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View Full Version : Why Is Mls Matchday Not Available Outside Of N.a.?????



James17930
03-25-2010, 09:49 PM
I'm extremely, extremely pissed off. For the last two years I've purchased Match Center and watched all the TFC games on my computer. But now, with this new shitty site, it's telling me that Match Day is only available in Canada and the U.S.

WTF is going on here? Why was that decision made? Why would this change?

How do they expect to grow the league if they make stupid, limiting decisions like this?

I would have gladly given them my money for the ability to watch TFC games with a good quality stream, but now I'm going to have to watch them all illegally instead.

Can anyone tell me why this change has been made???

JDG
03-25-2010, 09:58 PM
That really sucks James. I really despise these sorts of limitations.

James17930
03-25-2010, 10:25 PM
Thanks.

Hey, do you know -- are there still torrents available of the games afterward? I remember in Year 1 people made torrents of the games, but I'm wondering if they still do?

DichioTFC
03-25-2010, 10:30 PM
i'm pretty sure they did this to prevent online streams from popping up online, preventing cable providers from getting commercial revenue (i, like many others, would prefer to watch it on the background of my tv while i'm doing work as opposed to sitting in front of the tv).

that being said, online streams of TFC games tend to be posted here: atdhe.net

(yes, the irony is clear to me :D)

James17930
03-25-2010, 10:42 PM
i'm pretty sure they did this to prevent online streams from popping up online, preventing cable providers from getting commercial revenue (i, like many others, would prefer to watch it on the background of my tv while i'm doing work as opposed to sitting in front of the tv).

that being said, online streams of TFC games tend to be posted here: atdhe.net

(yes, the irony is clear to me :D)

I know, but the problem for me is the time difference. Most TFC games are at 4:00 pm EST, which for me is either 4 or 5 a.m. With the old MatchCenter, I could download and watch the stream whenever I wanted. Now, I'd either have to pull an all-nighter or get up really early, neither of which is overaly palatable.

DichioTFC
03-25-2010, 10:45 PM
have you tried contacting them directly?

Dunkers
03-25-2010, 11:59 PM
http://www.surfbouncer.com/index.htm

will cost 70 bucks for the season, but the personal VPN should allow you to access match center, you might be able to find a cheaper one elsewhere tho

troy1982
03-26-2010, 12:22 AM
It's because MLS sold it's international rights at the very end of 2008 for a $10+ Million.

"Soccer United Marketing and ESPN have sold international broadcast rights for all Major League Soccer games to MP & Silva in an eight-figure agreement that extends through 2013.............."

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61013

James17930
03-26-2010, 12:40 AM
It's because MLS sold it's international rights at the very end of 2008 for a $10+ Million.

"Soccer United Marketing and ESPN have sold international broadcast rights for all Major League Soccer games to MP & Silva in an eight-figure agreement that extends through 2013.............."

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61013

I suspected it might be something like this.

Problem is -- I really doubt ESPN Asia (out of Singapore) is really going to bother picking up the games. And even if they do, they'll still be on at 4 or 5 am.

And I don't know if I want to pay $70.

Super
03-26-2010, 12:57 AM
This really blows. I had a similar problem with Danish TV (I really just wanted highlights from games) - until they launched a paid solution.

No doubt you should be able to find the games online. If not, then perhaps it may be worth your while to look into a proxy solution. Not entirely sure how this works, but I believe it fools any web site you visit into thinking you're physically located in North America. That would fix your problem.

DichioTFC
03-26-2010, 01:00 AM
This really blows. I had a similar problem with Danish TV (I really just wanted highlights from games) - until they launched a paid solution.

No doubt you should be able to find the games online. If not, then perhaps it may be worth your while to look into a proxy solution. Not entirely sure how this works, but I believe it fools any web site you visit into thinking you're physically located in North America. That would fix your problem.

www.proxy.org

problem solved.

James17930
03-26-2010, 01:45 AM
www.proxy.org (http://www.proxy.org)

problem solved.

Maybe -- except will a proxy trick it well enough to let me register a Taiwanese credit card and download the archived stream?

And do they even have archived streams any more??

Not sure.

Auzzy
03-26-2010, 08:10 AM
This is definitely crap. I was planning to watch about four games from Europe this summer. Might have to cancel the trip ;)

akoto
03-26-2010, 08:49 AM
You can try hotspot shield. It's a free VPN program. Not the fastest connection and it adds a banner ad at the top of each page (which you can close) but I'm able to watch hulu with it and I'm pretty sure it would work for this use as well.

www.hotspotshield.com (http://www.hotspotshield.com)