Time for a short respite reporting on the train wreck that is Hassan Moustafa and a little bit of good news concerning Handball.

Long time readers to this website are aware of my periodic whining about the limited options provided for online Handball viewers. They are also probably bored with my predictions “that sooner than one might think” Handball fans in non-traditional markets will be able to watch high quality video streams of major competitions on their computer. Well readers, I’m very pleased to declare that “The Future is Now!” The last 10 days of the Euro 2010 Championship have just been absolutely awesome for this Handball fan.

[b]I will go so far to even state, that this online viewing experience has been better than watching the games live on TV during previous tournaments while I lived in France. [/b]

Reread the last sentence again and let that soak in for a moment. Some of you are probably thinking, how can that be? Let me count the ways:

1) With 1.5 Mbps the quality of picture is virtually the same as regular (non HD TV). (If I could watch in 1080p on an HD set, that would be a different story)
2) I have the ability to watch every single match. The broadcasts in most countries for the early rounds are focused on the home country. You get a few extra matches, but you don’t get every match.
3) With the “On Demand” option I can watch at my leisure. Yes, in my own little private Handball world, it’s still Thursday afternoon and I don’t know even know who’s made the semifinals. Heck, it won’t surprise me if I don’t get around to finishing the tournament until next Tuesday night.

But don’t take my word for it. You can watch the Semifinals and Final this weekend. I think the cost is 6.99 Euros, (I won’t dare check the EHF site, lest I find out who’s playing by accident), and that’s money well spent in my opinion. On top of that there will be English language commentary of the matches from Eurosport’s Carlton Kirby.

Full Disclosure: Yes, THN received minor compensation from EHF/Infront Sports for the banner advertisement. If there’s any concern that this is clouding our judgment I suggest you read our recent critique on the EHF’s handling of the Gunnar Prokop appeal. THN giveth, but it also taketh away.