BoxRec

Just wanted to let people know who might be considering signing up to Setanta via. freeview & top up TV - make sure you know what you're getting before you buy.

Despite all the advertising of various live boxing events on their website, including Cotto-Mosley and Vargas-Mayorga, the Freeview subscribers (who pay the same subscription price as those with satellite) only receive a channel called "Setanta Sports", which is neither "Setanta Sports 1" nor "Setanta Sports 2". As far as I can tell it is a mix of the best of both, but only broadcasts from 12pm-3am, meaning that the US fights (certainly Cotto-Mosley and Vargas-Mayorga) are not made available live to Freeview subscribers.

A repeat is shown the next day on a one hour long show which doesn't include the undercard or ring entrances. The Vargas-Mayorga fight will not be shown until 3pm tomorrow.

Don't you think Setanta should be making this clear to new subscribers? Taking the p1ss if you ask me.

Thanks for the info sir. I was about to commit. Which also meant buying a new freeview box with a card slot.

Cheeky tinkers.

If you want something, you have to pay.

Sad. But true.

DavidPayne wrote:If you want something, you have to pay.

Sad. But true.

No, that's not the case here. I'm paying the same subscription as any satellite subscriber, only the service is different. When referring to Freeview, you still need to subscribe monthly, it's just that you receive the signal through your freeview box rather than through a dish.

Just spoke to somebody at Setanta. They confirmed that the Freeview company restrict the amount of time they can broadcast and the number of channels, while Sky allows multiple channels and 24 hour broadcasting. They said they are in talks with Freeview about having more channels and a 24 hour broadcast but that is ongoing.

So in other words, if you have the internet you're better off paying the £7.99 per month to subscribe to the channels and watch them online that way.

it's not straight forward at all is it !!
i get thru sky and was about to cancel as it seems there's 1 or 2 fights a month and 3 premier league matches which I'm normally out. Then the scottish I can't get into as don't have an interest.

However - just seen what's on tonight and there's some great fighters - Mayorga, Vargas, Cintron and Karmazan so I'm keeping it a bit longer.

will be interesting to see how much of the undercard goes out !

"Here at Setanta Sports, we have made every effort to provide Sporting content on every platform in the marketplace. To that end we are available on the Sky platform, Cable platform, Freeview platform, Web and other’s coming soon. Our primary channel is and will continue to be Setanta Sports 1 where we show as much Live content as we can.

On Freeview, we were able to source the one channel that was available - all other capacity is in use.

The Setanta channel is available between 12pm and 3am every day on Freeview and whilst we would like to be showing for 24hours, we do not have access to the channel during the hours of 3am and 12pm.

The availability of extending hours and additional channels may arise over the course of time, especially with the digital switchover happening over the next two years and we will absolutely be actively seeking to expand on what we have in the future.

Scheduling will be as Setanta Sports 1 wherever possible, however, we do reserve to change programming without prior notice.

Our Customer Service teams are available from 8am until 12 midnight seven days a week on 08712 00 33 22.

Yours sincerely"

It's 'cos they piggy back the Channel 5 broadcast (which is why they make you select that channel when activating on FV) which finishes at 3am.

I didn't know and am now in the same boat as you mate.

It's true, i had Diaz-Diaz and Cotto-Mosley ruined when the 3am shutdown kicks in and the screen goes blank until 12pm the next day.

steve689 wrote:It's true, i had Diaz-Diaz and Cotto-Mosley ruined when the 3am shutdown kicks in and the screen goes blank until 12pm the next day.

CAM conversion card for TV with Integrated Freeview: £30
Monthly subscription to Setanta Sports: £9.99
Setanta closing at 3am meaning no US fights shown live: USELESS!

bottom line - they shouldn't be charging £9.99 to freeview customers for an inferior service.
Johnswan is right to point this out.

I was raging after Diaz-Diaz came up blank on my video tape, i blamed the recorder, the box, my wife, the cat even though we don't have one. And then the same happened on Cotto-Mosley and again i blamed the recorder, the box....etc Rang Shitanta and they kept me on hold for an eternity so decided to leave it until Vargas-Mayorga and then just cancel the subscription.

steve689 wrote:I was raging after Diaz-Diaz came up blank on my video tape, i blamed the recorder, the box, my wife, the cat even though we don't have one. And then the same happened on Cotto-Mosley and again i blamed the recorder, the box....etc Rang Shitanta and they kept me on hold for an eternity so decided to leave it until Vargas-Mayorga and then just cancel the subscription.

Yup, I almost smashed up my TV set after getting up in the middle of the night to watch Cotto-Mosley. There were other people on the site here watching it and saying it was working no problem (unknown to me they were on the satellite feed) so I spent a couple of hours frustratingly removing and reinserting the viewing card, trying to get it to work. I was trying to ring Setanta but their office was closed and they had an automated message saying that they are aware of a viewing problem with Freeview customers and recommended customers kept trying their viewing card again. After all that, turned out there was nothing wrong with my receiving the signal, they had just stopped their broadcast!

steve689 wrote:It's true, i had Diaz-Diaz and Cotto-Mosley ruined when the 3am shutdown kicks in and the screen goes blank until 12pm the next day.

Same here, mate! I also had the shutdown for Barrera-Pacquaio! It's fcuking rollocks & completely misleading in my opinion.

If one thinks it's not misleading, then when Setanta on freeview advertise fights like Cotto-Mosley, which is past 3AM, do they not state if you are a freeview custoemer, you will not be able to view it?

The channel should be called shitanta, not setanta!

Cotto-Mosley was a double sickener as the next day i put the video onto record and changed the channel to Setanta then went out. Came back half way through to find it was still on the preview screen, then i realised you have to physically turn it over and back onto Setanta after 12pm to pick it up. It's one big bloody hassle.

Embarassing analysis. Before the fight they mentioned how Vargas started well against Trinidad but got caught and knocked down late (he was also down in the first) in the fight, and after the fight one of them incorrectly reported that one of the judges had it 111-111 and started questioning where that came from, while it was actually 113-113.

johnswan1 wrote:Embarassing analysis. Before the fight they mentioned how Vargas started well against Trinidad but got caught and knocked down late (he was also down in the first) in the fight, and after the fight one of them incorrectly reported that one of the judges had it 111-111 and started questioning where that came from, while it was actually 113-113.

I set the Video, did it tape? - NO!

I'm pretty sure that was Ritchie Woodhall.

not sure what happened to you there DG.....I set mine as I'm buggered if I'm staying up til 6am on my own sodding couch then wondering what happened to the "lost weekend".

Someone said that you can't just set the recorder u have to manually leave it on that channel before u go to bed........which sounds totally unneccessary but thought I'd better do it.

I've just watched the whole show recorded from about noon onwards - I thought it was great from start to finish. Mayorga and Vargas served up a belter...maybe not as good as they were but they were very tough, skilled and well-matched fighters who have obviously both belonged in the very top bracket at their peak. I loved it.

Was really glad to see Karmazin as not seen that guy since he dismantled and destroyed David Walker at the Ally Pally. Real classy operator and seems a nice fella.

As for the Cintron and Feliciano fight I was about to jump on here and voice my disgust at the IBF for letting Feliciano box for their version of the world title as he looked a bit slow, gawky and lacking in skills and was eved described going into the ring by one commentator as a good CLUB FIGHTER........going into a world title challenge for F's sakes. There was a real feeling amongst the punters and commentators that it would be a first or second round job in which Feliciano would do well not to get seriously hurt.
Well what a performance he gave , i really warmed to him during the fight but the reality is that although he had his moment's he took way to many flush shots and will likely getting checked out by the doctors around about now.
For this reason I thought Claude Abrahams assessment was a bit of a joke when he said it looked like a premature stoppage (Woodhall admitted that he agreed at the time)....whilst Claude went on to say that although Cintron had caught Feliciano with plenty of flush shots earlier on in the fight "he hadn't hurt him"........This from the editor of BoxingNews whom one would like to think knows a little more about the cumulative effect of absorbing powerful, accurate head shots.

NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:I'm pretty sure that was Ritchie Woodhall.

Yeah it was him. Hate seeing people in the studio giving analysis when they are not clued up enough to do it. Like the guy commentating on the Haye fight last week - he hadn't even seen him before. But that was because they used a US feed.

I forgot it was Friday night! Missed the lot, thought it was Saturday night