My other half has been wrestling with trying to cast iFollow to the telly so she can watch Huddersfield get beaten by Wayne Rooney’s Derby County. She’s given up and resorted to her phone.
Mr Sandgaard has done us a huge favour by splashing out on improving Valley Pass - at least it actually works.
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
I prefer to hear him talking because the stream isn’t live and I will already know if somebody has scored or been booked but the balance is probably just about right
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
Now bare in mind I only listen to the commentary, I feel myself nodding in agreement with everything he says. I personally love it and it really compliments the experience for me.
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
Now bare in mind I only listen to the commentary, I feel myself nodding in agreement with everything he says. I personally love it and it really compliments the experience for me.
Perhaps just applies if watching the stream.
I’m not saying I disagree with anything he says btw. He’s spot on with his comments.
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
I know what you mean, sometimes feel he interrupts Terry or Greg. Don't get me wrong, love his insight. I wonder because he is so passionate that he forgets to hold back and wait for the right moment to talk.
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
I agree with you. I'm sorry to say Ii do think he is talking a bit too much and over-analysing stuff that doesn't need to be analysed.
At the moment, I think he would be great on a radio commentary - when you do need lots of description to know what is going on - but not on TV where it's not always necessary.
In fairness, given the commentary is for both TV watchers and radio listeners, it's not surprising it's a very hard call to make as to how much to speak.
(PS I still think the Valley pass coverage is absolutely brilliant!)
if I had one whine about the commentary, is it feels like Radio commentary, you don't need to talk all the time, Martin Tyler is the king of it, will be quiet for 20/30 seconds as the ball circulates around midfield, while someone on Radio doesn't have that option.
if I had one whine about the commentary, is it feels like Radio commentary, you don't need to talk all the time, Martin Tyler is the king of it, will be quiet for 20/30 seconds as the ball circulates around midfield, while someone on Radio doesn't have that option.
That's because it is.
As has been mentioned before, if you subscribe to Valley Pass for the audio commentary of matches i.e. sound not pictures, you get the same commentary as if you'd bought the stream.
If you'd paid for the audio commentary and then no-one said anything for 30 seconds "as the ball circulates around midfield" you'd be a tad miffed and wondering what the hell is happening, where's the ball?
Until such time as Valley Pass has two sets of commentators, one for the stream and the other audio only, we'll always have this "problem".
if I had one whine about the commentary, is it feels like Radio commentary, you don't need to talk all the time, Martin Tyler is the king of it, will be quiet for 20/30 seconds as the ball circulates around midfield, while someone on Radio doesn't have that option.
He hasn’t been of late. He’s been waffling far too much during those times and it’s starting to do my noggin in.
As for the Valley Pass commentary, I need the extra stuff as I don’t watch the stream.
Morning All, the international Addicks who use Valley Pass could use your help.
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
Mail to Ben Wright who is the Head of Commercial something or other at the EFL, and negotiated the rights package....
Dear Mr Wright
I’m writing on behalf of Charlton fans resident overseas, however the issue I wish to bring to your attention affects all who wish to watch lower level EFL games abroad.
The issue in a nutshell is this: in some territories, the rights holders are not actually showing Sky games in Leagues One and Two, yet still the EFL blocks broadcast to customers with IP addresses in those countries to protect those rights. This is particularly galling for those, like me, who have bought an annual ticket for our version of iFollow.
I live in the Czech Republic; the rights holders are listed as ArenaSport (actually a Slovak operator) and DigiSport. Unfortunately the DigiSport website itself is not very forthcoming about what it offers; however it is notable that it displays the logo of the SkyBet Championship but not League One/Two. However this separate Czech website, aimed at gamblers, has comprehensive TV football details which includes DigiSport. The schedule only covers one week, but you can clearly see that no League One coverage whatsoever is offered; and frankly is that surprising in a less well-off market of this size ?
We suspect (and are currently researching) that this situation is repeated in many smaller markets. I will forward findings from other overseas Charlton fans as I get them. However I wanted to give you the earliest possible warning, so that some action might be possible before the Doncaster-Charlton game on April 2.
What action do we propose? We propose that you urgently ask your rights agency (Pitch International?) to confirm in each territory that the option to show the game is actually being exercised (and indeed to do this for all other EFL League One/Two games). If the rights holder cannot confirm that, then the EFL should not block legitimate paid access to the stream in that country.
This of course does not in numbers terms affect a large number of your customers, however the EFL should be seen to be acting in good faith when such a problem is highlighted. The legal side should also be considered; those, like me who pay for a season ticket, already have to accept that we do not know how many games we will be able to access for the price paid, because of Sky’s lamentable short term approach to game selection; but the EFL should make its best efforts to maximise the number of games we can watch; and it is something you can easily delegate to your rights agency. Finally you will of course be aware that a large number of overseas based fans know how to use a VPN, so you should try to avoid the supreme irony of customers being driven to use their VPNs for games like this, only to be confronted by over-long EFL ads exhorting us not to use illegal streams!
Finally if you have not seen Charlton’s new Valley Pass coverage, implemented by new owner Thomas Sandgaard, I urge you to do so, as you will see exactly why since the upgrade it is attracting higher viewership than most *Championship* IFollow packages. I don’t recall a single club marketing intiative that has received such universal approval - you know how difficult it is to please everyone in a football fanbase! And that is why we are so keen to ensure we can maximise our enjoyment of it.
I think the main issue is giving a radio commentary on a TV production. Because the production is so good it doesn't need the radio commentary. All the guests have been good. I thought Laurie Wilson came over especially well. I can remember voting for him in player of the year!
Is it sacrilege to say Steve Brown is probably slightly over doing it? Talks over the action occasionally, and it sometimes it feels like he’s analysing almost everything that happens. If he dialled it down about ten percent it’d be perfect. 👍
You mean you don’t like hearing that if the the grass over in the north west corner had grown an extra 2mm, the ball would have slowed down 0.00000001 seconds slower and the defender would have got back in time to prevent a possible cross?
I think the main issue is giving a radio commentary on a TV production. Because the production is so good it doesn't need the radio commentary. All the guests have been good. I thought Laurie Wilson came over especially well. I can remember voting for him in player of the year!
It does need the radio commentary for those who are only listening and not watching, like me.
Morning All, the international Addicks who use Valley Pass could use your help.
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
We thank you!
They are showing Donny v Charlton on April 2nd on ESPN+ here in the USA.
I think the main issue is giving a radio commentary on a TV production. Because the production is so good it doesn't need the radio commentary. All the guests have been good. I thought Laurie Wilson came over especially well. I can remember voting for him in player of the year!
Interesting, can’t say i noticed that the commentary is for radio aswell but i rarely watch televised games these days unless its charlton.
if I had one whine about the commentary, is it feels like Radio commentary, you don't need to talk all the time, Martin Tyler is the king of it, will be quiet for 20/30 seconds as the ball circulates around midfield, while someone on Radio doesn't have that option.
He hasn’t been of late. He’s been waffling far too much during those times and it’s starting to do my noggin in.
As for the Valley Pass commentary, I need the extra stuff as I don’t watch the stream.
Morning All, the international Addicks who use Valley Pass could use your help.
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
We thank you!
They are showing Donny v Charlton on April 2nd on ESPN+ here in the USA.
Good email, though unlikely to cause action given the levels of incompetence at the EFL which we all know about!
They are showing Donny vs Charlton on Watch ESPN in Brazil (the equivalent of Sky Go). Not on TV, but at least streamable.
Morning All, the international Addicks who use Valley Pass could use your help.
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
We thank you!
They are showing Donny v Charlton on April 2nd on ESPN+ here in the USA.
Good email, though unlikely to cause action given the levels of incompetence at the EFL which we all know about!
They are showing Donny vs Charlton on Watch ESPN in Brazil (the equivalent of Sky Go). Not on TV, but at least streamable.
Great for Brazilian football fans to finally see some decent footballers
"Forget Pele, Zico and Ronaldinho son, take a look at Pratley and Pearce, that's proper football"
Morning All, the international Addicks who use Valley Pass could use your help.
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
We thank you!
They are showing Donny v Charlton on April 2nd on ESPN+ here in the USA.
Good email, though unlikely to cause action given the levels of incompetence at the EFL which we all know about!
They are showing Donny vs Charlton on Watch ESPN in Brazil (the equivalent of Sky Go). Not on TV, but at least streamable.
Possibly not in time for Donny, I agree. But they are on dodgy ground legally once the issue has been pointed out to them, and if we get no joy then via CAST and the FSA we can widen it out, and probably get media interest at least from somewhere like The Price of Football.
Very useful to get these positive IDs of where it is being shown, as well as where not, it will show we’ve done a thorough assessment. So far we have no positive IDs anywhere in Europe, someone from Sweden drew a blank which does surprise me.
Comments
Mr Sandgaard has done us a huge favour by splashing out on improving Valley Pass - at least it actually works.
Get some of them in as advisers or something to help steer the ship.
Brown's tactical and defensive nous the other day was great.
Mine cuts out on live steaming or just audio. No problem when on WiFi. No problem with the actual mobile phone signal / connection either.
I personally love it and it really compliments the experience for me.
At the moment, I think he would be great on a radio commentary - when you do need lots of description to know what is going on - but not on TV where it's not always necessary.
In fairness, given the commentary is for both TV watchers and radio listeners, it's not surprising it's a very hard call to make as to how much to speak.
(PS I still think the Valley pass coverage is absolutely brilliant!)
As has been mentioned before, if you subscribe to Valley Pass for the audio commentary of matches i.e. sound not pictures, you get the same commentary as if you'd bought the stream.
If you'd paid for the audio commentary and then no-one said anything for 30 seconds "as the ball circulates around midfield" you'd be a tad miffed and wondering what the hell is happening, where's the ball?
Until such time as Valley Pass has two sets of commentators, one for the stream and the other audio only, we'll always have this "problem".
He’s been waffling far too much during those times and it’s starting to do my noggin in.
As for the Valley Pass commentary, I need the extra stuff as I don’t watch the stream.
Its not all about you you know 😘
As you know, when a game is on Sky (like the Donny one) the EFL block iFollow streams to a host of countries where the local rights-holder is also showing the game. Understandable, and there is always the option to access the game via the local offer.
Except, it turns out that this is not the case. Believe it or not, for some unaccountable reason the rights holders don't seem to believe that many Czechs or Slovaks want to spend Good Friday watching Donny vs Charlton. And having discussed it in the group, it turns out that most of the other members believe the same thing applies. We are now trying to quickly assess the scale of the problem. I've already written to the relevant EFL bod who has negotiated the rights, (text of letter in next post) in the hope that he might act quickly (ho, ho) but if not, it will be a long term effort with fans of other clubs. I'd expect Thomas will approve, as he has long term ambitions for Global Charlton :-)
This link takes you to the EFL page which lists all the rights holders. It would be great if anyone wants to check whether a country listed here is actually showing the Donny game (or any other L1/L2 game - we know a lot will show Championship games), and either DM me or post here your findings. It looks like the problem is bigger than I thought - while I suspected it would only be smaller countries which don't use the option, we already have reports from France and Germany that its not being offered there.
We thank you!
Mail to Ben Wright who is the Head of Commercial something or other at the EFL, and negotiated the rights package....
Dear Mr Wright
I’m writing on behalf of Charlton fans resident overseas, however the issue I wish to bring to your attention affects all who wish to watch lower level EFL games abroad.
The issue in a nutshell is this: in some territories, the rights holders are not actually showing Sky games in Leagues One and Two, yet still the EFL blocks broadcast to customers with IP addresses in those countries to protect those rights. This is particularly galling for those, like me, who have bought an annual ticket for our version of iFollow.
I live in the Czech Republic; the rights holders are listed as ArenaSport (actually a Slovak operator) and DigiSport. Unfortunately the DigiSport website itself is not very forthcoming about what it offers; however it is notable that it displays the logo of the SkyBet Championship but not League One/Two. However this separate Czech website, aimed at gamblers, has comprehensive TV football details which includes DigiSport. The schedule only covers one week, but you can clearly see that no League One coverage whatsoever is offered; and frankly is that surprising in a less well-off market of this size ?
We suspect (and are currently researching) that this situation is repeated in many smaller markets. I will forward findings from other overseas Charlton fans as I get them. However I wanted to give you the earliest possible warning, so that some action might be possible before the Doncaster-Charlton game on April 2.
What action do we propose? We propose that you urgently ask your rights agency (Pitch International?) to confirm in each territory that the option to show the game is actually being exercised (and indeed to do this for all other EFL League One/Two games). If the rights holder cannot confirm that, then the EFL should not block legitimate paid access to the stream in that country.
This of course does not in numbers terms affect a large number of your customers, however the EFL should be seen to be acting in good faith when such a problem is highlighted. The legal side should also be considered; those, like me who pay for a season ticket, already have to accept that we do not know how many games we will be able to access for the price paid, because of Sky’s lamentable short term approach to game selection; but the EFL should make its best efforts to maximise the number of games we can watch; and it is something you can easily delegate to your rights agency. Finally you will of course be aware that a large number of overseas based fans know how to use a VPN, so you should try to avoid the supreme irony of customers being driven to use their VPNs for games like this, only to be confronted by over-long EFL ads exhorting us not to use illegal streams!
Finally if you have not seen Charlton’s new Valley Pass coverage, implemented by new owner Thomas Sandgaard, I urge you to do so, as you will see exactly why since the upgrade it is attracting higher viewership than most *Championship* IFollow packages. I don’t recall a single club marketing intiative that has received such universal approval - you know how difficult it is to please everyone in a football fanbase! And that is why we are so keen to ensure we can maximise our enjoyment of it.
Kind regards
to prevent a possible cross?
They are showing Donny vs Charlton on Watch ESPN in Brazil (the equivalent of Sky Go). Not on TV, but at least streamable.
"Forget Pele, Zico and Ronaldinho son, take a look at Pratley and Pearce, that's proper football"
Very useful to get these positive IDs of where it is being shown, as well as where not, it will show we’ve done a thorough assessment. So far we have no positive IDs anywhere in Europe, someone from Sweden drew a blank which does surprise me.