TV Home Forum

Premiership Rights: ITV and NTL to team up?

(October 2005)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
JO
Jon
Quote:
ITV and NTL are joining forces in an effort to steal some of the Premiership TV rights away from Sky, The Guardian reported today.

The pair's respective chief execs, Charles Allen and Simon Duffy, have inked a joint letter to the league's twenty constituent clubs outlining their proposals.

Sky currently holds the exclusive rights to broadcast Premiership games under a £340m-a-year contract but looks set to lose at least 50% of the matches because of a new European Commission ruling.

ITV and NTL are thought to be offering "at least" £170m-a-year for half of the rights from the 2007 season. Most of the games would air on a new NTL-run subscription channel, with the rest appearing for free on one of ITV's digital stations.

The Premier League, who is opposing the new 50% rule, is due to hold critical talks with the Commission next week.


from http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds25146.html

I personally think this would be a suicidal move for the Premiership.
But I do think some other broadcaster need rights and they need splitting up as long as it doesn’t cost the us the consumer more. By spreading them other more then one subscription service.
MI
Michael
Firstly it's "pairing" not "pearing" Rolling Eyes

Secondly why oh why are people even considering letting ITV near football ever again?

Thirdly the Premier League will never let football go PPV on cable (3million customers max) as opposed to Sky (10million+ customers)

Fourthly the idea is that Premier League football on a Saturday lunchtime / evening or Sunday afternoon gets shown on BBC1, ITV1, C4 or Five, not an "ITV digital channel" which non-digi viewers obv can't receive and which does not require a FTV card for sattelite.
JO
Jon
Alexia posted:



Thirdly the Premier League will never let football go PPV on cable (3million customers max) as opposed to Sky (10million+ customers)

It doesnt say the channel wouldnt be avaible on Sky.
AN
Ant
I hope not! It's bad enough with the SPL on the subscription channel Setanta. Rolling Eyes
MI
Michael
wells posted:
Alexia posted:



Thirdly the Premier League will never let football go PPV on cable (3million customers max) as opposed to Sky (10million+ customers)

It doesnt say the channel wouldnt be avaible on Sky.


Doesn't say it will be either....and let's think about it - if you were NTL, competing with Sky, would you let your prize possession - premier league footie - be available to people who don't have to buy your TV recieving equipment to watch it? OnSport1 and 2 weren't available on Sky, were they?
JO
Jon
Alexia posted:
wells posted:
Alexia posted:



Thirdly the Premier League will never let football go PPV on cable (3million customers max) as opposed to Sky (10million+ customers)

It doesnt say the channel wouldnt be avaible on Sky.


Doesn't say it will be either....and let's think about it - if you were NTL, competing with Sky, would you let your prize possession - premier league footie - be available to people who don't have to buy your TV recieving equipment to watch it? OnSport1 and 2 weren't available on Sky, were they?


Good point but what happend to that service when it became ITV branded.
NTL could charge up to £20.00 per month on Sky.
AN
Ant
Alexia posted:
wells posted:
Alexia posted:



Thirdly the Premier League will never let football go PPV on cable (3million customers max) as opposed to Sky (10million+ customers)

It doesnt say the channel wouldnt be avaible on Sky.


Doesn't say it will be either....and let's think about it - if you were NTL, competing with Sky, would you let your prize possession - premier league footie - be available to people who don't have to buy your TV recieving equipment to watch it? OnSport1 and 2 weren't available on Sky, were they?

I don't think NTL would be allowed to do that, as Sky have allowed NTL to broadcast Sky Sports and Movies for years now.
MI
Michael
Which would lead to nobody watching, the Premier League receiving less money and NTL losing revenue.

It's ITV Digital all over again.

The following would be ideal: (based on model of 6 games per wkend)

Saturday 12pm - SS1 if only 2 games on Sunday, Prem Plus if 3
Saturday 5pm BBC1
Sunday 12pm Prem Plus
Sunday 2pm BBC2
Sunday 4pm SS1 if two PremPlus games already shown, PremPlus if not
Monday 7.45pm SS1

Therefore out of 6 games each weekend, two would be FTA, two would be PPV and two would be subscription. All platforms would therefore have at least two live football games each weekend.
RR
RR
Don't forget, as well as the ITV Digital debacle with the Football League, two contracts ago, ntl won the bid for 40 premiership games, to be shown PPV.

Before they signed the contract, they pulled out, leaving the Premiership short of money, and having to cobble together the original Premiership Plus deal.
BR
Brekkie
"Premiership" and "Short of money" are hardly two phrases that go together!


What is interesting though is NTL/ITV saying they'll pay £170m a year for the rights to half the games, equivalent to 50% of the money Sky pay for all of them!

Surely this is suicidal, and once again a case of paying too much for the rights. £340m isn't how much they are worth - it's how much Sky are willing to pay for them! With a non-exclusive deal I wouldn't expect to be paying the same per match - especially if it's the likes of comparing a West Brom v Wigan match and Man Utd v Chelsea!
UB
Uncle Bruce
Alexia posted:

The following would be ideal: (based on model of 6 games per wkend)

Saturday 12pm - SS1 if only 2 games on Sunday, Prem Plus if 3
Saturday ..... SSSSSSSSNip


I'd rather just go to the games than be a couch fan ... there's WAY too much on TV these days.
AP
Aphrodite007
I totally agree. I reckon the best thing the people who get the rights could do is to only televise one game per week. Sunday at 3pm.

This would
1) Increase ratings for that game
2) Raise attendances
3) Not punish the average match-going fan.

Newer posts