Looking for a 'legit' pay-service website that streams soccer games from top European leagues.

July 18, 2011 10:46 AM

Looking for a 'legit' pay-service website that streams soccer games from top European leagues.

Hey there,

I'm looking for a 'legit' pay-service website that streams soccer games from top European leagues. I realize that Sopcast and other programs offer free streams from various different countries but I'd really like a more official and a proven website that offers decent video streams via web links.

Thanks!

posted by bostonhill to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Good luck with that. The right to show football games for top European leagues is one of the most hotly contested and debated status markers for sports TV channels right now. Entire cable companies base their packages on which leagues they've got. As far as I know, what you're looking for doesn't exist, and likely won't for quite some time.
posted by valkyryn at 10:54 AM on July 18, 2011

Most teams in top European leagues control (and charge handsomely for) their own internet streaming video rights - I know that's the case in both England and Spain. So in the near term, anyway, you won't find what you're looking for unless you're just looking for it for one team, in which case you'd go to that team's website and sign up.
posted by pdb at 11:05 AM on July 18, 2011

Fox Soccer: "Watch over 700 live games in 2010-11 from Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Serie A and world class rugby exclusively live on FoxSoccer.tv."

Haven't signed up myself, so I can't vouch for the quality of the service.
posted by Otis at 11:41 AM on July 18, 2011

ESPN3 carries a lot of European soccer games, if your cable provider happens to be one they work with. Check their website and see. If you have an Xbox 360, you can even stream them to that and it's quite nice. My current provider isn't one of the ones they work with, but I remember watching some Bundesliga and some French and Italian leagues on there.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 11:46 AM on July 18, 2011

foxsoccer.tv is your best bet for legit services. ESPN3 also offers some games (and streams to Xbox!) live via streaming if your cable company allows it.

I used foxsoccer last season and it was just okay. It did crap out on me several times which resulted in angry emails and promises to do better this season. They claim to be rolling out an iPad app, which would be nice, as I tended to watch on that device.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:46 AM on July 18, 2011

Any good options for La Liga viewing in North America without cable?
posted by MiG at 11:48 AM on July 18, 2011

We've got back and forth with Fox Soccer Plus and Satanta Sports. Neither carry all the games we want.

So we do two things:
1) download torrents from uknova.com
2) use the service "ExPat Surfer" to stream from the BBC, Channel 4 and iTV players (gives us a uk ip address so we have access to their content)

These are all UK-centric options, but it gives my husband everything he wants in soccer content.

Memail me if you have questions!
posted by guster4lovers at 9:21 PM on July 18, 2011