It has only come to my recent knowledge that ESPN Australia/New Zealand will not be showing any games from this season's Spanish La Liga having shown at least 2 games per round for the last 10 years or so.
This means that at this stage, Aussie and Kiwi football fans will miss out on watching three of the best footballers in the world in Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, who also took out the UEFA Player of the Year Award recently.
It also means that Aussie and Kiwi football fans will miss out on undoubtedly the biggest football derby in the world, the Super Classico when Ronaldo's Real Madrid and Messi's Barcelona take on each other twice a year.
Yes, Aussie and Kiwi fans should be able to watch the stars of Barcelona and Real Madrid when they play in the Champions League. And there is always SBS to bail Australia out when ESPN fails.
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| Last time TVNZ showed club football on TV was the 2010 FA Cup Final |
But what about us Kiwis? It is unlikely that TVNZ will bother to fill the void that Sky Sports (using the ESPN channel) has left even if Barcelona v Real Madrid is probably the premiere game right now of a football code that has seen a tremendous growth in popularity since the All Whites starred at the 2010 World Cup.
So really we're stuck with illegally watching El Derby via streaming internet - and contravening New Zealand's latest illegal download law.
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| Kim Dotcom - NZ football's saviour? |
And let's not forget that most of the Spanish team that has won the last 3 major tournaments, i.e. EURO 2008 and 2012, and the 2010 World Cup, bar Fernando Torres, Juan Mata and David Silva play in La Liga.
While the Premier League has become the number 1 league to follow in the world, La Liga still thumps the Premier League in terms of technical ability. Another reason why the Spanish team is awesome - surely their league can't be that bad too.
A Facebook page has been started to Get Sky Sports NZ to Show La Liga. If you are a true football fan, like the page now and let's have our voices heard by the powers-to-be in broadcasting. Even if it's a weekly highlights package, it's better than nothing - and it can't be that hard to get the Real Madrid v Barcelona game twice a season.
The link is here: http://www.facebook.com/LaLigaonSSNZNow
P/S Sky Sports, if you're really the home of football in NZ, you know what to do.
Shame Kiwis aren't able to watch La Liga on sky.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I have to say that as a big football fan myself, I rarely find myself watching it anyway unless it's a 'Classico'.
The Spanish authorities have ruined the competitiveness of the league with the way TV rights are dished out.
You used to think an Athletico or Valencia had a chance if they played well, but realistically from now on it will always be Barca or Madrid.
EPL is by far the best product. I would then go against the grain and say the Bundesliga. It may not have the best technical players, but the style, atmosphere etc make it very watchable.
Phil... I dont know how you consider your self a big football fan, if you are not watching by far the best football competition, results talk by them selves, with spain winning, as this blog said, the last 3 major events, and you said athletico cant play well? when they just trash Chelasea 4-0 in the Supercup... I think for people like you we are you we are loosing the possibility to watch the best football leage, probably in the history of this sport... this is absolutely unacceptable... this is a big pushing for internet streaming and possibly the beginning of the end of pay TV. Im a Sky subscriber and seriously considering to stop it... is a waist of money without the mayor world sports...
DeleteThanks for this initiative... come on people let Sky know our thoughts...
ReplyDeleteI agree guys. We should get to watch world's best soccer. What a waste of time and money with SKY. Thinking of unsubscribing SKY soon. Does anyone know how else we can view La Liga in NZ?
ReplyDeleteI have just moved to NZ and it is quite disappointing to know that there is no way to watch the best football league on TV. I guess the only way to watch the spanish league is on stream: http://www.rojadirecta.me/
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion it's not the best league at all but Barca v Real is the best fixture in world football with two of the greatest players ever. And it's not like the talent stops with Messi and Ronaldo, both teams are stacked with extraordinary players that would get in top teams anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteAt the minimum just show us El Classico, whether you support the EPL like myself or La Liga, there is no doubt Barca v Madrid has been the top fixture over the past 5yrs minimum.