Posts Tagged ‘Chelsea in India’

Why Watching Chelsea in Hyderabad is Easier Than in Hackney

For those unable to afford to go to Stamford Bridge, watching Chelsea play live has never been easier, with cable television and the internet there are only a handful of games a season that the fanatic from Algeria to Zambia cannot find a way to watch.

Since  work led me to India for the next three months, I have never been grateful for the way the game has spread across the world or for Tim Berners-Lee inventing the internet.

In Hyderabad I have a choice of watching ANY Chelsea game on cable television, in a sports bar or via the internet using live streaming software that borders on the realms of illegality. This is the same for people in the U.S, Indonesia or even Australia (if you can survive the time difference issues).

This is in contrast to when I was growing up coverage of the Premiership consisted of two televised games a week and the Match of the Day highlights programme, when my Dad was growing up times were even tougher with televised football far from a regular event.

With cable TV, sports bars and the live football streaming sites, I have more access to the games here than I ever did in England, well excluding trips to the Bridge of course.

In England none of the three o’clock Saturday kick offs are allowed to be shown live on television, which is why the schedule now changes frequently to play games outside of this restriction, ruining the weekend for many fans who travel across the country to watch their teams play. Blighted by early kick offs, schedule changes and the whim of television executives.

On the flip side however, the increased accessibility of the Premiership has been the reason for the games growing popularity across the world. Since arriving in India, I have met many people in India who have told me they are Chelsea fans, there fanaticism may not be proven but they certainly have access to the games both legally or semi legally.

Therefore it seems barmy to me that living in India makes it easier to watch Chelsea games live on television, in a world of live streaming it is time that the Premier League and the FA wised up to the modern world of interactive media. The world of SopCast is here and it should only be a matter of time in my mind that every Premier League game is televised live, not just overseas but in England as well .

Now time to find a link to watch today’s game.