Ajax on Television (+ Webcasts, YouTube etc.)

[SE6Ajacied]

The brilliant news is that ESPN in the UK have indeed picked up the Eredivisie rights from Setanta. The schedules appeared on my Virgin package yesterday and the pictures today. The Eredivisie games are being shown on 'ESPN HD' and showing today is Sundays game at Groningen, an Eredivisie highlights show and "The best of AFC Ajax TV" (presumably with subtitles for the interviews).

The slightly worse news is that you have to pay for a Virgin + box to receive the channel which you have to pay extra for (in my case £99.00 up front but with no monthly service charge and they do take £4.50 a month off the bill).

Have to admit that's probably the easiest £99.00 I've spent in a while - not coming til Friday 14th so I'll miss Saturday's game but have it in time for PSV .

They also show Barca TV as well so fairly happy all in all

[ajaxusa]

The brilliant news is that ESPN in the UK have indeed picked up the Eredivisie rights from Setanta.

I'm not sure it's related, but I'm happy to report that espn360.com will continue coverage of Eredivisie this season. The on-line programming guide lists the following:

Aug 8 @ 11:45AM EST
Ajax v RKC

Aug 9 @ 11:45AM
Twente v PSV

Aug 16 @ 11:45AM
PSV v Ajax

Typically, espn360 would show Eredivisie games live and then make them available throughout the day. So this might be a scheduling error. In any event, as long as the games are on eventually, I'm happy. :-)

[gordonvandekamp]

Since ESPN360 was just made available to my ISP, I'd checked it out last weekend after our game and watched the VVV-PSV game so they are definitely showing them live. I'm looking forward to having access, and being able to sleep in a bit on Sundays, I can just watch the replay when I get up rather than make sure I'm up at 6:30 to get a possibly questionable stream.

The quality seems pretty good too. Although for both matches last weekend, they'd cropped the widescreen feed to 4:3, which I hate. I'm assuming that's not going to stop, though. Still pretty good for not having to pay extra.

[SE6Ajacied]

ESPN TV here are showing next weeks PSV game too, but on the monday so not live-PSV against us looks like their first live game. I thought the 99.00 looked expensive but would happily have paid 10.00 a month so for a one off fee it's not bad

[Blind3]

I've Comcast as an ISP . It was a joy to finally receive ESPN 360 today. Watched FCG v. Ajax. Great picture and the commentator wasn't a bore or overly chatty. Can't wait to enjoy a whole season of footie action !!! Out of the wilderness at last !!!

[ajaxusa]

I've Comcast as an ISP . It was a joy to finally receive ESPN 360 today. Watched FCG v. Ajax. Great picture and the commentator wasn't a bore or overly chatty. Can't wait to enjoy a whole season of footie action !!! Out of the wilderness at last !!!

Welcome, Brother. It is good on this side...

[saddlerian]

The brilliant news is that ESPN in the UK have indeed picked up the Eredivisie rights from Setanta. The schedules appeared on my Virgin package yesterday and the pictures today. The Eredivisie games are being shown on 'ESPN HD' and showing today is Sundays game at Groningen

Are Virgin only howing the games on ESPN HD....if so....another nail in their coffin!!! Virgin are F***ING useless!!! They say that they've got the same as Setanta....and now you tell me differently after signing up for a year!!!!

[Snyde]

Dunno if it's relevant but the local broadcaster in India gives a feed directly from GoalTV. Unfortunately they didn't show Ajax live even though it was in their schedule...

But I recorded AZ getting smashed gonna watch it later today.

[Orange14]

ESPN 360 is great. The feed is good but sometimes they don´t get the match started until five minutes in. There was one match last year when it didn´t get started until the second half so don´t give up hope if it is not on right away. You still may need to rely on an occasional SopCast feed or two.

[SE6Ajacied]

Are Virgin only howing the games on ESPN HD...

I think it's more a case of ESPN only showing the games on that channel, not really Virgin's fault but the short answer is yes.

Have to agree that Virgin certainly have their moments though.....

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Could ajax try to buy a Mexican player ??? That would really make my life easier, fucking ESPN 2 latin american(errrr mexican) only shows PSv games because of the 2 mexican players they have. Its been like this for 2 years, before that they had a well rounded schedule with the 3 big teams plus a Az game here and there, but ever since the Salcido and rodriguez buy its been lightbilb city for them...christ. My eyes are really starting to get sore from watching streams at 6-7 or 8 in the morning.



PS: At least i can root against them and always watch the Ajax vs PSV games

[aveslacker]

Could ajax try to buy a Mexican player ???

Please, God, no.

[Blind3]

Not unless it's Rafa Marquez . We don't need another mf , though Pavel Pardo is decent.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Guy`s dont take it seriously...for all i care the mexican lad could wash the dishes...i would just like to watch more Ajax games on tv !!!!!

PD: Gio dos Santos would not be a bad buy (I think )

[Snyde]

Actually alot of the Mexican youth are pretty good: As mentioned there is Giovanni Dos Santos (Spurs), then his younger brother Jonathan (with Barca Atletic became one the important players, was in the Juvenil team till this winter, quite impressive during the current preseason with the senior team) then there is Vela (Arsenal) whom you're likely to know about, Guardado (Depor) who is still a bit raw but even now very good and extremely promising and someone I don't really know much (other than I saw him in the youth tourneys) about but you guys might: Hector Moreno. (AZ)

[Ajaxfanuk]

I'd like Giovanni Dos Santos to come to Ajax, he's really good if a little weak on the ball I think we could play him behind the strikers like a 4-3-1-2 thing and he'd wreak havoc :D

[SPL]

I think Ko will be stepping in soon with some red cards . Talking of Beckham on new players and now talking possible players under TV. PS And yes I will get a red card.

[SE6Ajacied]

Back on Topic.

OK, so the even better news is that my Virgin TV package is now showing a channel called just ESPN, that I don't need a new box gizmo for, and that is showing the Grongingen game at 22.00 tonight and Saturday's home game at 17.00 on Sunday . In fact the schedule is exactly the same as the HD one.

Very happy now, not only do I get to watch last weekend's game, but next weekends as well, and I get my £99.00 back.

Ian it's channel 529 on Virgin.

[SE6Ajacied]

Hmm,

It seems that the Eredivisie rights isn't the only thing that ESPN have picked up from Setanta. Dodgy scheduling is right back in vogue too, what you're watching bears no relation to what's 'supposed' to be on.

It seems that the Ajax game isn't on tonight, instead we have an extended Bundesliga preview with the Ajax game shown tomorrow at 16.00hrs (and AZ at 11.00hrs).

Unsurprisingly perhaps http://www.espn.co.uk/schedule/ seems to be the most accurate source of what's actually on, that's where the above came from.

Shouldn't grumble anyway, until yesterday I thought I was stuck with dodgy internet feeds all season and (as with Setanta) at least if they are showing the game live you know for certain when it will be on. Thank you ESPN

[SE6Ajacied]

Halftime in ESPN's first Ajax game and I have to say I'm impressed. No idea who the commentator is though the voice sounds familiar but he's done his research, knows about the players/teams/last seasons results and can pronounce almost all of the players names.

9.5/10 ESPN but you lose 0.5 for Alderweireld

[martinkohout]

Alas, my ISP does NOT carry ESPN360.com (though I've requested it ). Also, according to the ESPN360.com schedule page, they were supposed to begin showing Ajax-RKC live beginning 15 minutes ago, but it's still on the "Upcoming" tab rather than the "Live Now" tab (though I know someone on here mentioned that they frequently join matches "in progress").

Also, I have a Mac, which means (I think - I'm technologically challenged) that I can't get sopcast. Any other feeds out there anybody's found? Or is there a workaround to get sopast on the Mac? Help!

[Amol]

Alas, my ISP does NOT carry ESPN360.com (though I've requested it ). Also, according to the ESPN360.com schedule page, they were supposed to begin showing Ajax-RKC live beginning 15 minutes ago, but it's still on the "Upcoming" tab rather than the "Live Now" tab (though I know someone on here mentioned that they frequently join matches "in progress").

Also, I have a Mac, which means (I think - I'm technologically challenged) that I can't get sopcast. Any other feeds out there anybody's found? Or is there a workaround to get sopast on the Mac? Help!

My ISP doesn't have it either. I used to have Verizon when they started the 360 channel, but for some reason I switched to Time Warner and have been doomed since.

I completely disagree with ESPN's business model. You have customers willing to pay, but you don't want them only because their ISP is not in your buddy list. It's so 1980s.

[Blind3]

Given what I'm paying for high speed internet and cable tv, it's extortion without cement shoes, I'm only too happy to have ESPN 360 added to my internet package at no extra charge on top of the extra charges I'm already being hit with. <- Me and my bill each month, minus the thread closed/Read the rules part. !!!

[Tom_]

Also, I have a Mac, which means (I think - I'm technologically challenged) that I can't get sopcast. Any other feeds out there anybody's found? Or is there a workaround to get sopast on the Mac? Help!

If you're on a relatively new Mac you can get it going. I watch Ajax games on Sopcast on my 3.5 year old Mac laptop with no problems at all. Tell me what sort of machine you have and I'll see if I can help...

[Amol]

Given what I'm paying for high speed internet and cable tv, it's extortion without cement shoes, I'm only too happy to have ESPN 360 added to my internet package at no extra charge on top of the extra charges I'm already being hit with. <- Me and my bill each month, minus the thread closed/Read the rules part. !!!

Well you are still paying for it - ESPN charges the ISPs a flat fee. It probably appears as some small fee on your bill. This is exactly what drives up the price of the whole TV package anyway. We end up paying for a lot of channels we are completely not interested in.

e.g. I will give up E!,MTV and VH-1 in a heartbeat, but I can't. This is because everyone subsidizes all the channels for everyone else.