccer Report and Sky Sports News, as well as additional soccer shows. When available, rugby matches will be shown as will live FA Cup matches (and reruns).

One noticeable difference between the programming schedules of Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Soccer Channel is not that FSC+ will not show any infomercials. Fox Soccer Channel typically shows five hours of infomercials from 6am-11am ET on weekdays. The lack of infomercials on Fox Soccer Plus comes at a price though as the channel will be available as a premium service (expected to be $14.95 per month).

The big two questions remaining about Fox Soccer Plus will be which TV providers will carry the channel and what Fox is planning on doing with the online rights to the games shown on Fox Soccer Plus. After correspondence with DirecTV, it looks likely that Fox Soccer Plus will be availabel on the satellite provider beginning March 1. But as far as the online rights are considered, it’s quite possible that those games will only be available on television instead of the Internet for the rest of the season.

That’ll upset a lot of soccer fans especially when you consider that several big matches will only be available on Fox Soccer Plus during the first few weeks of its programming including Chelsea versus Manchester City or Stoke in the FA Cup on March 7, Manchester United versus Fulham on March 14 and, most important of all, Manchester United versus Liverpool on March 21.

View the latest updated US TV schedule for games featuring Premier League teams, which includes Fox Soccer Plus-related listings.

Fox Soccer Plus officially announced today that in addition to the Premier League, Serie A, FA Cup and Champions League, the network will televise Carling Cup games, the Coca-Cola Championship and marquee rugby matches.

The new TV network is scheduled to launch March 1, 2010. As of yet, no satellite or cable TV providers have announced that they will carry the channel beginning March 1.

In addition to the above named leagues and competitions, Fox Soccer Plus will also feature England international matches, and rugby games featuring the Guinness Premiership, Magners League and Heineken Cup.

“With these programming acquisitions, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus become the definitive destinations for the world’s most popular sports,” said David Nathanson, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fox Soccer Channel. “Fox Soccer Plus presents us with a unique opportunity to expand on Fox Soccer Channel’s core mission, providing U.S. viewers with the best sports competitions worldwide and adds rugby to our impressive lineup of soccer offerings.”

According to Fox Soccer Plus, the channel will feature 130 Premier League games per season, 15 Carling Cup ties (beginning with the 2010-2011 tournament), 60 Coca-Cola Championship games, 3 England international games, 24 FA Cup games, 108 Serie A matches and 70 Champions League games. The rugby offerings will include 35 Guiness Premiership games, 40 Heineken Cup matches and 80 Magners League games per season.

The press release from Fox mentions that Fox Soccer Plus will be available as a premium service.

While today’s news is fantastic for rugby fans, supporters of lower league football and fans of the Carling Cup, it’s worrying news for fans of the other leagues that are currently carried by Setanta and will presumably not be shown on Fox Soccer Plus. Those leagues are Lique Un, the Russian Premier League and Scottish Premier League. We’ll have to wait and see if those leagues will be picked up by ESPN, GolTV or Premium Sports.

While today’s news from Fox goes a long way to filling in the blanks, there are still many unanswered questions. I’ll be contacting Fox today to request more details, so if you have any specific questions, please post them below.

When Setanta US goes off air at the end of February 28, 2010, what will happen to Setanta-i, the broadband channel that many of us, myself included, have learned to love especially when watching Premier League games?

The good news is that even though Setanta US is going out of business, Setanta-i will still continue.

Here’s how and why:

Setanta-i is owned by Setanta, but just because Setanta US is going out of business, it doesn’t mean that Setanta-i will bite the dust either. There are still regional Setanta divisions in operation around the world including Setanta Ireland, Setanta Canada and Setanta Australia.

The best way to think of Setanta-i is as a content platform. When Setanta US shuts its doors at the end of February 28, Setanta-i will no longer stream Setanta US content because the channel will not exist. However, because Setanta-i is a platform that other companies can use. Businesses such as Premium Sports, the company formed by Shane O’Rourke who previously worked at Setanta US.

In the case of Premium Sports, the service has partnered with Setanta Sports to provide pay-per-view content through Setanta-i to residential viewers throughout the United States. So, for example, you can subscribe to watch the Six Nations rugby as well as GAA football. More details are available at http://premiumsportsinc.com/watch-online.html

There’s a possibility that Premium Sports may show soccer matches in the near future, which would be available on a PPV basis. No word yet which rights Premium Sports will be able to get.

In Canada, Setanta Canada customers can still continue to access Setanta-i as before to watch streaming content. No changes there.

For those of you who currently have annual subscriptions to Setanta-i.com, be sure to e-mail us-setanta-i@setanta.com to request a refund for the months which you have paid for the service but won’t be receiving it. As for the rest of us in the U.S., on March 1, the monthly subscription will come to an end and we will then be able to use Setanta-i on a pay-per-view basis.