I would think Six Nations would be a definite target. I wonder if BT will go all out for Football League & Capital One Cup next time. Might be ripe for taking given Sky's perceived overspend on FAPL. Not until 2018-19 season anyway.
Premier League darts is sewn up by Sky until 2018 too. Sky have cricket I think until 2023 as well. They have really locked in some long term deals since the emergence of BT.
The most likely tennis grand slam is probably the US Open. The Sky deal I think is up from next year. Boxing is another possibility. Sky might jettison some of the lower tier rights after going big on FAPL.
Last edited by Square Eyes on 11 February 2015 10:49pm - 2 times in total
It would pretty much be the death of the Six Nations but there seems to be an inevitability about it. Think the 8m watching on BBC is worth far more than any money BT or Sky could offer.
US Open might make sense to promote their WTA coverage, which hasn't really made an impact. Boxing is a fight here and a fight there so I don't think really drives subscriptions - as you say Sky have locked out many contracts (think Super League can be added to that list, plus US and European Golf) so options are quite limited, and sadly it might be the free to air direction they look in.
I think at the moment the main people talking about the Six Nations going to pay-TV are the Six Nations. Certainly in an interview with the Irish Times yesterday John Feehan was talking up the prospect but reading between the lines the real aim seems to be to push up the price the BBC and RTE pay for the rights rather than any desire to actually see it go to Sky or BT. In the event a deal for it to actually go to pay TV occurred I wouldn't rule out a repeat run of the 2002 Sky-FAI deal where the matches were speedily placed on the crown jewels list.
RS
Rob_Schneider
Six Nations should be Crown Jewels really IMHO. It would be utterly wrong for it to go to Pay TV.
Six Nations ctte seem to be engaging in some kind of subterfuge / blackmail / bluff with BBC.
"Of course we want 6N to stay on BBC but question is how much do BBC want it to stay?" [sic]
indicates to me that they're angling for more money from BBC with threat of offering it to Sky / BT as an incentive. IIRC Barry Hearn has used similar language re snooker.
It would pretty much be the death of the Six Nations but there seems to be an inevitability about it. Think the 8m watching on BBC is worth far more than any money BT or Sky could offer.
Well, you could argue that the new Premier League deal makes it less likely Sky or BT would buy the Six Nations, because you wonder if Sky has much money left for big new rights deals after spending all that money (I know they bought the Open, but that's not massively expensive).
Also, although clearly where there's a will there's a way and they're not going to turn it down if they can get it (a bit like how ITV didn't really want the Premier League highlights in 2001 because they wanted live football and Saturday nights were sorted but bid for it when they realised they weren't going to get any live football and the scheduling could be sorted out later), now BT have Saturday teatime matches would they be interested in something else where its key slot is usually Saturday teatimes? You'd end up losing the prime slot or putting it up against your own Premier League coverage, which is a waste. But as I say, if BT think it's worth getting they could get it and worry about the scheduling later.
Good point about the scheduling, especially on BT where the second channel is very much that at the moment. Money wise nowadays it's a case of who knows - on the one hand Sky have spent up but on the other what's an extra £60-£80m on top of the £1.4billion they're paying annually to the Premier League.
After this week it does feel like BT are perhaps being less agressive than they once were, but I could definately see why the Six Nations would appeal to them, especially as they're kind of pitching themselves as a half way house between "free" and "subscription" TV.
Interesting that there was an extended feature on BTS Rugby Tonight Extra on England and the 6N including an extended Lancaster interview. Make of that what you will.
Interesting that there was an extended feature on BTS Rugby Tonight Extra on England and the 6N including an extended Lancaster interview. Make of that what you will.
There doesn't seem to be anything to make of it. A rugby union magazine show ignoring the biggest Rugby Union competition currently taking place would be odd. Unless it was Sky of course.
Seems FIFA are up to dubious practices again, renewing the existing US and Canada World Cup rights rather than putting the deal for 2022 and 2026 out to competition.
2022 had already been awarded to Fox and Telemundo under the last tender.
The suggestion is that due to 2022 being moved to the winter, to prevent a lawsuit from Fox who signed up for summer World Cups, they just awarded the next one, which is likely to be held in either China or the US.