I am quite old and remember the experience of watching the first EURO games in 1996 in England with Abah. In this day and age there is no Astro and only some matches are offered to the public for free through RTM. Commentary on the match in English but in my studio I was presented with commentary by Datuk Rahim Razali and the late Datuk Hasbullah "Bola" Awang.
Almost 30 years have passed and I am now watching EURO 2024 with my own children. Logically with the passage of three decades of technology, the modern football viewing experience should be better but it's sad to say it's probably the worst in history.
No free ball broadcasts are offered on RTM due to rising costs. This is the most disappointing thing because football is the "people's sport for all" this year it is only for those who can afford it. I can't blame RTM in this matter because as a media practitioner I quite understand the challenge of balancing content needs with what the company can afford.
Ever since Astro started establishing a foothold in Malaysia, we are used to the need to subscribe to watch more premium events. Astro's strength is that it has the ability to offer additional channels to watch several matches taking place simultaneously. Unlike 1996, at EURO 2020 which took place three years ago, Astro offered broadcasts at 4K resolution with Dolby Atmos audio. The match can be paused if you go to the toilet or turned back so you can watch a goal that has just been scored.
Through a special application, viewers can see the statistics of the game in real time and also watch more interactively by choosing the audio (can turn off the sound of the commentary) and from where they want to watch the match. Watching EURO 2020 through Astro really feels like you are in modern times.
This brings us to the year 2024 where you can still watch via Astro, Sooka, Njoi and SPOTV. But this time the streaming is only in full 1080P HD resolution. If you're like me who has 4K and 8K TVs at home, the visuals of watching matches are pathetic on TVs with high resolution panels. Yesterday in Romania's game against Ukraine, there were a few moments where the video quality I was watching was spotty and reminded me of the video quality of the Real Player era or the TV series I sucked up on Limewire in university.
Even more inexcusable is the SPOTV app on Android TV, it doesn't allow me to control the video being watched. If I want to go to the 30th minute of England's game against Serbia, I have to watch 30 minutes. Imagine in 2024, the original feature of skipping to certain minutes of the game is not supported. This feature is only supported on the SPOTV app for Android and iOS phones only. If you just want to subscribe, I recommend you subscribe through the Sooka app because this feature exists on the recently reviewed Sooka TV Stick .
Also the SPOTV app for Android TV is also one of the least user friendly. When trying to access the EURO 2024 segment, the app says there are 14 videos available to watch but the content screen shows ZERO videos. As a subscriber of SPOTV's premium paid plan, I feel like I've been completely ripped off. I subscribed to this plan because I wanted to watch the EURO on a 65″ 8K TV not to watch on a 6.8″ screen smartphone.
SPOTV also seems to be giving up kimchi on the stairs due to the relatively indifferent content offering. All games offered do not have pre-game segments, half-time analysis and post-game analysis. It's awkward watching a football game without an analyst in the studio when it's been the norm for decades. In the comments I collected from viewers on social media, many felt the EURO 2024 experience felt incomplete without the game commentary segment in the studio.
Streaming apps should make the "halal" viewing experience feel worthwhile. But I believe SPOTV's offer for EURO 2024 this year is very disappointing. If you can't offer the best, leave the streaming rights to a more knowledgeable company.
Netflix alan started offering live streaming of sporting events this year. Disney+ offers it in the United States through the ESPN bundle and in Europe Prime Video also offers selected league games. It's too late to save EURO 2024 on SPOTV. I can only hope that for the 2026 World Cup, a more decent offering can be given to the audience. If not, don't blame it if viewers choose to stream illegally.
