Compromise deal over TV football rights

[BarMoo]

Guardian Thursday 17 November, 2005.

The Premier League has reached a settlement with the European commission over the television rights to live Premiership games.


After months of wrangling, the EC today claimed the compromise deal would give fans "greater choice and better value".


The deal is also set to end BSkyB's exclusive 13-year hold on live coverage of top-flight English football.


The league is offering to sell live games in six "balanced" packages with no one bidder allowed to buy all six packages for the 2007/08 season.

Live TV rights will be sold in six balanced packages with no one bidder being allowed to buy all six packages. Packages will be sold to the highest standalone bidder for each package.

 

[BarMoo]

I might be writing BS, but surely this exercise doesn't end-up with 'choices' for the footie fan.

If all pacakges are open to individual bids, the field is now open for individual broadcaster's/providers to throw their weight, and a whole load of dosh, at a specific bid. SKY will no doubt try for five of the six (with a huge hike in subs prices offloaded onto us later).

But, what if it ends up like this:-

Package 1 = SKY
Package 2 = TOP-UP TV
Package 3 = BBC/ITV
Package 4 = NTL/Telewest
Package 5 = BT
Package 6 = Setanta

Subscription hell if you ask me. Who get's more money = the FA, who looses more = the footie fan.

Have Fun,

Mark.