For soccer fans in the United States, it’s the $179.88 question. That’s the cost* for the next 12 months for hundreds of live football matches on Setanta Sports. But in these tough economic times, should you splash the cash? And, if not, what
Premier League matches featuring your favorite club will you miss?
EPL Talk has the answers for you. Here’s our research based on the TV listings for Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta that have been announced as of press time (now through September 28 for complete listings, and through December 1st for what we know thus far):
ARSENAL
Number of times on Fox Soccer Channel (FSC): 6
Number of times on Setanta Sports: 4
If you don’t subscribe to Setanta, you’ll miss the matches against these opponents: West Brom, Blackburn, Spurs and Man United.
Verdict: No questions about it. Subscribe to Setanta so you don’t miss Arsenal against Spurs, and the Gunners against arch-rivals Man Utd.
ASTON VILLA
FSC: 3
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: Man City, Spurs, West Brom, Sunderland and Newcastle.
Verdict: If you’re a massive Villa fan that needs to see most or all of their matches, subscribe to Setanta. But if you’re only a casual Villain, stick with Fox for Villa against Liverpool and Man United.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
FSC: 3
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: West Ham, Arsenal, Fulham, Chelsea and Spurs.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta.
BOLTON WANDERERS
FSC: 2
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: Newcastle, Fulham, Man United, West Ham and Liverpool.
Verdict: Easy. Subscribe to Setanta.
CHELSEA
FSC: 3
Setanta: 6
Opponents on Setanta: Portsmouth, Wigan, Spurs, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Blackburn.
Verdict: No brainer. Subscribe to Setanta.
EVERTON
FSC: 3
Setanta: 7
Opponents on Setanta: West Brom, Stoke, Hull, Liverpool, Fulham, Middlesbrough and Wigan.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta for sheer quantity and, most importantly, the Merseyside derby.
HULL CITY
FSC: 2
Setanta: 2
Opponents on Setanta: Fulham and Everton.
Verdict: Pass on Setanta for now unless you’re a die-hard Hull fan.
LIVERPOOL
FSC: 4
Setanta: 7
Opponents on Setanta: Middlesbrough, Man United, Stoke, Everton, Chelsea, Bolton and West Ham.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta.
MANCHESTER CITY
FSC: 4
Setanta: 2
Opponents on Setanta: Man United and Aston Villa.
Verdict: If you can’t afford to miss the Manchester derby, subscribe to Setanta.
MANCHESTER UNITED
FSC: 2
Setanta: 4
Opponents on Setanta: Portsmouth, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta.
MIDDLESBROUGH
FSC: 2
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: Liverpool, Stoke, Sunderland, Chelsea and Everton.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta. Boro is a bogey team against Liverpool and Chelsea, so be sure not to miss the spectacle of these surprise results.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
FSC: 4
Setanta: 4
Opponents on Setanta: Bolton, Man City, Sunderland and Aston Villa.
Verdict: Newcastle is one of the teams where the best matches scheduled on TV, thus far, are on Fox against Man United, Arsenal and others. Unless you’re a die-hard Newcastle fan, pass on Setanta.
PORTSMOUTH
FSC: 1
Setanta: 4
Opponents on Setanta: Chelsea, Man United, Man City and Spurs.
Verdict: Easy peasy. Subscribe to Setanta.
STOKE CITY
FSC: 2
Setanta: 4
Opponents on Setanta: Middlesbrough, Everton, Liverpool and Sunderland.
Verdict: Die-hard Stoke fans need to subscribe to Setanta.
SUNDERLAND
FSC: 3
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: Man City, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta. True Sunderland fans wouldn’t dream of missing the northeast derbies against Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
FSC: 4
Setanta: 5
Opponents on Setanta: Chelsea, Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Arsenal and Blackburn.
Verdict: Subscribe to Setanta. Spurs fans can’t afford to miss the derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
FSC: 2
Setanta: 4
Opponents on Setanta: Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa.
Verdict: Baggies fans need to subscribe to Setanta Sports so they won’t miss the Birmingham derby against Villa.
WEST HAM UNITED
FSC: 3
Setanta: 6
Opponents on Setanta: Wigan, Blackburn, West Brom, Fulham, Bolton and Liverpool.
Verdict: Die-hard fans who can’t miss West Ham will need to subscribe to Setanta.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
FSC: 1
Setanta: 3
Opponents on Setanta: West Ham, Chelsea and Everton.
Verdict: The only Wigan match on FSC that has been scheduled thus far is against Man City. Subscribe to Setanta.
This post shows clearly shows how the tides have changed from Fox Soccer Channel’s firm grasp on the Premier League, and how the balance of power has shifted to Setanta Sports. Sure, Fox clings on to its best slot of the week when the biggest match is played (11am ET, Sundays) but Setanta has the first and best choices of the other games reducing Fox Soccer Channel to picking up the scraps.
If you have Fox Soccer Channel but don’t subscribe to Setanta Sports yet, here are your options of how to get Setanta:
- DirecTV
- DISH Network
- Verizon FIOS
- Setanta Broadband
- NexTV
- GekTV
- ConnecTV
So now you can see why you need to subscribe to Setanta Sports. And that’s just for the Premier League coverage. The network also features live coverage of the Champions League, Carling Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup, Championship League and much more.
* $179.88 is for a month-to-month subscription. You can save by buying an annual subscription for $149.99 to Setanta Broadband.
Umm, you could also just head down to your local Setanta-subscribing bar and watch the Setanta matches there… Works for me everytime is Arsenal is on that channel.
Setanta Broadband is top notch….$150 for the season is the best deal out there
I wish I could get it on my cable package also…but will have to wait for that
Can watch games on the road which comes in handy for Champions League matches and you just can’t beat the studio analysis…of course, ANYTHING is better than a 30 second highlight reel and that awful music spliced in between Billy Mayshere and his latest as seen on TV dijjeridoo
I’m in a bind where in DC, I can’t have satellite in my apartment, and Setanta isn’t carried by our monopoly cable company, Comcast (only service available on Capitol Hill).
So, it’s off to the bars for me, several times a month—
Going to the bars is not cheap, but it sure tastes better. I subscribe to both, which I believe is worth it, but I would love to see more matches.
Does this list include Setanta Xtra?
why are you hawking for setanta? this is a new low gaffer.
Boyo,
No intention of hawking. Just trying to make sure that the readers know where they’re more likely to find their favorite team on TV — there’s less than three weeks before the season starts, so there’s still time to upgrade to DirecTV or get Setanta Broadband.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
…Or you could download Match of the Day via bittorrent the night it’s broadcast in the UK and watch it at your leisure the next day. No good for live games but if you really have to watch footy second-by-second you’ve got bigger problems than I can help you with.