England v. Ukraine World Cup qualifier will be online-only
October 5, 2009
The collapse of a major sports TV provider and bureaucratic infighting have pushed the upcoming weekend's international soccer match between England and Ukraine onto the internet.
The match's move to online-only began with the bankruptcy and closure of Setanta, a European telecom company that had previously purchased the rights to certain English soccer matches, as well as internationals like the one in question. With Setanta unable to televise the match, the agency nominated by the Ukrainian soccer federation chose online sportscaster Perform to take the UK rights to the game.
Fans already unhappy with the limited availability of matches televised by Setanta - the company's pricing system was similar to the pay-per-view that U.S. boxing and pro wrestling have instituted - are though to be widely opposed to the cybercast of as important a game as the one between England and Ukraine.
The move to online-only does constitute a breakthrough, as the first major international soccer game to be transmitted solely over the internet. England have qualified for the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, and the Ukrainians need a win to capture the second group qualifying position.
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