You are here: Home / Archives for FIFA

ESPN FC on TV Launched Last Night with International Focus

August 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

espnfc

For soccer fans there is a new show called ESPN FC that caters to your needs on ESPN covering a wide array of international leagues and teams including Spain’s La Liga, Major League Soccer, Barclays Premier League and a number of such as the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team.

The programming looks to be an interesting mix of both what is expected such as breaking news, studio analysis and commentary on issues in the sport. However it will also integrated digital content from ESPN’s ESPN Stats & Information Group’s data visualization analysis, as well as incorporating social media. A digital version of ESPN FC on TV will be available on ESPNFC.com.

The show will vary both in broadcast time and focus depending if it is a weekday or a weekend. The Sunday version will run at 12 midnight ET and will be a one hour program that will in part be a weekly wrap as well as analysis of what the events shown will mean looking forward.

Weekdays the show will air as a 30 minute program at 5:30 pm ET on ESPN2 and most days will have a regular featured segment or two such as Americans Abroad on the Monday show or the EPL Weekend Previews that will be shown every Friday.

Every show will have between five to nine analysts/reports covering diverse topics and stories. There will also be a “ESPN FC TV” blog that will contain additional content and extended interviews. There will also be an extra TV segment posted on line daily at ESPN that will focus on viewers’ questions and comments from the show. The company plans to use Twitter extensively, primarily for fan polling.

It is interesting that this comes just a week prior to Fox launching Fox Sports 1 which is expected to also have a solid soccer presence. However ESPN has been steadily enhancing its soccer coverage over the last few years and I suspect that this is just the next logical step for the broadcaster.

Filed Under: Barclays English Premier League, ESPN, ESPN FC, FIFA, FoxSoccer, Live sports via mobile, MLS, Soccer, Social Media, The Ligue de Football Professionnel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: MSG to Close? NASCAR on the Move

July 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hewlett-Packard may be looking to double down in the tablet space as rumors are emerging that the company, already having re-entered the space, is now looking to head to the low end by offering an affordable $99 tablet.

According to DigiTimes, HP will team with Walmart to sell the 7-inch tablet that HP will have built in China. It will be targeted at the back to school market and will be the second offering in the 7-inch space from the company.

NASCAR on the move-to NBC
NASCAR and broadcaster NBC have signed a multiyear, multi-billion dollar deal that will see the racing league move from its longtime homes of ESPN and Turner Sports, while Fox Sports will maintain its portion of the coverage.

The details of the deal have not been released but Sports Business Daily has said that it is estimated that the deal is 50% greater than the existing deal that was valued at $2.74 billion for 8 years. The new deal will start with the 2015 season.

Will 2022 World Cup move to November?
If you wondered why FIFA awarded the 2020 World Cup to Qatar, a nation that being in the desert tends to be very hot during the summer when the tournament is played you were not alone. Now FIFA appears to be rethinking its clever plan.

Increasingly reports are emerging that the governing body is looking to move the tournament to the fall or winter so that it does not have dozens of players falling from heat stroke. However this will have a huge impact on most of the major European leagues’ seasons so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Nate Silver to ESPN
Stats guru Nate Silver has just moved to ESPN, leaving the New York Times. Silver cut his teeth in sports prior to moving to the Times and developed PECOTA, something that most baseball fantasy players will be aware of.

Hopefully in his new role he can help bring realistic use of statistics to the World Wide Leader. Does anybody really follow its quarterback rating system and does anybody remember its ill-fated productive out stat? Here is an interesting look at some areas he has impacted in the past and could in the future.

Madison Square Garden to close in 10 years?
Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks’ home, is slated to close in 10 years as New York is looking to renovate Penn Station, the mass transit terminal upon which sits the sports arena. Currently Penn Station is the busiest transportation hub in the United States.

The news cannot come as good news to the team which has been in the midst of a 3-year renovation that, according to Yahoo, will cost an estimated $968 million. The team had been applying for a permanent permit for the arena.

Filed Under: Android, Basketball, ESPN, ESPN FC, FIFA, Fox Sports, Hewlett-Packard, NASCAR, NBA, Soccer, Tablets, The New York Times, Yahoo Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: FIFA World Cup Tiff and will Loon Fly?

June 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Microsoft is looking at educational institutions in an effort to jump start sales, or at least adoption, of its Surface RT tablets. According to BGR.com the company has started a policy of steep discounts to schools in an effort to push that platform’s acceptance.

How steep you ask? The tablet is available to schools and universities from now until August 31st starting at $199 for the 32GB model. Or you can go to the Microsoft store and buy the same model for $499. Such a deal.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 cheap in bundle deal
If you are in the market for both the LTE-capable version of the tablet and a smartphone then Samsung might have just what you need. It has teamed with AT&T to bundle its Galaxy Note 8 tablet for $199 when coupled with a new activation of select Samsung smartphones.

The tablet, normally $399, has Samsung technology designed to ensure its safe adoption in the business as well as the more traditional consumer friendly apps that are more commonly associated with tablets.

It is World Cup disqualifier time
At this time of year nations are putting their best foot forward in an attempt to qualify for next year’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil. Along the qualifying route there are always a few feel good stories about nations that qualify — this is not one of them.

FIFA has just launched an investigation into player eligibility regarding athletes on both the Ethiopian and Tunisian teams, both of which had just advanced to the final round of the African World Cup according to the BBC. Sanctions will be forfeiting the match that the players participated in, if found guilty.

Google up in the air with Loon
Google is seeking to deliver Wi-Fi connectivity to the large portion of the world that is currently without by using a series of high altitude balloons that will have the ability to bounce Internet signals to each other and support users on the ground.

The company will be releasing 30 balloons in all, all over New Zealand’s South Island in an effort called Project Loon. Each balloon will rise to the stratosphere and be controlled to stay in the same spot. The initial effort will only provide Internet access with speeds that approximate 3G to roughly 60 people.

Sony Xperia Z finds a home
Sony released the Xperia Z a few months ago but if you rushed down to the local consumer electronics store to sign up for the smartphone and start enjoying all that it has to give you would have come home upset because it was not initially supported by any of the carriers. Well that has all changed.

According to Slashgear, you will now be able to get your hands on one courtesy of your friends at T-Mobile. However before you head on down, no delivery date has yet been announced.

FCC provides peek at next-gen Nexus 7
The FCC, via TechRadar, has published what looks like the features of the next generation Google Nexus 7 tablet, which appears to be manufactured by Asus, with a 1080p display.

Other features will include 2GB of memory, a switch from an Nvidia processor to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro as well as a move to a 5 megapixel camera rather than the 1.5MP in the older edition. Also included will be NFC, LTE and wireless charging.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Android, Apps, BBC, FIFA, FTC, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Smartphone, Soccer, Sony, Surface, T-Mobile, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

U.S. Soccer Federation Delivers App and Digital Magazine

February 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

D6552CA33451415B8B0B2D934B79508F.ashx

If you are interested in tonight’s opening match of the Final Round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying that will have the U.S. team playing Honduras the U.S. Soccer Federation has just made it easier for you to stay abreast of the news.

The Federation has again expanded its digital presence, this time with a Facebook app as well as a new digital magazine called ‘Anthem’, with the first issue of the free publication now available online. The magazine is currently only available for iPad and iPhone users but an Android version is expected soon.

The interactive Facebook app, called Supporters XI, provides a different experience for users. They can select virtual lineups from Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster of 24 players, putting them in one of 10 different formations, and can share their lineups with their friends.

There are also other methods to follow the team including the ability to watch matches online, including today’s versus Honduras by heading to on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, or you can follow the conversation on Twitter at @ussoccer. If you are interested in images from the match, and ones from the past you can check out the team’s Instagram page.

Tonight’s US/Honduras match is one of three CONCACAF regional qualifying matches being played today, the others being Jamaica at Mexico and Costa Rica at Panama. The second set of group games is scheduled for March 22, when the U.S. Soccer team will host Costa Rica.

For this qualifying round, which will run through October, each team will play 10 matches with the top three earning automatic advances to next year’s World Cup and the fourth place team going to a home and away qualifier against the first place team from the Oceania Football Confederation with the winner advancing to the World Cup.

Filed Under: iOS Tagged With: , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Samsung News, New World Cup Mascot, Windows 8 Tablet Tidbits

September 21, 2012 by 6 Comments

World Cup 2014

Oddly I never think of an armadillo when I think of Brazil, yet in just a few years fans will be flocking to the country to watch the 2014 World Cup and no doubt will be inundated with images of the new World Cup mascot, an armadillo.

FIFA unveiled the mascot, which it has not yet completely ruined by giving it some cute name, Monday with the assistance of Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo. Don’t worry, they are unveiling its official name in November.

Twitch gets a $15 million investment for eSports broadcasting
Twitch.tv has received a $15 million investment that is intended to help the company expand its eSports live streaming capabilities. The money, which came from venture capital investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners, will be used to expand its engineering team.

This is the company’s third round of funding, bringing its total to $23 million, with the last being a $8 million round in 2007 when the company was known as justin.tv. It received a small seed funding in 2007.

Samsung strikes back at the iPhone
Samsung has said that it plans to add Apple’s just released iPhone 5 to its existing patent lawsuit that it has with its rival. The move has been expected as the company said that if Apple included LTE Samsung believed that the technology would likely violate its extensive patent holdings in that area.

Hopefully this will go better than Samsung’s Facebook campaign, where it asked which smartphone a user would like to have if stranded on a desert island. The Apple faithful flooded the site and voted for the iPhone.

However on a brighter note the company has landed a major deal with American Airlines that calls for the airline to equip 17,000 flight attendants with the Samsung Galaxy Note, according to CIO.

StubHub out Ticketmaster in for MLB?
A report from the New York Post is claiming that Ticketmaster is seeking to replace StubHub as the office site to resell your MLB tickets. According to the piece the deal between MLB and StubHub has expired and there is pressure from several teams to switch.

The reason for the switch is pretty obvious; you can get discounted tickets for top teams at StubHub, while Ticketmaster has a reputation of piling on charges and raising the price. Teams like the Yankees want their seats sold at a higher price.

Intel gets first marquee Atom smartphone user in Motorola
Motorola Mobility has unveiled its Razr I smartphone, its first that is powered by Intel’s 2GHz Atom Z2460 processor. The phone features a 4.3 inch display that can use its entire area, displaying images from border to border.

Among its other features are an 8 MP camera, the ability to start up in one second, NFC and the screen has a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. No pricing was announced at the rollout.

Anti-Japan protests lead to Intel Extreme Masters tournament cancellation in China
The latest round of the Intel Extreme Masters tournament was scheduled to take place in a few days in Guangzhou, China at the Anime Comics and Game Show has been canceled due to anti-Japanese protests, organizers have said.

The protests, sparked over a fight between Japan and China over a set of islands has led to the cancelation of a large number of Japanese vendors at the show.

More details on Surface Tablet from Microsoft
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer told the Seattle Times that company would be pricing the device in the same price range as Apple’s iPad rather than in the area that Amazon and Google are seeking to carve out at the low end.

This is not really a surprise since Amazon and Google are positioning their tablets as front end devices that will be used to purchase additional goods and services from the company, and are selling the tablets at cost. The range that Microsoft is looking at is from $300 to between $700-$800.

Leaked pricing on the pending Asus tablet, according to a report from ZDNet, is that it will be even pricier, coming in at $599, $799 and $1,299 depending on model and features. The most expensive is expected to have an 11.6 HD display.

Google asks ITC to ban wide array of Apple products
The International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate alleged patent violations by Apple based on charges brought by Google. Google is claiming that Apple is violated a number of patents that came to the company via its Motorola Mobility purchase. It is also asking the ITC to ban all Mac OS X computers, all iPads and most iPhones.

Microsoft wins a round in patent battles
Microsoft has earned a victory in its patent battle with Motorola in a lower regional German court that ruled that Motorola has infringed on a Microsoft patent that relates to text input. Motorola is expected to appeal in the case.

The ruling could result in both the banning of select Motorola smartphones as well as unspecified damages if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Filed Under: 4G LTE, Android, Apple, Asus, Baseball, Electronics Sports League, eSports, Facebook, FIFA, Galaxy Note, Intel, Intel Extreme Masters, iOS, Lawsuit, Major League Gaming, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, Smartphone, Soccer, Tablets, Venture Capital, Video Games Tagged With: , , , , , ,

New Rules for International Soccer- Video Replay included

July 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) held a special meeting yesterday and passed several decisions that will result in new rules for the game, with one of the decisions relating to goal line technology to review goals.

If anybody was watching the just concluded Euro 2012 they no doubt saw the Ukrainian team denied a goal against England, a goal that would have been allowed if technology had been in place to review the incident.

The new technology, which has been tested for the last nine months, will be slowly implemented after a unanimous vote and is now subject to installations in stadiums and a final quality check. The technology will only be used for goals and no other areas, such as diving.

However the issue of diving might be addressed by a second resolution that passed unanimously, that of adding two additional assistant referees to the game, following a two year experiment UEFA Champions League, Europa League and EURO 2012, as well as the AFC President’s Cup and competitions in Brazil, France, Morocco and Qatar.

The last resolution passed was the allowing of players to wear headscarves. This will be allowed temporarily and the composition, color and other features of the scarves will be decided later this year.

Filed Under: Euro 2012, FIFA, Soccer Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page