Ubc Plans Soccer Avalanche With 1,000-plus Matches

[george]

UBC plans soccer avalanche with 1,000-plus matches

BANGKOK: -- Hoping to score more subscribers, cable operator United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) has promised to broadcast more than 1,000 matches from seven major football leagues and cup competitions this coming season.

Ong-ard Prapakamol, UBC’s director of marketing and sales, said UBC’s six sport channels would broadcast about 800 soccer games from the English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Scottish, French and German leagues. It will air a further 200 matches from cup competitions such as the UEFA Champions League.

The line-up this year boasts 100 more matches than last year, when no games were shown from the Bundesliga of Germany.

Ong-ard said that free television channels would only show some 37 football matches from international leagues and cup competitions. As a result, “we expect to increase the number of our subscribers by 15 per cent or by between 2,000 and 3,000 people during this football season,” Ong-ard said.

UBC, the country’s largest cable operator, had about 460,800 subscribers at the end of March.

“Sports programmes are the magnet that encourage people to subscribe,” Ong-ard said. He said that about 45 per cent of UBC’s customers watch football live from major international leagues around the world, particularly the English Premier League, which will kick off its first match this weekend.

“We would like to create value-added and different benefits for our subscribers. We develop and bring quality content in our cable TV channels, ranging from entertainment such as movies and reality shows, documentaries, cartoons and sports,” Ong-ard said.

About 80 per cent of UBC subscribers watch movies, while 60 per cent watch documentaries and other shows.

“But, sporting events, particularly football, will be the major driver for subscriber growth in the second half of this year,” Ong-ard said.

The company plans to spend more than Bt10 million in the second half to promote its sport channels, particularly football programming.

He said that many promotional campaigns have been held to attract potential and existing subscribers to tune into the football matches. The campaigns include lucky draws and competitions to win free trips to watch football matches in the English, Spanish and Calcio Leagues.

Ong-ard said the country’s current economic difficulties had positively and negatively affected the cable television business.

“The economic downturn has resulted in less spending power and confidence among Thai consumers. They will look to entertain themselves at home rather than hanging out. Cable television is one of their preferred alternatives,” Ong-ard said.

--The Nation 2005-08-09

[darsie]

Let's do some maths....say 120 minutes of air-time devoted to each game on average....and 1000 games in the next season.....that's 2000 hours of live and delayed football.

So to watch each and everyone of these games continually if that was possible, would take 84 days (day and night).

Who says we're saturated with football?

Anyway, this aside, I pay 1600 baht a month for UBC which works out at about 50 baht a day. Good value?

Well, on a Saturday night with four or five, or even more, live games to chose from, plus excellent ESPN commentary and analysis from Singapore....hard to beat!

[terdsak_12]

I ain't complaining.

[tso310]

Hardly a quality line up with out the Ryman League. Just one week to go.

[dereklev]

I ain't complaining.   

Me neither.

[Thaipwriter]

Let's do some maths....say 120 minutes of air-time devoted to each game on average....and 1000 games in the next season.....that's 2000 hours of live and delayed football.

So to watch each and everyone of these games continually if that was possible, would take 84 days (day and night).

Who says we're saturated with football?

Anyway, this aside, I pay 1600 baht a month for UBC which works out at about 50 baht a day. Good value?

Well, on a Saturday night with four or five, or even more, live games to chose from, plus excellent ESPN commentary and analysis from Singapore....hard to beat!

Thinking of subscribing now the premier league is on again......would i be right in thinking the "GOLD" package UBC offer will give me a good selection of the English footy???? Birmingham City fan here.....!!!!!

[Dragonman]

Let's do some maths....say 120 minutes of air-time devoted to each game on average....and 1000 games in the next season.....that's 2000 hours of live and delayed football.

So to watch each and everyone of these games continually if that was possible, would take 84 days (day and night).

Who says we're saturated with football?

Anyway, this aside, I pay 1600 baht a month for UBC which works out at about 50 baht a day. Good value?

Well, on a Saturday night with four or five, or even more, live games to chose from, plus excellent ESPN commentary and analysis from Singapore....hard to beat!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thinking of subscribing now the premier league is on again......would i be right in thinking the "GOLD" package UBC offer will give me a good selection of the English footy???? Birmingham City fan here.....!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I watch all the premiership games on my local cable network, 250 baht a month!

They seem to get ESPN coverage in english on TV7 which I believe is an Indonesian Network.

[ZOVOX]

Let's do some maths....say 120 minutes of air-time devoted to each game on average....and 1000 games in the next season.....that's 2000 hours of live and delayed football.

So to watch each and everyone of these games continually if that was possible, would take 84 days (day and night).

Who says we're saturated with football?

Anyway, this aside, I pay 1600 baht a month for UBC which works out at about 50 baht a day. Good value?

Well, on a Saturday night with four or five, or even more, live games to chose from, plus excellent ESPN commentary and analysis from Singapore....hard to beat!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thinking of subscribing now the premier league is on again......would i be right in thinking the "GOLD" package UBC offer will give me a good selection of the English footy???? Birmingham City fan here.....!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I watch all the premiership games on my local cable network, 250 baht a month!

They seem to get ESPN coverage in english on TV7 which I believe is an Indonesian Network.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TV7 is a free to air indonesian channel on the telkom satellite. Last night i watched all three premiership games for free, and tonight i will be watching Arsenal and Chelsea play for FREE. You just need the right satellite equipment to pick up the signal.

[marquess]

More football to the detriment of other sports, for me UBC is gradually becoming a waste of money. Football, oh Football, so help me God!

[JustAnotherFarang]

Dont be so happy happy joy joy.......... 1000 matches now but in the near future you will find that they will make the most anticipated games available on pay per view basis only........ UBC are not renowned for their generosity

I think that UBC is vastly overpriced for such a poor quality product, especially during the close season but the thought of them raking in more cash for those extra special games like Liverpool vs Man Utd, Chelsea vs Arsenal etc etc whilst the "Fools Gold" package owners will be stuck with the freebies like Wigan vs Birmingham or West Ham vs Premier Newbies really galls me.

But of course, just as it came to be in the UK, there will be plenty of fools with more money than sense who will fork out for scams like these until it becomes commonplace.

Of course, it is possible to get UBC without even paying for it........ but thats not something I would really know anything about as it is illegal and unscrupulous to obtain inferior services for free

[terdsak_12]

Agreed, they're starting to experiment with pay per view, and we'll end up having to fork over for the cream games.

[Sphere]

I think that UBC is vastly overpriced for such a poor quality product

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For the past 4-5 weeks the digital signal on their news channels (BBC, CNN, CNBC) is distorted to an extent that moving images look like they are digitally censored. I complained to UBC several times and was recently told by their "engineer" that this would be solved only when they change to a better satellite. He also mentioned that I was the only one complaining in the area because their Thai clients here never watched the English news channels!

[Tiger7Moth]

More football to the detriment of other sports, for me UBC is gradually becoming a waste of money. Football, oh Football, so help me God!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For someone not interested in football, and I am one, UBC sports is simply pathetic. For example, I like to watch boxing. One of the shows featured on UBC is Tuesday night boxing from the US. This boxing show had its final appearance 6 years ago and being on Tuesday nights never had top quality fights to begin with. So, UBC is showing low quality boxing that is at least 6 years old. I can give other examples, PATHETIC!!!!!