I know that Logic has the exclusive rights to broadcast the World Cup, but what happens to those of us who aren’t subscribers? I also suspect there are many people like me in Cayman whose TV can’t accommodate an antenna for picking up free-to-air channels and even those will not carry all of the matches. Are our only options either going out to a sports bar to watch the games or finding a friend who gets the World Cup at home?
Ask Auntie sponsor
Auntie’s answer: With the opening match of the World Cup in Russia set for today (14 June), this question could not be timelier. I sought help from Alee Fa’amoe, deputy CEO of OfReg, the Utility Regulation and Competition Office.
Unfortunately, I am certain you won’t be happy with the answer I received. Mr Fa’amoe carefully explained that his office does not regulate content on its own, and does not enforce copyright laws, but “we do expect all our licensees to be good, law-abiding corporate citizens. That means they should observe and respect copyright restrictions which may apply to their TV services.”
The translation is that if you don’t subscribe to the service provider airing the World Cup, you could be staring at a blank screen at kickoff.
This situation has been borne out in numerous other situations. “You wouldn’t expect to watch a Netflix original show on HBO, or an HBO original show on CBS. Likewise, certain NFL and NBA games are blacked out in some markets due to syndication rules, copyright terms and conditions, or other reasons,” Mr Fa’amoe added.
As you noted in your question, Logic does have a free-to-air channel, requiring an antenna to receive, that will broadcast some of the matches. But it sounds like the two options you suggested for viewing are your best bets. I’m hoping you have an understanding friend with a big-screen TV who subscribes to Logic and has a spot on his sofa with your name on it.
Logic is not available in my area in Cayman so I have no choice but to go without the world cup from them
Got a VPN app for my iPad, paid 33$ for the year, watching all games in HD in „another country“ via web stream…mirror it to my TV or watch on the iPad. And for the good games, meet me at the pub )
I got Dish Network. So I watched the opening of the games and the first match, very exciting.
I for one have never subscribed to local cable because the bastards pirate the majority of these channels or used too, then charged overinflated the prices.
But it’s all good, the Govt won’t stop their crooked ways and I don’t have to support their lifestyles, and I get to watch any tv I want too.
I will shamelessly watch everything on a free stream. The money and corruption that goes hand in hand with modern football is nauseating.
As a FLOW subscriber they should have made their customers a priority and worked out a deal with Logic so that we could enjoy the world cup. It is absolutely asinine to me that they wouldn’t have put a plan in place to show support for their loyal customers!!! Too bloody greedy
Stop being an ass! Flow did work something out and has the Logic channel with the football. I watch it today.
Just got an email saying apple TV is carry the matches, no idea if it will work in Cayman, and not much help if you haven’t got one…!
Try vipbox.tv or vipbox.mobi if you are watching on your phone. Free online streaming of most sports.
TV is dead. Just live stream the games, welcome to 2018.
Finally the penny (or dollar) dropped and now Logic are broadcasting all the matches.
There was an announcement today from Flow that they have reached agreement with Logic to broadcast all games on channel 111 starting today. Not sure if C3 has an arrangement as well
A lot of this information is false or incorrect. Anyone who is subscribed to DISH Network WILL get their World Cup.
Dish Network is crap. They cannot any longer provide HD programs.
The way I see it if we the Cayman public got to pay for their cable expansion in the future the very least they can offer us is some access to the World Cup.
Given the time difference I imagine most people are at work during he majority of games anyway. Logic will not not get a penny from me, I’ll shove a coat hanger up my 80″ high def first!
They are other alternate options online, some paid some free which you can get the games on.
You just need to get creative… I am watching it right now and that is all I will say.
Strange logic here because this is potentially a huge money-maker for businesses on the island. I was out in Egypt during the 2010 World Cup and not only was it being shown live in both the hotel bars where I was but they’d set up a huge screen in the area between the lobby and the pools turning it into a mini-cinema. The amount of business that picked up was insane – I remember watching England v Algeria with some of the local staff and the place was heaving. Going back to World Cup 2006, I watched the final (France v Italy) on Grand Cayman and again everywhere was packed.
Regal cinema streamed a rugby game! Maybe they do that for the finals?
You can search online for a VPN application, they cost a few bucks a month. Once you have that you can make it seem like you are in England for example and then you can stream the World Cup for free from various web-sites.
Not to mention content from just about anywhere in the world. Ensure your privacy from peeping local ISPs, reduced email spam, download more movies you can watch in a few lifetimes. Pair this with an Android box and you can kiss cable/ satellite goodbye!
VPN
Try “legally” watching an F1 race…apart from the few “freebie” races on ABC, and TSN (before it was blocked out) the whole season has been scuppered. No response at all from Logic when I emailed them months ago. F1 app doesn’t work either.
8:20 Who cares about F1 anyway? It’s turned into a boring procession of over-engineered, fragile, unreliable electronic toys.
TSN doesn’t blackout F1 they have it on their other channels which Logic doesn’t carry. Only FOX Latin America has Caribbean rights. Google it and get informed before bitching about topics you don’t understand.
Comments on here are hilarious, no one understands TV rights and how they work. What Logic did was smart, they bought the world’s most watched event and made it available to their customers. They have the biggest customer base and the majority of the island will be happy. Don’t have cable? Put up an antenna on your roof. Rabbit ears won’t cut it, we have concrete buildings!
Stop whining.
Pity they can’t email their own customers.
All heil the jackass know-it-all. OP stated that Logic region-blocks the TSN F1 coverage. Obviously TSN Canada, having paid for those rights in Canada, wouldn’t care enough about the residual Caribbean audience to block their own feed, program by program. It would be nice if Logic would respond to customers (without the snark) and clarify which of their Fox channels, offer F1 coverage.
The real question is why on earth did Flow who are now owned by one of the largest multi-media companies in the world, allow themselves to be gazumped by a small local company in relation to the biggest sporting event in the world?.
Because it wasn’t worth it to them?
Sure it was. If 5 people changed their cable provider I’d be shocked. The World Cup in Russia blows anyway. And I love WC years.
In many countries certain events are not allowed to be restricted to a single TV provider, I’m sure Mr Fa’amoe knows this, and his analogy is correct for 95% of content, but for major events, like the world cup, a different view is taken. I can’t imagine many people are actually going to switch providers just for a single event, so whats the point? Better for Logic to have resold the rights to everyone else (assuming they can), made a few dollars and let everyone watch it.
Go to hell cable tv, the clock is ticking for you
You still need them for the internet though (and that’s a necessity nowadays)