Sirius XM and Fox Soccer Channel Announce World Cup Broadcast Plans

Two press releases here regarding the World Cup which begins very soon, June 11 to be exact. Looking forward to the coverage.

For subscribers of Sirius XM, the satellite radio provider has announced that it will air the games in multiple languages and in addition, the English language broadcasts from ESPN Radio will be available online which is a good thing.

SIRIUS XM RADIO ANNOUNCES EXTENSIVE BROADCAST COVERAGE FOR 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP

XM listeners and SIRIUS listeners with the “Best of XM” will hear ESPN Radio’s English language broadcasts of every match, plus multiple foreign language broadcasts

English language broadcasts will also be streamed online; subscribers can tune in through XM Radio Online, SIRIUS Internet Radio, and the SIRIUS XM App for iPhone, iPod touch, and several BlackBerry and Android-powered smartphone devices

Soccer fans will get World Cup news and analysis daily throughout tournament

NEW YORK – June 1, 2010 – SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it will provide listeners with an extended broadcast lineup for its coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, offering ESPN Radio’s play-by-play of matches in multiple languages, plus live World Cup news and analysis daily. 

The 2010 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 11, live from nine cities in South Africa.  XM listeners and SIRIUS listeners with the “Best of XM” can hear English language broadcasts of every match in its entirety, plus foreign language broadcasts that will include German, Japanese, Portuguese, Arabic and Korean.

ESPN Radio’s English language broadcasts will also be available to Premium Online subscribers online and through the SIRIUS XM App for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and several BlackBerry and Android-powered smartphone devices.  (World Cup play-by-play will be available to XM subscribers and SIRIUS subscribers with the “Best of XM.”)

World Cup broadcasts on SIRIUS XM:

English broadcasts – XM channels 236/235, SIRIUS channels 214*/213*

German broadcasts – XM channel 237, SIRIUS channel 215*

Japanese broadcasts – XM channel 238, SIRIUS channel 216*

Portuguese broadcasts – XM channel 239, SIRIUS channel 217*

Arabic broadcasts – XM channel 243, SIRIUS channel 218*

Korean broadcasts – XM channel 244, SIRIUS channel 219*

(‘*’ denotes “Best of XM” channel on SIRIUS)

Please visit www.xmradio.com/soccer or www.sirius.com/soccer for a schedule of matches with kickoff times and channel assignments.

In addition to ESPN Radio’s live play-by-play of every game, SIRIUS XM will offer soccer fans live World Cup news and analysis leading up to and every day of the tournament.

International soccer legend Giorgio Chinaglia and U.S. Soccer Foundation founding board member Charlie Stillitano will host special World Cup editions of their SIRIUS XM program, The Football Show, daily throughout the tournament (7:00 pm ET on XM channel 241 and SIRIUS channel 125).  Chinaglia, a veteran of Italy’s 1974 World Cup team, and Stillitano will offer extensive match previews, recaps and interviews with players and managers from around the world.

In addition, Chinaglia and Stillitano will do a daily World Cup report with Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo on SIRIUS XM’s all-sports Mad Dog Radio channel (weekdays at 6:30 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144).

SIRIUS XM will also broadcast ESPN Radio’s World Cup Tonight Soccer Special, hosted by Doug Brown, Chuck Wilson and JP Dellacamera, which will air at 6:00 pm ET daily throughout the tournament starting June 1 (XM channel 120 and 236, SIRIUS channel 140 and 214 (“Best of XM”).

Fox Soccer Channel has some special World Cup programming after the break.

FOX SOCCER CHANNEL HAILS 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP™ WITH SPECIAL PROGRAMMING

Studio shows Ticket to South Africa and Passport to South Africa highlight

network’s coverage surrounding the world’s biggest soccer event

Los Angeles (June 1, 2010) – In celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Fox Soccer Channel airs hundreds of hours of related programming this summer as the world’s attention turns to South Africa. Two in-depth studio shows, Ticket to South Africa – featuring internationally-respected analyst Andy Gray – and Passport to South Africa anchor the network’s coverage of the world’s most-watched sporting event.

Ticket to South Africa, premieres Thursday, June 10 live at 4:30 p.m. ET and presents daily previews and recaps of all the action, plus live reports from Fox Soccer Channel’s correspondents in South Africa. Airing after the final whistle blows each matchday, Richard Keys of Britain’s Sky Sports hosts this one-hour studio show in high definition featuring analysis from Andy Gray, also of Sky Sports. Additional in-studio experts Christopher Sullivan (former U.S. National Team midfielder) and Warren Barton (former Newcastle United and England National Team defender) are joined by Nick Webster reporting directly from South Africa.

Leading up to the World Cup™, Fox Soccer Channel showcases its one-hour edition of Passport to South Africa, featuring a rapid-fire look at all 32 nations competing for glory this summer. Analysis, features and predictions are provided by Fox Soccer Channel’s commentators including Sullivan, Barton and Bobby McMahon (Fox Soccer Report lead analyst), plus special guests. The next airing is Wednesday, June 2 at 5 p.m. ET. 

In addition to its studio shows, Fox Soccer Channel presents two programs focusing on World Cup-bound countries, including their players, coaches and personalities. The Contenders features comprehensive analysis and highlights of each participating team, with a different episode airing every weekday at 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. ET this week. 

International Rivalries offers insight into football’s most contentious on-the-field feuds during each hour-long episode. Featuring a selection of great soccer moments, interviews with legendary players and coaches, and a closer look at the teams and fans on match-day, the next installment focuses on Brazil vs. Argentina tonight at 11 p.m. ET.

As an ongoing effort to provide as much World Cup™ insight to soccer fans as possible, Fox Soccer Channel presents Road to Glory, a series of 64 fast-paced one-minute vignettes appearing throughout the spring and summer that examines the players, coaches and nations vying for soccer’s top prize.

Fox Soccer Channel continue to air Fox Soccer Report and Sky Sports News with expanded coverage before, during and after the competition  Both news shows feature correspondents on the ground in South Africa, with Sky Sports News devoting 30 minutes of every telecast to extensive reports and commentary from Africa’s first-ever World Cup™.

For a complete telecast schedule visit msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/tvschedule, and for in-depth 2010 FIFA World Cup news, analysis, previews, live scoreboards and interactive games, visit foxsoccer.com/worldcup.

That’s it.