world cup local broadcast/sched

[artpogi]

anybody here know the match schedules (local times) for the World Cup 2010?

Also who's gonna broadcast the matches? NBN Channel 4?

Thanks very much

[chua_riwap]

It's available at Balls Channel....Skycable.

[chua_riwap]

For me, mas exciting pa rin ang NBA Finals.......




http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...t-except-in-RP

Soccer Fever Sweeps Planet, Except RP


MANILA, Philippines — Almost everywhere on the planet, people on Friday were stocking up on beer and food and readying themselves for long hours in front of the television set as football’s World Cup mania hit fever-pitch with the opening matches in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Everywhere, that is, except in the Philippines, where people were still discussing the Boston Celtics’ series-knotting victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. (See related story on Page A20.)

“We are not a football country,” former national player and coach Norman Fegidero told the Inquirer when asked why the World Cup—described as the most-watched sporting event on Earth—has generated little interest in this corner of the world.

And that dearth of interest is worth looking into, especially since the World Cup, more than the Olympics, commands significantly greater following in all six continents.

According to the Fifa (French acronym for Federation Internationale de Football Association), the World Cup four years ago in Germany drew a cumulative TV audience of 26 billion people over 31 days. The finals between Italy and France alone drew 715 million.

The 17-day 2008 Beijing Olympics lured a cumulative 4.7 billion viewers.

Big numbers. But they hardly matter to a country more obsessed with the fact that Glen “Big Baby” Davis scored half of his 18 points and led Boston’s reserve crew in the crucial fourth quarter as the Celtics upended the Los Angeles Laker, 96-89, in Game 4.

Why football rates low

Fegidero said the continued failure of the Philippines to compete in major tournaments abroad had been the main reason football had not picked up here.

“We’re nowhere near the level of the world’s best teams, even in Asia, which is considered a weak continent in football,” he explained.

The Philippines has never qualified for the World Cup since 1930, when the quadrennial meet began.

This year, the country was only one of four countries that did not even bother to join the qualifying series for the tournament. The other three were Bhutan, Brunei and Laos.

“We don’t have the programs that can produce good players who can compete internationally,” Fegidero said. “We lack participation in international tournaments and local leagues.”

There are, however, pockets of interest hereabouts.

Signs of hope

In 2006, a Makati sports bar was filled until the wee hours of the morning to watch Italy defeat France on penalties to hoist the World Cup. After the victory of the Azzurri, marked by the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt on Italian Marco Materrazi, hundreds of Italy fans celebrated on Makati Avenue, blaring their car horns.

This year, a popular flip-flop brand has revived its World Cup line and a fastfood chain is giving away World Cup-themed glasses as part of its promos, proof that football is slowly picking up followers in the country.

A local cable company will also air all 64 games “live,” unlike four years ago when viewers could only watch the games on a pay-per-view basis.

“With our broadcast, we hope that the sport gets the momentum it needs to develop further in the country,” Balls channel head Jojo Estacio said in a recent press conference.

$100-M broadcast rights

Estacio declined to say how much the channel spent to gain the exclusive broadcast rights for the event in the Philippines. In some countries, like Singapore, Fifa reportedly demanded $100 million to air World Cup matches.

The Inquirer has fielded questions from callers who want to know where to catch the games “live” on cable TV.

Bar and restaurant owners also see the World Cup as a boon to their businesses.

Randy Musters, who manages Heckle and Jeckle in a crowded bar district along Makati Avenue, said their World Cup viewing parties draw huge crowds.

But Musters, a Dutch-Indonesian, who has lived in the country the past four years, was quick to note that most of their viewers are expatriates who follow their respective countries’ fortunes in the tournament.

A love that wouldn’t die

For the majority of Filipinos, the love affair with basketball’s field goal-per-minute pace is just too difficult to ignore.

“I’m not really interested in the World Cup,” said Ireneo Plana Jr., 30, a utility worker in Pasay City. “I know it’s popular in other countries but I’m happy watching the NBA finals because I’m already used to it. Football is boring. They (football players) don’t score often.”

[Negus]

:rofl:

[frenchtower]

Team USA just got lucky. UK needs to replace their goalie

[Jun aka Pekto]

Team USA just got lucky. UK needs to replace their goalie

Hey, I'm happy the US is in the World Cup at all. There are a lot of other countries who aren't.

Every game the US don't lose is something to cheer about. Every game the US does win always looked like luck. I mean, they suck for most of the game and then they suddenly score. Then, they suck again and barely hold on for the win. That's good enough for me though.