30/06/2018
Now that Australia has remembered we are average at soccer, the focus can now rightfully switch to lacrosse where we are actually a chance to win a game...or 9.
That then begs the question, how can I watch the games. With the announcement that ESPN+ would stream all games, our hopes were up, but upon further inspection, it turns out ESPN+ is geoblocked in Australia (like most other cool things, except for the Kardashians and Justin Beiber, who for some reason continue to get air time here).
Thanks to Scott Neiss of Israel Lacrosse though (who kindly helped us work through how the games could be broadcast in Australia), we are pleased to confirm that you CAN watch ALL Australian games on WatchESPN. So how we hear you ask...let us explain....
How to watch:
Every single game will be streamed live via ESPN’s WatchESPN online streaming service, in addition to 2 games per day on the ESPN2 pay TV channel. You will be able to watch game replays for 30 days via WatchESPN. ESPN is accessible to Foxtel and FetchTV customers, see below for details on how to access:
Foxtel Subscribers:
Subscribers of Foxtel, who already have the Sports Pack or the Platinum Pack will be covered. Simply head on over to the WatchESPN website, select the match you want to watch, and login with you Foxtel ID login details. That’s all there is to it. If you don’t currently have the sports package, you add the Sports Combo pack for an additional $19/month on top of the base Entertainment Pack. If you are a Foxtel Now customer, the sports pack adds $29/month on top of your base subscription, and can be cancelled any time!
The Foxtel website is here: https://www.foxtel.com.au/login
FetchTV Subscribers:
FetchTV is certainly the most affordable option for accessing ESPN in Australia. For those who already have the Vibe or Ultimate pack, head on over to the WatchESPN website, select the match you want to watch, and select FetchTV as your login method. You will then be asked for an Activation Code, which you will need to retrieve from your FetchTV set top box in the settings. If you need to add the Vibe package, this will cost $6/extra on top of a base subscription per month.
Everyone else:
Unfortunately ESPN cannot be subscribed to in Australia without either Foxtel or FetchTV. FetchTV is a great option for low cost Internet based access, and is available either bundled or as an add-on to many Internet plans from Optus (Broadband AND Post-paid Mobile Customers), Dodo, iPrimus, iiNet, Internode and Westnet. If your Internet provider does not offer FetchTV, there is also the option to buy the FetchTV Set Top Box from $169. If you would prefer to give Foxtel a try, they currently have a great EOFY deal until the 30th of June. You can sign up to Foxtel and get your first month free, with no lock in contract, and access to the Foxtel app from the date your order! That means, if you don't want to keep your subscription at the end of the month, you won't pay anything! Both of these options do however require equipment to be sent and configured, so best get on this right away if you are considering either of these options. We only recommend the Foxtel option for those whose houses are Foxtel ready (satellite or cable), as the installation date will depend on demand in your area (1 week on average), however you can watch all the channels through the Foxtel App (iOS/Android) as soon as your sign up, WatchESPN access will then be activated within 24-48 hours of signing up (ours activated within 30 minutes). Foxtel’s streaming service, Foxtel NOW is also a great no-lockin contract option, but in our testing we have not yet had any success accessing the WatchESPN service through our new Foxtel Now account.
Tech Bits:
ESPN2 is broadcast on Foxtel in both SD (576i) and HD (720p if the have the HD channels addon $10/month). The Foxtel Now service streams ESPN2 in HD (720p @ 3.5mbps max) and allows 30 minutes of ‘catch up’.
ESPN2 is streamed on FetchTV in HD (720p @ 6mbps), but will adapt to your internet connection
WatchESPN is streamed in HD (720p @ 3.5mbps), but will also adapt to your internet connection. From our testing, WatchESPN did not work well on TPG connections, and picture quality varied regularly. Quality may differ at different time of the day.
We hope this helps and go Australia!!
