Premier League rights may cost £2bn

[gameboy]

Pay-per-view sports channel Setanta has clinched a new four-year deal to cover the Scottish Premier League in a £54.5m package.

Setanta had two years of its original agreement still to run but now has taken its total investment to £71m and will screen 60 live soccer matches each season until 2010.

 

[Salty25]

Sky in a strong position for remaining packages - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/04/30/ccsky30.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/04/30/ixcity.html

Also there has been widespread rumour that the top packages of rights, Package A (23 first pick games @ Sunday 4pmKO), is one of the three unsold packages.

 

[martz]

if NTL win the rights will they have to broadcast them via sky because i heard that if a company wins rights they have to broadcast it via the main platforms eg Satellite (Sky) and Cable (Ntl/Virgin, Telewest)is that is one of the reasons Prem Plus is on cable?

 

[Salty25]

if NTL win the rights will they have to broadcast them via sky because i heard that if a company wins rights they have to broadcast it via the main platforms eg Satellite (Sky) and Cable (Ntl/Virgin, Telewest)is that is one of the reasons Prem Plus is on cable?

Not actually true (shocking, I know). Bids are taken on the bases of being 'platform neutral', so the winning bidder could, if they wanted to, broadcast them over the internet and not on TV at all! However, if NTL/Virgin did win, they would need to broadcast it on Sky to make the the operation financial viable (apparently they would launch 'Virgin Sports' channel).

 

[Salty25]

Sky win Package A, Setanta take two remaining packages -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4975632.stm

http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=1273497&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=NewsLatestFAPremierLeagueNews&breadcrumb=latestfa_breadcrumb

 

[Salty25]

Apparently, this is these are the details of the packages, and whose won what:

BSkyB have been awarded the following four packages...
Package A: BSkyB
23 first-choice matches on Sunday at 1600.
Package B: BSkyB
23 second-choice matches on Sunday at 1330.
Package E: BSkyB
5 first-choice, 9 third-choice & 9 fourth-choice matches on Saturday 1245.
Package F: BSkyB
10 first-choice, 7 second-choice & 6 third-choice matches on midweek, bank holidays, Sunday 1600 or Saturdays 1245.


Setanta have been awarded the following two packages...
Package C: Setanta
23 third-choice matches on Monday at 2000, Sunday at 1330 or Saturday at 1715.
Package D: Setanta
8 second-choice & 15 fourth-choice matches on Saturday at 1715, Sunday at 1330 or Monday at 2000.



PLEASE NOTE:
- The two broadcasters will be able to show games for three years, beginning in 2007.
- BSkyB will show all it's 92 live games on Sky Sports. No Prem Plus pay-per-view service!
- Sky Sports will cover all their matches in high definition too, on Sky Sports HD.
- Irish broadcasters, Setanta Sport will show their 46 games on their subscription channels. They will not be available for viewers in the Republic of Ireland!
- The auction process was "technologically neutral", allowing the possibility of games being broadcast over the internet.


So, this is how a typical weekend may look in 2007/2008:

Saturday:

12.45 - Liverpool vs Everton - Sky Sports 1
17.15 - Bolton vs Leeds - Setanta Sports 1

Sunday:

13.30 - Arsenal vs Charlton - Sky Sports 1
16.00 - Man United vs Chelsea - Sky Sports 1

Monday:

20.00 - West Ham vs Reading - Setanta Sports 1

 

[Salty25]

Projected Cost to the customer

This is my reckoning of the cost of viewing all games live from the Premiership:

Note that Sky have confirmed PremPlus will NOT exist post 2006/2007, all games will be on Sky Sports. Setanta Sports have also confirmed that all their Premiership games will be broadcast WITHIN their existing 7 channel lineup (http://www.setanta.com/portal/article/football::england?open&articleid=c1474b0d3f5a46f1802571650056d7e5)

Sky Sports World - £34 or Sky World - £42
Setanta Sports - £14
TOTAL - £48-£58
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MY OWN OPINION

Therefore, I predict that the cost to the customer will be more than todays prices:

Sky Sports World - £36 or Sky World - £42
PremPlus - £50 annually = £5 (spread over 9 months of the league season)
TOTAL - £41-47

HOWEVER, this all depends on how Sky want to play it. They may well not move the price at all, and it really will cost customers more, and Setanta may well lose out.

 

[Salty25]

Also, another interesting situation has arisen: where will Setanta fit their SPL games... will they force SPL to play games around the kick off times of Premiership games? If they did, the only two daytime weekend slots I can think of would be Saturday (10.45-11am KO) and Sunday morning (10.45-11.45am KO)! I'm sure Setanta would need to exploit their SPL rights to interest enough people, both north and south of the border, to subscribe to their inferior package (bear in mind that the packages they've won are UK ONLY, and will not be broadcast in Ro Ireland, their major market in which they broadcast Saturday 3pm KO's).

 

[Salty25]

Done some research: Setanta show all SPL games on Top-Up TV for £8 a game, so would it be out of the question if they made a proper football channel on Top-Up TV for £12 a month? I wouldnt mind getting another set-top box if it saved me money, and I'm not to concerned about missing Bundesliga or NASN! As I've said, all depends on how much Sky charge.

 

[Leee]

good luck to setanta but as a sky world customer, if I pay more it'll be in the form of an ART card or nothing. Simple as that.

The loss of MNF on Sky is a shame but with CL Tuesday and Wednesday, the wife'll be pleased ;)

And of course there is the question of what the Dreambox will offer through the season ;)

A serious question is - does anyone think the woman in the EU has achieved anything with all this?

 

[rolfw]

Oh, I think that the EU have definitely achieved something, but it isn't anything which will dramatically benefit the consumer, if benefit them at all.

 

[Analoguesat]

Oh, I think that the EU have definitely achieved something,

Yeah - the football fanatic pays twice instead of once!

I can see a poll coming on

 

[wod]

Yeah - the football fanatic pays twice instead of once!

I can see a poll coming on

if the football fanatic has any sense they will have art sports, canal + etc money better spent

 

[jimbo]

TUTV would have to pay me to watch SPL.

I'll hazard a guess and say either Celtic or Rangers will be champions of the SPL next season.

 

[Salty25]

if the football fanatic has any sense they will have art sports, canal + etc money better spent

I'm looking at ART (if it still exists 2007/2008 onward) and its looks increasingly attractive. I'm a student, so dont have the immediate disposable funds for ART installion etc etc, but once I graduate and get a proper job, its in with a definite look in. I think I'll always subscribe to Sky Family Pack with Sky+ though, cos thats a fair-ish price for what your getting. The premium movies and sports content on Sky are extremely over-priced, when you consider you can get ALL Premiership games with TWI English commentary, and more - and more recent - movies with English audio track, on both ART or DigitALB. However, after this UK deal, I can see the Premier League, Sky, and Setanta in a big joint effort to really cut down on the ability to get overseas satellite.

It made me laugh watching the BBC report on the rights deal. They reported that customers now had 'a choice' of who to subscribe to. THERE IS NO CHOICE, Sky still hold all the rights to the big games, Setanta have the scrabs. I'm gutted to be honest, cos as time went on-and-on, it appeared to me that the Premier League were more likely to give half the rights, including the big Package A, to NTL/Virgin. If they had, then I really think we could have seen a 'realisation' of the true price of the rights, which I think is no more than £30 a month max.

 

[Salty25]

Also, another interesting situation has arisen: where will Setanta fit their SPL games... will they force SPL to play games around the kick off times of Premiership games? If they did, the only two daytime weekend slots I can think of would be Saturday (10.45-11am KO) and Sunday morning (10.45-11.45am KO)! I'm sure Setanta would need to exploit their SPL rights to interest enough people, both north and south of the border, to subscribe to their inferior package (bear in mind that the packages they've won are UK ONLY, and will not be broadcast in Ro Ireland, their major market in which they broadcast Saturday 3pm KO's).

Having spoken to some Scotsmen, they have informed me that from next season, Setanta will most likely broadcast Edinburgh club games on Friday night, and Old Firm games on Saturday or Sunday, so here is my revised weekend:

Friday:
7.45 - Hearts vs Dunfermline - Setanta Sports 1

Saturday:

12.45 - Liverpool vs Everton - Sky Sports 1
17.15 - Bolton vs Leeds - Setanta Sports 1

Sunday:

12.00 - Celtic vs Aberdeen - Setanta Sports 1
13.30 - Arsenal vs Charlton - Sky Sports 1
16.00 - Man United vs Chelsea - Sky Sports 1

Monday:

20.00 - West Ham vs Reading - Setanta Sports 1

 

[Salty25]

I've just looked at the numbers (money in - money out), and frankly I struggle to see how this can possibly add up for Setanta. How many people will actually pay £14 a month to see at very best Liverpool vs Everton/Man U vs Man City, but mostly West Ham vs Reading/Bolton vs Middlesbrough, and four Old Firm derbies a season as an extra? Unless Setanta offer a PremPlus style £50 a year offer, this will not work out for anyone but present SPL/NASN subbers.

I think the technical term for what the FA Premier League have pulled off in this rights deal is 'a blinder' O-Ha.

Who knows, as I've said before, maybe this is all just a (what they though are) clever tactic on the part of Setanta investors and owners to tempt Sky to buy them out, but even then, are Sky gonna be interest/worried about 60 SPL game, 46 inferior Premiership games, Irish League and Cup football, Celtic League rugby, Gaelic sports, and Major League Baseball, inferior NFL games, and unattractive NHL rights??? Don't think so.

 

[gameboy]

Setanta own the rights to cover French, German and Dutch football also.

They are considering offering the newly won Premiership football over the Top Up TV platform as-well-as cable and satellite.

Sky may not have won the rights to the games but as far as Joe public is concerned the fact that you can watch all the games on 'Sky' is a win win situation. All be it they cost extra (Sky subscribers are used to that).

As most people what satellite TV is and they will say Sky they think Sky own every channel etc. Even cable viewers think they get Sky 'without the dish' people just don't see the difference!

Who know what incentive (if any) Setanta have to promote Freeview with the switch due over the next few years.

Rant over...

 

[Salty25]

[Thought this maybe of some indirectly relevant interest]

Irish broadcaster TV3 is planning to invest €100 million (£67 million) in sports broadcaster Setanta, according to the Sunday Times.

The move is part of a wider plan from new owners Doughty Hanson - a Brit-based private equity firm - to expand TV3's media assets.

Setanta is in the process of finding €320 million (£215 million) to fund its successful English Premiership rights bid and launch a new golfing channel.

Some sharing of TV sports rights is also expected to be included as part of the TV3 deal.

(Source - Digital Spy