Soccer Saturday Broadcast On Four Channels; Live Championship Football On None

[Futureal]

That's right - if you want to watch other people watching today's 3pm Championship matches, you have 4 channels to choose from (assuming you have the complete Sports pack), with one of them in 4K HDR. If you want to watch one of the multiple Championship games being played, your only option is the red button on Sky Sports Football, where you are greeted with horrendous picture quality.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Is it a broadcast rights issue or something? 

[Anonymous]

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@Futureal wrote:

That's right - if you want to watch other people watching today's 3pm Championship matches, you have 4 channels to choose from (assuming you have the complete Sports pack), with one of them in 4K HDR. If you want to watch one of the multiple Championship games being played, your only option is the red button on Sky Sports Football, where you are greeted with horrendous picture quality.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Is it a broadcast rights issue or something? 

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If we think of Sky Sport Main Event SD/HD/UHD as one channel, as this is what it is, just in different definitions. 

Sky Sports Main Event is like a showcase channel, showing a showcase of Sky Sports channels. Similar to how Sky Showcase shows a complete mix of Sky's entertainment, documentaries and news channels, and sometimes programmes from Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. 

Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports News are showing Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday: Live. So technically it's only on three channels.

I suspect Soccer Saturday moved from Sky Showcase to Sky Sports News, so those who do not have the Sky Sports pack still can watch it. This is to avoid complaints. 

As to why it's on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football, I know that the EPG for commercial premises is slightly different, so it's possible Sky just waned it as high in the EPG as possible (excluding Sky Sports Main Event).

As to the Sports Active (red button) broadcasting it, this may be due for international broadcasts outside the UK & Ireland. 

This is all just speculation though and my best guess. 

[Daniel0210]

@Futureal 

I thought it was still the case that Saturday 3pm kick offs were not able to be broadcast in full. They do appear to be showing goals and key events on Soccer Saturday though. That'll do me. Just need Jeff back. 

[xenon81]

That's correct, Saturday 3pm kicks offs can't be shown in the UK. The 'blackout' is from 15:00-17:15.

[Futureal]

Thank you for the replies. I did wonder if the red button broadcasts was due to blackout restrictions but I still don't think it's too much to ask to at least get a good quality broadcast. The midweek red button Championship games I've watched in the past have been at least close to HD quality. 

[oj01]

It did seem odd that some of today's 3pm kick offs were available to view, albeit via the Red Button, given the blackout rules.

@Futureal Do you have Sky Q or Sky+HD?

With Q the picture should be in HD delivered via the internet.

With Sky+ it will be in SD. 

[TimmyBGood]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/12/efl-will-consider-lifting-saturday-3pm-blackout-in-... 

[d2h]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/12/efl-will-consider-lifting-saturday-3pm-blackout-in-... 

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Widely misreported. There will be no discussion until the AGM after the season has concluded. The EFL have asked for interest and ideas on all ways of broadcasting. If interested parties can provide a detailed description of their proposals, including the broadcasting of all matches, it will be considered but would only be implemented upon member clubs agreeing. 

The recent broadcast of 3pm matches is not linked and was always intended while the World Cup was being played.