The match will also be shown live on 9Gem at 4.30am AEST on Thursday.
https://twitter.com/StanSportFC/status/1528646916627746816
It will also be shown on 9Gem at 4.30am AEST this Sunday, May 29.
Stan Sport will have exclusive coverage of UEFA Conference League final this Thursday (May 26).
https://twitter.com/StanSportFC/status/1527831547029725185
Not much has been posted here on Stan’s UEFA coverage, so with the UCL final wrapping up this morning which was also on 9Gem (which didn’t end well on my end ), here’s a summary of how I think they went…
Briefly on this morning, Stan cut away from the world feed commentator (who was Tony Jones, and before anyone asks, no relation!) as he had somehow managed to lose his voice. How UEFA let Tony go to air worldwide is pretty abysmal, really. They ended up taking commentary from BT Sport with Darren Fletcher on play-by-play. Credit to them for switching to an alternative feed quickly! Kick-off was delayed by half an hour due to some shambolic crowd organisation (reports that three gates suddenly shut on Liverpool fans, leaving only one entry for them to get into the Stade de France). Semra Hunter (who presents on La Liga TV, who aren’t great I have to say) was reporting that Liverpool fans were trying to force their way in, which social media video has so far disproven. Not surprisingly, she’s came under deserved fire for that online (and the other presenters seemed to pour cold water on that rumour).
Anyways, I thought Stan did a pretty decent job throughout. Production values were definitely a step above what Optus Sport provided, and their presenter lineup was really strong, with Craig Foster and Mark Bosnich providing solid analysis throughout the season with the touchscreen. The picture quality of the streams has been a particular standout, especially with 4K, something that Optus is badly lagging behind in, and need to improve on since they have the EPL for the next six seasons.
I haven’t seen much of their magazine shows, so there’s not much I can say; although Stan Sport FC does give me some old school The World Game vibes. Meanwhile, let’s just say Two Up Top with Max Rushden and Ed Kavalee is a bit of an acquired taste…
It obviously hasn’t been a 100% hit with fans though, with Stan Sport pricing being the main cause for complaint. It’s something that won’t change unless Stan has a re-think of their pricing structure, and I can’t see much changing there. I’d also like to see Nine show a few more games on 9Gem or even the main channel like they should have done for this morning (on that note, I did have a chuckle at Max’s cheeky digs at the 9Gem viewers when they were in commercial!).
Overall, it was a pretty impressive first season by them. It’s a pity they haven’t managed to get any other major competitions, even if it’s something like the FA Cup or any of the EFL leagues. I know I’d much rather watch the FA Cup on Stan’s platform than the mess that is Paramount+, not to mention that it would be a better value proposition for football fans.
(I’ll try and get some screenshots of their coverage when I get back home since the Stan app doesn’t allow screenshots!)
Would have thought someone like Peter Drury may have been involved on the world feed.
He was doing the UECL final apparently.
that’s what I meant…
So he was unavailable due to being in Albania. I agree, he is the best going around so it’s strange he was relegated to that competition.
Ohhh the conference league final. Apologies - yeah I saw he did that but it was three days prior.
He’s been calling UCL games for CBS alongside Jim Beglin, so strange he wasn’t used anywhere. Martin Tyler has called games this year, and likewise the BBC’s Guy Moubray (who called last years final I believe), so some odd decisions being made by UEFA…
What is he doing in Albania?!
The Conference League final. I wrote that when I thought it was played the ‘night before’ the UCL final.
Ah, fair enough. For what it’s worth, I wonder if he was just calling off-tube from a studio in London anyways?
We have very different opinions on Foster and Bosnich. IMO they were terrible and I think Optus coverage was far superior. I am pleased that so far Stan Sport hasn’t got hold of any other football! I have no problems with Paramount+ coverage of the ALeague or the FA cup. Their ALeague panel look so much better than Foster and Bosnich standing in front of a screen looking like they wandered into the studio of the street!
Stan Sport’s coverage of 2022-23 UEFA Champions League begins with the first leg of play-off round this week. It will stream two matches live: Rangers v PSV Eindhoven at 4.55am AEST on Wednesday, and Dynamo Kyiv v Benfica at 4.55am AEST Thursday. The return legs are next Wednesday (Benfica v Dynamo Kyiv) and Thursday (PSV Eindhoven v Rangers).
Stan Sport will also stream the 2022-23 UEFA Conference League play-off between Viborg and West Ham this Friday (August 19) at 4.55am AEST and next Friday (August 26) at 2.55am AEST.
The group draw for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League was held last night. Liverpool will face Rangers in group A. Group stage matches start on September 6 (September 7 Australian time) with selected matches available in 4K.
They really need to pick up their game when it comes to highlights and uploading them onto YouTube. Optus has them within an hour (at an absolute most). Some 3-4 hours later and I’m now watching highlights on some random highlights channel. And they must deliberately make the cuts and editing bad on their highlights I’m sure.
The semi-final match-ups
UPDATED 11/4
Just announced now at half time of the Real Madrid v Manchester City semi-final that Stan Sport have retained the rights to the UEFA Champions League (assuming this also includes Europa League and Conference League matches) until 2027.
A longer extension than I thought they would’ve gone for, which seems to suggest confidence in the results they’re getting.
And maybe, just maybe a sign that they might give Premier League rights another crack when they come up for grabs in 2028?
Their current deal would cover 2023-24, so it sounds like it’s the usual 3 year extension.