Arsenal TVOnline- You Couldn't Make It Up
Mar 1st, 2009 by 'holic
It is almost a year since the people at Virgin Media finally gave its customers the Arsenal TV channel that had launched in January, and us cable customers were able to share in the delights that had previously only been available to Setanta subscribers on other platforms.
Now obviously the management is not too keen on me watching the channel every single night (Yes, it is only broadcast in the evening!) while she retreats to the bedroom to watch her soaps and hospital dramas (don’t ask!).
It was therefore a real bonus when Arsenal TVOnline started streaming the channel, which was something they should have done from the launch date to stop all of the complaints back then. I re-subscribed to ATVO and peace was restored in the ‘holic household.
That is until a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed my Guinness and headed for the trusty Mac to watch the Friday night stream which consists of a half decent preview of the upcoming game and a fans forum with Tom Watt, usually accompanied by a decent guest, or two. I am a creature of habit. This has become my Friday ritual.
Only for the last couple of weeks that ritual is no more. With no warning the TV channel is no longer streamed to UK and Eire customers. The best part of the online content has been summarily withdrawn with no warning, no explanation, and no reduction in subscription.
Finding the contact details was easy. My carefully worded complaint was fired off, and I waited for the response. And I waited. And I waited.
In the interest of fairness I should explain that to watch the television channel requires a subscription to a Setanta package at a tenner, or something like that. I can understand Setanta not wanting those paying ATVO less than four quid a month to have access to even an inferior stream. My argument is that in this day and age surely it is not beyond the wit of man to provide those of us who are paying for both to continue to receive a service we believe we are paying for, and have enjoyed for some time.
Anyway, my wait for a response is finally at an end. This morning I received two identical emails informing me that “We are really sorry, but in the UK & Eire, the full live steam (their spelling, not mine!) of Arsenal TV is no longer available to watch online”. Thank you. I know that. That is what I wrote to complain about.
“your custom means a lot to the team at Arsenal.com and we’d much rather be able to continue providing you exciting content online.” Thank you again. I’m glad my custom is important to you. So how about giving me the service I want? Why is there no recompense for its sudden withdrawal? Ah, wait. There is more.
“As a gesture, we’d like to offer you 10 months for the price of 12 on the Annual ATVO subscription”.
I’m sorry, I’ll read that again. If I pay for a years service, they will provide it for ten months? What next, I ask myself. One match ticket for the price of two? (Yes, I know some of you think they are already doing that!). Perhaps two pies for the price of three, or three pints for the price of four? (Yes, I know some of you think they are already doing that too!)
I was busy praising the board for getting the big things right on Friday, but oh dear, the club has such a long way to go to get the little things right.
26 Responses to “Arsenal TVOnline- You Couldn't Make It Up”
Oh shit i owe you a big thanks man, i’m also subscibed to ATVO and thought i’d watch it the other night and i gt the same messssage about unabling to stream in the UK nd EIRE but i thought there service was just temporarily down. Well they can fuk right off now, i edned up paying a fine of 38 quiod to my bank cz i was overdrawn coz of the ATVO payment came at a differnt time month to collect my payment so i wasnt too fussed i didnt hv the money in thn. Cheers
Simple, move to Europe and your problem is solved!
Yes, Pat, but then I won’t get to see Arsenal in the flesh next season 🙂
Sounds like a good deal GH!!
No problem with seeing Arsenal when you live on the continent, ‘holic 😉
Good luck with the new crusade, ‘holic.
And an Irish coffee for me please.
Poor you, my heart bleeds for you, with the recession and what have ya and you whinge about some pointless shit. You dont know how good you have it when thats your only problem, how about you tell the truth that we now have a shit team that even an “expert” like yourself has never seen as bad in all your years following the team, and more importantly we have a pathetic joke of a manager. Remove this if you like as its just for you anyway and you see it. The days are here when even the biggest Arsene apologists which coincidently you are one of, cant bullshit anyone anymore. As I told you at the begining of this season that this team could not save Arsene this year and he would be found out. He has been found out.
hooray … paulie’s back!
now why don’t you just fuck off back to wherever it was you came out of
this is a blog for arsenal fans mate …
Or you could move to Australia, where I am, and watch the stream here! I dont get to see them in the flesh now… but I’m not missing much right now, am I 🙂
Thanks typical, the edit is for obvious reasons. I would like to keep things as civil as possible here. Difficult, I know, on occasion.
Paulie, why don’t you head off to the couple of sites that happily spout the puerile nonsense you seem to enjoy. Believe it or not I am entitled to a point of view that doesn’t coincide with yours. It’s a shame only one of us understands that.
yeah i realised ‘holic. no worries 😉
i forgot about the other connotation associated with such phrases.
keep up the good work
Let’s be honest guys, it is all just about money. If we honestly think that they are really that bothered about us then I think we are sadly mistaken. As long as the money rolls in then nothing will change. Big business worldwide is not bothered about the individual until it hits them in the pocket.
I took a Virgin package for the same reason you did. It will be cancelled in the next month or two as I am totally bored with the lot of them.
A peeve of mine with regard to ATVO/Arsenal TV is that they don’t make the ATVO pre- and post-match programming available on Arsenal TV. I also don’t think they broadcast AW’s interviews and/or press conferences on the TV channel (and if they do, it’s not very obvious when they are broadcast).
It seems that for a fan to get the most of what the Club is broadcasting, one would need to subscribe to BOTH services which, in my opinion, is taking the piss. Why not make all services available on both media? The Club is quick to acknowledge the impact of the credit crunch on AFC (and, indeed, on football in general), but does not recognise that fans’ wallets are affected as well.
What type of name is Paulie anyway? Is it a boy or a girl? Sounds like someone can be brave when thy are anon on a web site
Did anyone watch the free live stream on ATVO yesterday? I gave up after watching 3 minutes of still photos and finished up watching Fox Sports on a watchable stream.
Anyone catch the beer cup this afternoon? 120 minutes of mind-numbingly poor play, only enlivened by the gelled tumbler’s yellow card (this time for a non-dive, a clear case of eventually “reaping what ye sow”). Then comic cuts as Spuds imploded from the penalty spot and one of them instantaneously burst into tears. (No, it wasn’t Hawwy Wedknapp!)
We come and visit you here, holic and many of us choose to bemoan Arsenal’s weaknesses. Today we had the team leading the league with their babes on show (or such was Old Red Nose’s promoise). Young Scholes was there. Young Tumbler and Plug from the Bash Street Kids at centre-half, Young Giggs too, and there were a couple of others who wouldn’t have made it into the Arsenal youth Team so I don’t even want to remember their names.
HOW is that team ahead of Arsenal in the league? What a poor, poor display against opposition we made look ordinary with 10 men. And what does next year hold for them when the tumbler has moved to Madrid and Berbatoss has thrown one of his famous wabblies?
Arsene is promising a golden decade for the gunners. I can see it coming. For Manure, memories of Giggzie and Schollzie are all they’ll have. Well and truely on their way down the gurgler.
And yes, those Villa chappies are beginning to feel the pressure. Two defeats and a draw in a week. (How many games unbeaten are we again? Remind me, tin). From two nil up in 85 mins to a 2-2 home against Stoke. Martin In’Need’s specs would be steamed up after that, I bet.
Holic, what odds can we get on the following treble?
– Arsenal win FA Cup
– Arsenal win ECL
– Arsenal fourth place EPL
Worth a flutter with one of the remaining ‘holic pounds of the season?
The funniest thing about the spuds defeat is that the 2 who missed pens are ex gooners. How great is that? Just when I was looking for a pick me up alolng come Bentley and O’Hara. There is so much mileage to be had from that. Can’t wait for the dvd to come out.
Just seen two Stoke goals versus Villa and HEARD VILLA BEING BOO’D OFF by their fickle fans. Now we’d never do that to the Arsenal, would we? The tide is coming in, it’s whispering “Gunners are going to do it!”
Martin InNeed’s specs were well and truely steamed up post-match. Poor little fellow can read the tea leaves.
Come on now lads, enough of this Tottenham stuff. Fancy picking on those less fortunate than yourself.
I wonder how their end of season party is going right now?
Re. the Villa booing, yet again Arsenal lead the way in trend-setting!
Re. the totts; well quite.
It’s not like they take the competition seriously and put out their strongest side is it?
Oh – ha,ha,ha,ha . . . .
p.s. BTM, White Heart and cheap seats sounds great but due to the vagaries of cup replays and Mrs G’s current view of things AFC I can’t make the game. another time perhaps . . . .
Any chance of a spell check facility ‘holic?
There is this old-fashioned thing that trundles on in the background G. It works eventually!
Interesting watching Villa fall apart on MOTD2. If only we could string a few wins together…
I’d love to share your optimism ‘holic but . . . .
The team selection was fine on Saturday (albeit given the physical size of the Fulham team I think it might have been wise to start with Bendtner) but it lacked cohesion and only came to life in fits and starts before going belly-up in the last 10 mins.
Obviously we have been plagued by injury (yet again) but that in itself does not fully explain the midfield merry-go-round Arsene has indulged in.
Players appear to be selected on a whim and all are considered capable of playing centrally or wide regardless of evidence to the contrary. Can’t he just pick a side and give it a chance to bed in?
The situation isn’t helped, as Arseblogger points out, by Arsene admitting the players seem to be setting their own priorities. Who exactly is in charge here?
Whilst I’ve never complained at the cosmopolitan make-up of the side this is perhaps one area where we do suffer from a surfeit of overseas players who become too distracted by the shiny bauble that is the CL.
God knows who, but maybe we do need a few more English players to re-focus the team on the essential target of the EPL.
Arsene has assembled a squad that has fantastic potential but is still at least 2 or 3 players short, which is where I do disagree with your “Prudence” piece. The core support never expected or wanted him to break the bank.
Arshavin looks a great addition but was both relatively expensive and hardly essential.
A defensive midfielder was; and equally where are the cheap Jack-of-all trades of yesteryear?
I know they too attracted derision but why can’t we have competent pros like Grimandi, Luzhny and Garde? They did a good job when called on and weren’t kicking in the manager’s door when their name wasn’t 1st on the team sheet.
My biggest worry is that having put together the current squad Arsene can’t/won’t address the weaknesses and doesn’t appear know how to bring out the best of what he’s got.
Possibly yesterday gave us back an outside chance but simply us and Villa mirroring each other in ineptitude won’t bring us 4th place and there’s always Everton to consider.
They too have long term injuries to key players but Moyes seems to have used that to inspire what’s left to greater effort. Pity Arsene can’t seem to get the same response.
Sorry to go on for so long. Feel free to delete this if it’s taking up too much space.
Roll on WBA and perhaps we’ll have a clearer picture of where we’re going . . . . .
Never apolgise G. Your friends don’t need it, and the other bastards don’t believe it.
You haven’t said anything that most Arsenal fans wouldn’t agree with, particularly about the purchase of Arshavin rather than a more defensive option.
We differ in the way we go about expressing those thoughts, which is why so many are falling out with each other. It’s always been the Arsenal way.
Even if we don’t always see eye to eye your view will always be welcome here. That was a reasoned contribution, thanks.
The one thing that puzzles me with the current situation is not so much the buying policy but the selling policy. Why do we not keep experienced players anymore? Garret makes a good point be the make up of the side but I do not feel that it has to be English. Can you imagine a Vieira, Petit, Henry, Bergkamp etc etc giving up the fight. Despite their country of birth they had become true Arsenal men. We seem to lack that at the moment.
Why did we let the likes of Pires, Gilberto and Diarra go?????? Surely we could have kept all three. I know Diarra made waves and wanted to go but why not let him go out on loan? We could have waited until the Flamini situation was resolved. Flamini stays, sell Diarra. Flamini goes then bring him back. If we had held on to the likes of Gilberto and Pires we would have had players here that had become part of Arsenal. Had become skilled in their knowledge of the club. You can not tell me that the likes of Nasri, Denilson, Theo etc etc would not have benefited from their presence, even if just on the training ground. Personally that is where I think a large part of the problem lies.
Arsene knows????? Well let’s all hope so. Let’s hope that he is so great that those of us that are far lesser mortals just do not get it all of the time.
Arsenal’s customer service is a complete embarrassment. I’ve been trying to write to them for weeks to inform them of a change of address, I got one e mail message saying the supporters services e mail address was no longer active- with no instructions for redirecting enquiries. I trawled the website and found a membership email address, I told them about my change of address (given the fact that I hold two memberships, I thought that was a good place to go) and I got an e mail back saying that that address doesn’t deal with member’s details (?!) and that I should consult arsenal.con for the actual address. They wouldn’t tellme where on arsenal.con or even, you know, just give me the proper address. The idiots will be absolutely begging for custom next year because 60,000 ain’t gonna pay £70 for UEFA Cup games.
It’s a shame indeed, LD. There are some really good people who work there too, but the customer service organisation is poorly set-up and run, and that is not the fault of the poor overworked souls trying to make it work. I feel a letter to Mr Gazidis coming on…