ESPN snaps up Premier League TV packages

[Jasmeet_87]

ESPN has won the rights to broadcast 46 live Premier League matches in the United Kingdom for the 2009-10 season, and has also been awarded a contract for the 2010-13 seasons.

The sports broadcaster, parent company of Soccernet, picked up both 23-match packages on offer in Monday's auction. ESPN's 46 live games will be split between Saturday evenings and Monday nights in the coming season. For the three seasons from 2010-11 to 2012-13 ESPN has the rights to a single package of 23 matches previously awarded to Setanta.

The Premier League ended its association with Setanta on Friday after it failed to meet a final deadline over a ?30m payment which had been due this month. Setanta was also stripped of its Scottish Premier League contract on Monday.

"We are clearly delighted that our bid for exclusive media rights to the Barclays Premier League matches in the UK has been successful," said Lynne Frank, ESPN Managing Director in Europe, Middle East and Africa. "This is a huge step for our business, and we look forward to working with the Premier League, football clubs and distributors to bring UK sports fans all the excitement they expect in Premier League football."

"Premier League football is one of the world's most sought after sports properties, and we are very excited to be expanding our business in the UK with England's top football product," said Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International. "This move demonstrates our commitment to British sports fans and our ongoing commitment to delivering football to fans around the world across a variety of media."

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "The Premier League is extremely pleased to have added ESPN as a UK rights holder. They have a formidable worldwide reputation and experience in sports and I am sure we will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with them."

ESPN plans to make its Barclays Premier League coverage widely available across multiple pay-TV platforms. As a first step to this distribution strategy, ESPN has reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers.

ESPN snaps up Premier League TV packages - England - ESPN Soccernet (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=656557&sec=england&cc=5739)

[Jasmeet_87]

ESPN has bought the rights to show 46 games in next season's English Premier League that were to have been shown by struggling broadcaster Setanta.

Disney-owned ESPN has won the two packages of games shown on Saturday teatimes and Monday evenings. Both will be sold to customers through BSkyB.

It has also won the 23 games per season Setanta was due to show from 2010-13.

The league took the broadcasting rights back from Setanta on Friday after it missed a payment deadline.

It is not clear how much ESPN paid for the rights.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) has taken back its UK rights for 2009/10 "and beyond" from Setanta after the Irish broadcaster missed a ?3m payment.

The SPL said it was now "actively engaging in the process of selling our domestic broadcasting rights".

'British commitment'

ESPN said in a statement it had "reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers", who will pay extra to view the games.

ESPN also hopes to make coverage available on other platforms. A spokesman for Virgin Media confirmed it was in talks with ESPN about a possible deal. BT had no comment.

It is the first time that ESPN will broadcast live Premier League football in the UK.

The broadcaster already has two channels in the UK, one covering American sports and another showing archived action.

"This move demonstrates our commitment to British sports fans and our ongoing commitment to delivering football to fans around the world across a variety of media," said Russell Wolff, managing director of ESPN International.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said that ESPN had a "formidable worldwide reputation and experience in sports".

"I am sure we will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with them," he added.

ESPN had previously bid to win a slice of the forthcoming English Premier League TV deal, which will run from 2010 to 2013.

However, when the deal was announced in February, Sky had won five of the packages and Setanta one.

The Setanta package, which ESPN has now picked up for the three-year period, covers Saturday teatime kick-offs.

Other rights

BSkyB had been expected to buy the package of Monday night games, which it has already won from 2010/11 onwards. It will show 92 games next season and then 115 in each of the following three years.

Attention could now turn to the other broadcasting rights that Setanta owns.

It has contracts with the FA for England and FA Cup matches, and with the Blue Square Premier, the top division of English non-league football.

It also owns rights to the PGA golf tour, as well as cricket and rugby union deals.

It is running at an estimated loss of ?100m a year, after missing subscriber targets.

The broadcaster has 1.2 million subscribers, 700,000 short of the 1.9 million that industry experts believe they need to break even.

Deloitte has been lined up as administrator should, as is widely expected, Setanta fail.

WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU
ESPN's matches will be available on BSkyB
You will pay an extra amount for the ESPN matches
Games likely to be on a new branded ESPN channel - separate from the existing ESPN Classic and ESPN America
ESPN wants it on platforms other than BSkyB and is in talks with Virgin Media, though BT is yet to comment

BBC NEWS | Business | ESPN buys rights to Setanta games (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8113702.stm)

[Jasmeet_87]

ESPN is pleased to announce that it will broadcast a selection of games from the 2009/10 ? 12/13 Premier League seasons LIVE and in HD.

ESPN.co.uk (http://www.espn.co.uk/)

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

aalready posted in Gen Cable although thats wrong section