Sophon Supersport 3

[Sanook77]

I'm staying in Jomtien for a bit, and last week had Supersport 3 on my TV, which shows the EPL games at the weekend. Could anyone please confirm if it's still here, as mine appears to have gone. I've re-scanned the TV but it's definitely not there.

Thanks.

[RabC]

It is still there (just about)but the reception has been really bad all afternoon.

[lalana]

I'm staying in Jomtien for a bit, and last week had Supersport 3 on my TV, which shows the EPL games at the weekend. Could anyone please confirm if it's still here, as mine appears to have gone. I've re-scanned the TV but it's definitely not there.

Thanks.

Yep, that is true, it is now Supersport "6". If you are not acclimatised already, I suggest you get used to this kind of shenanigans

and total unprofessionalism from Sophon. In the time that I have been familiar with this Cable company (8 years) it is totally

in synch with the crap they pull all the time.

It might return to Channel 3 at some stage or just stay at Channel 6 for a long long time...........who knows,don't count anything out!!

The Premiership football on Sophon this year is the first time it has been on Sophon for a long number of years (since about 2002), so

in fact don't be surprised if it possibly disappears off the screens altogether!!

Last night as you rightly point out we had channel 6 and no English football. At about 11.30pm there was Formula 1 on the Channel and

then..........BAM...........it changed over to Spanish La Liga Football and showed the 2nd half only of the Real Madrid game and the whole

of the Barcelona. I was happy to see the footie from Spain but the main moral of the events are that nothing is "definite/reliable" with

them and it can change at any time. You could go down to the Sophon office which is located at the Pattaya Klang Intersection and ask

them about the reason for the cessation of Live Premiership coverage after having a few joyous weeks of coverage and whether or not it

will come back.........maybe you may get a semi-intelligible synopsis,who knows. I might go myself!!

If you are in Jomtien,than SHENANIGANS is a good place to watch the football.I went there last night to watch the football, and they have

about 6/7 screens and a couple of games on simultaneously. I "HAD" been enjoying, as you were, the Premiership coverage on Sophon via

Supersport, but who knows what will happen there. I often wonder if some young bloke in the control office just flicked a button for fun and changed the Supersport Channel option,therefore they don't have a clue.......or if there is/was some grand master-plan to it all and they get a perverse kick out of playing around with the channels........who knows...............

[lalana]

It is still there (just about)but the reception has been really bad all afternoon.

wow....okay!! because right now (6:20pm Thai time) I am looking at Supersport 6 and Supersport 2...............both of which are

showing cricket . Last night it was Supersport "6" at 9pm as the OP stated,.. and hence there was no Premiership because Supersport 3

has been taken off.........

[RabC]

Sorry should check my facts first but due to the crappy signal all I could see was that it was a supersport channel and not which particular one. Apologies

[syd barrett]

The EPL seems to have gone. It was too good to last; 3 games on Sat. and Sun. then Mon and Tue.

Now just golf and cricket.

Hope this helps.

[Sanook77]

Thanks for the replies. Such a shame, I do hope they bring it back.

[janalisa]

rent or buy my house in Bang Saray and you can enjoy supersport 3 every day on Bang Saray cable TV,if I want to see cycling on lets say supersport 5,I call them and they change it for me.

[dsfbrit]

I often wonder if some young bloke in the control office just flicked a button for fun and changed the Supersport Channel option,therefore they don't have a clue.......or if there is/was some grand master-plan to it all and they get a perverse kick out of playing around with the channels........who knows...............

I have Sophon and wondered where Supersport 3 had gone. As part of my investigation I asked the following on the Thai Visa Internet Thread moderated by Crossy.

'Is the Supersport 3 channel on Sophon (and also Banglamung TV) illegal?'

Crossy Replied as follows, so the Sophon feed is dodgy to say the least and unlikely to return if UBC has anything to do with it:-

"Yes it is. As is any channel broadcasting EPL games live, as UBC (truevisions) pays through their nose to have the sole rights for them in Thailand.

Same story for F1. Starsports has the rights for most of Asia, and tries to re-coup some of their costs through commercials. Which is why people prefer the Supersport coverage as it is commercial free!"

Edited October 1, 2009 by dsfbrit

[mr.buffalo]

I have sophon cable in the condo I rent. Where or what publication advises what movies are shown each afternoon and night. I have just watched a good cowboy movie tonight by channel hopping, so I would like to know beforhand what is showing.

[lalana]

I often wonder if some young bloke in the control office just flicked a button for fun and changed the Supersport Channel option,therefore they don't have a clue.......or if there is/was some grand master-plan to it all and they get a perverse kick out of playing around with the channels........who knows...............

I have Sophon and wondered where Supersport 3 had gone. As part of my investigation I asked the following on the Thai Visa Internet Thread moderated by Crossy.

'Is the Supersport 3 channel on Sophon (and also Banglamung TV) illegal?'

Crossy Replied as follows, so the Sophon feed is dodgy to say the least and unlikely to return if UBC has anything to do with it:-

"Yes it is. As is any channel broadcasting EPL games live, as UBC (truevisions) pays through their nose to have the sole rights for them in Thailand.

Same story for F1. Starsports has the rights for most of Asia, and tries to re-coup some of their costs through commercials. Which is why people prefer the Supersport coverage as it is commercial free!"

Of course it is illegal.......100% By the way,it is 03:50 right now and Sophon is showing the Fulham versus FC Basel game on

Supersport 3 ...........so it is back. But not for long I suspect, it will be changed over again soon enough once the game finishes.

As I said before, this degree of mucking-around is what I have come to expect fom Sophon.

The Supersport on Sophon is 'South Afican" Supersport and infact the ICC cricket a couple of days ago was offline and not showing

...there was a message on the screen with words to the effect that if you are seeing this message then the channel is being "pirated"

and it is illegal....hahaha!!

There is a company called "JSAT" and they also advertise weekly in the Pattaya Mail.....who do Satellite installations which give all the

Supersport channels,the South African ones. My next door neighbour has had it for over 2 years and it has been good for him. It is

necessary to have an internet modem/router for the service and it goes without saying..it is illegal also. I think the odds that JSAT would be paying South African Supersport a large fee would be as likely as all Bar-girls leaving Pattaya tomorrow .

By the way,the fact that I am now looking at Supersport 3 (though I guess not for long) goes to show that that they(Sophon) could

just leave it on this channel permanently if they really wanted to......but for many reasons just don't !! ..............don't forget that

UBC and SOPHON have, let's just say....a close-link. I am of couse fully aware that the UBC "footie/Supersport" is a legal and

kosher one which doesn't come cheap. Just as I am aware that the "Sophon/South African Supersport footie" is illegally pirated.

Because of the link in ownership that UBC/Sophon has..........may I be so bold as to suggest an intelligent and cunning business move

that these people "may" have thought of..........which is, "give the audience a tempting taster of Premiership footie on Sophon for

free, for a couple of weeks,wet the appeteite, then take it away, and see if the hunger ceated can result in some new UBC

membership-joiners?????"

This,to be honest,is just an intelligent guess, not fact.....but these are smart business people and I certainly wouldn't put it beyond their

imaginative-ability,it would I think be a distinct possibility.

Don't forget though that South African Supersport footie coverage is (for the foreigner) superior to the UBC version. On UBC,unlike last

year, they now have half time analysis in Thai language by Thai pesenters. I would much rather hear from "Gary Bailey" and all the other

crew on South African Supersport .

Think of many of the "International" Pubs around town.......many of them Have South African Supersport .

2 years ago I had a very "interesting" conversation with the manager and part-owner of "JAMESONS" Irish Pub, Kim Fletcher, about this

whole area of "South Africa/UBC/Supersport/Legal versus Illegal etc etc" issue. mmmmmm.....

Edited October 1, 2009 by lalana

[dsfbrit]

I was looking into the other 'methods' to get the Premier League after I cancelled the dreadfully expensive and reducing service UBC package I had. I have a 10 foot dish in the garden and of all the methods - repairing this, pointing it in the right direction and paying for the Internet connection to get the codes was the 'best' method.

I decided not to bother when I realised that Sophon, which we had already for my wifes soaps, was showing Supersport 3. I am still a bit naive at times and forget that in LOS if its too good to be true - then it probably is illegal

The Jsat method was quite expensive, I was quoted 60000 baht for the card for just 1 year!

Even an unofficial card was being touted for 20000 baht, and I was told there would be no guarantee it would work even a day after it was sold.

I dont really know why I bother, I am a Forest supporter, so the Premier League is not of that much interest to me anyway

[lalana]

I was looking into the other 'methods' to get the Premier League after I cancelled the dreadfully expensive and reducing service UBC package I had. I have a 10 foot dish in the garden and of all the methods - repairing this, pointing it in the right direction and paying for the Internet connection to get the codes was the 'best' method.

I decided not to bother when I realised that Sophon, which we had already for my wifes soaps, was showing Supersport 3. I am still a bit naive at times and forget that in LOS if its too good to be true - then it probably is illegal

The Jsat method was quite expensive, I was quoted 60000 baht for the card for just 1 year!

Even an unofficial card was being touted for 20000 baht, and I was told there would be no guarantee it would work even a day after it was sold.

I dont really know why I bother, I am a Forest supporter, so the Premier League is not of that much interest to me anyway

Here is the latest Sophon Supersports update It is right now Friday 2nd and 23:50 and I was watching the Golf on Supersports 6.......

(quite enjoying it actually) but it has just been changed instantly to Supersports 3 again (Football- KOREA versus USA) ....and will,

I would imagine, be likely to change over again at a moments notice, who knows.

Be under no mistake, Sophon have ALL of these "South African Supersports" channels ALL of the time.

I paid my monthly fee today at the office and spoke to the girl in the office (last table on the right as you walk in, I forget her name).

I have been living too long in Thailand to go in to the office with a scowl and with a complaining manner(that would get me nowhere).

I merely smiled in a friendly way and enquired (in Thai language) that it would be better perhaps for the customers of Sophon, if the

Supersports channel (specifically Supersports 3/6) had a "reliable" service whereby it was not changed all the time. I said that a vast

majority of the clientele would love to see 'SUPERSPORTS 3" being tuned in ALL THE TIME. That it would be great,thankyou very much.

(or indeed SS6 tuned in all the time). Sound logic based on the fact that Supesports "2" NEVER CHANGES and you can rely on THAT one??

I made a short,understandable comment, that we both know that Sophon COULD do this if they wanted and gently prodded for a

reply on whether 'SS3" could be left on all the time?????

What I got was fully expected, a polite smiling reply but a suitably vague answer that basically the SS3 can/will change to SS6 at any

time and vice versa.I left it at that. I could have course gently mentioned the OBVIOUS........that this "unpredictable/at will" changing

of the channels was not a logical or fair way to run a cable-TV-povider service.........but,well,to ask for a "consistency" in service from

Sophon is a request-too-far,I fear.

FINALLY.....to the bloke who got the very expensive quote from JSAT......wow,sorry to hear that. I am not sure,but am guessing that

perhaps that you made the enquiry yourself(as a foreigner in English language possibly?). I am sure that a discreet enquiry as to the options/fees in Thai language from a Thai national may bring a different response... ...it gives me no pleasure to say that, but unfortunately in Thailand we all know about the pricing system/racist policy . As said,I have 2 neighbours no more than 200 metres from me who have JSAT

(one ENGLISH and one GERMAN bloke) who paid (I think) certainly no more than 30-35,000 baht. One thing these blokes have showed me

is that you have to "realistically" factor in about "1000-2500" baht per year after your supposed "one-time-only" payment because the

digital decoder codes change occasionally and JSAT claim not to be responsible for this and charge a small'ish fee for the new codes.

Not an "entirely" acceptable situation, but not too bad I suppose,... and my two neighbours have had this service now for a couple of

years and love it !!!!!!!!!!

JSAT is possibly a viable and "workable" alternative to UBC.....(I am not 100% sure)......but my direct experience with my neighbours is that

it has been okay for them .......and a pub like "JAMESON'S IRISH PUB" in Pattaya has had the "South African" Supersports for a couple

of years now and the signal is consistent !!

Ciao

Edited October 2, 2009 by lalana

[dsfbrit]

Nice try lalana, but its 10.30 pm Saturday and no S3 I am afraid. I am listening to Forest play the mighty Peterborough - Forest are winning 2-1.

To be honest, until Forest get back into the Premiership - I am not sure I am that bothered. I could have a long wait

Edited October 3, 2009 by dsfbrit

[syd barrett]

Is there any way we can swap FOX news back to CNN?

The Al Jizzera is O.K. which was a surprise, BBC World couldn't make news more boring if they tried.

The Sports channels seem to be locked on Supersport 6, I knew the EPL freebies were too good to last.

[dsfbrit]

Fox news is much better as it deals with news in the US of A in detail. The trouble with CNN is that it has the USA version with Nancy Grace etc... then they have the 'sanitized' international version - which is as boring as BBC World news.

The CNN USA version cannot show the adverts so seems to spend most of its time with the weather screen showing.

At least Fox has those general news items in place of adverts.

As for EPL being shown - I fully agree. Whats realy frustrating for me - is that I told a couple of friends how good the EPL coverage was - so they got Banglamung TV installed. I suppose that was always the plan - have EPL for a few weeks - suck in some mugs like me - then cut it off. Oh well - at least my friends like the motor racing - and errrr Fox News - another reason to keep it