Sky Sports Wins 3 of 6 Premiership Packages

Rather unsurprising News, Setanta has won two of the packages....
Setanta joins Premiership Action

Though I'm glad to see Sky's monopoly broken, it's a shame this couldn't have gone to a FTA Broadcaster, that means for some games now, it will require an extra subscription to Setanta, though they've not ruled out getting some of the games on Freeview.

The rights for Highlights are due to be decided later on..

Shows how scared Sky were - they've paid £1.3bn for less games than they had last time (at £1.1 bn IIRC). Setanta paid just short of £400m for two of the six packages.

so you have to subscribe to two pay packages to get Premier League footie, that is a disgrace, thank goodness for the internet!

no - last contract they had 88 games. This new deal will see them with 92 games.

Why the hell is there such a price difference between what Sky and Setanta paid?!

Sky have got the more valuble A and B packages which include better timeslots and I think more first picks of the games to show.

well if they increase the subs that's it, I am ditching Sky Sports

Sky have every first choice match and all but eight second choices. This means you'll see the Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool clashes on Sky, while Setanta will be left with Charlton v Boro.

really? I thought all six packages were equally spread to prevent this type of thing?

That's exactly what I assumed, hence my exclamation at the difference in the prices paid.

The full breakdown is as follows:

Sky Sports - 92 Matches
Package A: 23 matches (1st Choice) shown at 4pm on Sunday

Package B: 23 matches (2nd Choice) shown at 1.30pm on Sunday

Package E: 23 matches (Five 1st Choice, Nine 2nd Choice & Nine 4th Choice) shown at 12.45pm on Saturday

Package F: seven to 13 matches on midweek evenings/bank holidays, 10 to 16 at 12.45pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday - (Ten 1st Choice, Seven 2nd Choice, Six 3rd Choice)

Setanta - 46 Matches

Package C: a minimum of 12 matches (23 third-choice) at 8pm on Monday, the rest (11) either at 1.30pm on Sunday or 5.15pm on Saturday or other times

Package D: a minimum of 18 matches (8 second-choice + 15 fourth-choice) at 5.15pm on Saturday, the rest (5) either at 1.30pm on Sunday, 8pm on Monday or other times

So Sky has 38 First Choice, 39 Second Choice, 6 Third Choice & 9 Fourth Choice.
Setanta has 8 Second Choice, 23 Third Choice & 15 Fourth Choice.

The weekends where each company has their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice has already been decided.

I don't think anyone will want to watch on Setatna or whatever they called with their third rate games, I think the fans of those clubs will watch at the ground, therefore Setanta will have 0 viewers