The end for Setanta Sports

I would hope not. Setanta Ireland show 3pm Premier League games, which Sky Sports are prohibited from doing so, while they are the only place covering the Magners League (apart from S4C). If the company was to go into examinership/recievership/liquidation it would be a pity.

And, no more Special 1 TV!!!!

There was talk today in the Irish Times that there might be some way to ringfence Setanta Ireland (which is profitable - just about) and at least save it, but I'm not sure - while Setanta Ireland does have a lot of its own stuff, a good chunk of its programing is shared with Setanta 1 & 2 (including the aforementioned SPL rights) so I'm not sure how viable a proposal this is.

STV reporting it will be GONE by tonight!

I think that Sky being so intent on getting everything will backfire on them in the next few years. By allowing Setanta Sports to go (OK Sky aren't there to support them,) they are opening the doors to ESPN and ESPN are a far bigger fish to take on that Setanta ever could be. If ESPN wanted to at the next bidding round they could outbid Sky on every package and have cash to spare. However they will likely to have a slow entry and build up their UK brand rather diving in the head first (if they get involved at all - athough the head of ESPN UK has been seen in Setanta HQ many times in the last few weeks)!

If they had suppported Setanta they could have kept ESPN at bay and out of the UK market for at least the next few years.

EDIT: just read that ...


http://sport.stv.tv/football/101487-setanta-hours-away-from-coming-off-air-stv-understands/

Won't exactly be brilliant for ITN who are facing a bleak future as it is. I know Setanta news is partly owned by Virgin Media but can't see that continuing, especially as Sky channels are back on cable (I think?).

That article is slightly misleading, as it seems to infere Setanta would be put into administration overnight - you need to go to court to get an administrator appointed so presumably it would be tommorow at the earliest.

And anyway, Setanta is an Irish company, and adminstration doesn't actually exist in Ireland. It would have to be the Irish equivilant, examinership, that it would actually be heading into.

Yep, the Sky channels have been back on VM since November. I don't think losing Setanta Sports News would be a major blow for ITN, just as long as they have the ITV and Channel 4 News contracts.

Although it'll be interesting to see what'll happen to Racing UK, Racing World, Celtic TV, Rangers TV, Arsenal TV and LFC TV.

Rumour has it on Variety that ESPN 'may buy the stricken Irish paybox for a nominal sum'. I suppose the deal would be for the company to go into Administration/Examinership and be brought out immediately by an ESPN deal.

But without Setanta the showing of those matches won't just go away. As long as there's demand for them in Ireland someone else will take over, just like in the rest of the world where the 3pm matches are shown.

There's nothing to stop Sky showing the restricted matches in Ireland

But who would/could take that extra package without Setanta on the scene?



It is similar, ITV Sport didn't have enough money to pay the rights holders... Setanta don't have enough money to pay the rights holders. In Setanta's case the reason for that is largely to do with the fact that there's limited facilities for credit now compared with what there was when they first bid for them

Except finding a channel only available in Ireland to show it on. What they could do is put it on the Irish opt-out version of Sky Sports 1- currently the only difference is adverts - instead of Soccer Saturday. Those over here who prefer Jeff Stelling would only need to switch to Sky Sports News to continue.

As an aside, 3pm Premier League games were indeed not available in Ireland from the launch of the Premier League in 1992 (when Sky got all UK & Ireland live rights) until 1998 or so, when RTÉ got agreement from the FA Premier League to show some 3pm games here. Ideally RTÉ would show the again 3pm games FTA in the event of Setanta's collapse. And you can't argue that there isn't a big audience in Ireland for any Premier League games (or at least ones involved Manchester United or Liverpool, the traditionally heaviest supported clubs on this side of the water).

Anyway, as a rugby fan, my bigger interest is seeing what happens with the Magners League. That would be a bigger challenge to find a broadcaster for (outside of Wales where I'm sure BBC Wales/S4C will try to bid for the rights). If Sky Sports got the rights I cannot see them doing any more than a highlights programme, since Magners League games clash somewhat with Guinness Premiership (and, at either end of the season, Super League) games for which Sky already has the rights. I just can't see Sky putting rugby on two channels at once. Can't see anyone picking up the schools rugby rights.

The GAA National League games that Sky have might be picked up by TG4 who share the rights with them. I cannot see anyone picking up the FAI League of Ireland games that Setanta have while I would be surprised if anyone picks up the Irish rights to Formula 1 - RTÉ having lost interest since the retirement of Mssrs Jordan and Irvine whom they coverage revolved around to the point of obsession. This doesn't really matter given the superior BBC coverage available anyway.

Sky Sports Ireland anyone?

Maybe the leagues are just being purely greedy and asking too much money in the first place for the rights. It seems obscene some of the amounts that are bandied about in the media especially when it comes to players' earnings, for example.