Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Champions League on pay TV only?

Options
«134567…15

Comments

  • Options
    #2
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    The travails of RTE and TV3 are such that one wouldn't be surprised assuming there are no genuine "domestic" rights.


  • Options
    #3
    mikeym
    Registered Users Posts: 3,984 ✭✭✭mikeym


    BT wouldnt be interested in the Irish rights.

    Their Europa League games are blocked to Irish viewers.

    It would be a joke if Itv lost the rights they only get one match between the two days group matches. Sky have way too many games.

    Lucky for us Irish we have Rte and Tv3 (I know Tv3 doesnt show their games in HD). If you dont have sky sports and you live in the Uk you get a bad deal.


  • Options
    #4
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    The article in the Business Post is almost entirely speculation. There's an comment by an unnamed UEFA spokesperson that a British broadcaster could buy the Irish rights exclusively but under EU law they couldn't restrict the bidding to Irish broadcasters anyway.

    The Irish arrangement for Champions League rights is very funny. Officially, the first pick matches are held by TV3 for Tuesday and RTÉ for Wednesday, with Setanta holding all remaining matches. However whatever deal Sky have with UEFA for the UK rights appears to also provide that they can broadcast these games in Ireland also, even if an Irish broadcaster is also showing the games - Sky is listed as an official broadcaster of the Champions League in Ireland on UEFA's website.

    There's also been a bit of comment that the French rights have gone exclusively to a pay-TV broadcaster but as the Charles Sale piece in the Mail imitates that may have been a one-off though we'll have to see.

    I don't buy this "BT Sport is not interested in Ireland" line by the way. All of BT's rights apart from the aforementioned UEFA Europa League rights (the deal for which was not done by BT, but inherited from ESPN where the same restriction applies - as indeed it does for ITV) are for both the UK and Ireland. Contrary to popular opinion nobody (as far as we know) stuck a gun to BT's head and told them to buy the Irish rights to the Premier League. That said Setanta would probably prefer if it was retain its own rights to the Champions League than BT take over.


  • Options
    #5
    Onthe3rdDay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,194 ✭✭✭Onthe3rdDay


    icdg wrote: »

    There's also been a bit of comment that the French rights have gone exclusively to a pay-TV broadcaster but as the Charles Sale piece in the Mail imitates that may have been a one-off though we'll have to see.

    It wouldn't surprise me if one of the matches was still shown on one of the Free to Air stations in France once the dust has settled. A taster if you will for the main course on Pay TV.

    I would assume that UEFA want some sort of Free to Air coverage in as many territories as possible. The UK being the perfect example. 1 match a week.

    However, Football authorities make surprising decisions far more often than we like.


  • Options
    #6
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,492 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    icdg wrote: »
    However whatever deal Sky have with UEFA for the UK rights appears to also provide that they can broadcast these games in Ireland also, even if an Irish broadcaster is also showing the games - Sky is listed as an official broadcaster of the Champions League in Ireland on UEFA's website.

    After I read the article in the paper today I did a bit of research on this.

    According to the UEFA website Setanta Sports Hibernia Sarl, Radio Telefis Eireann and TV3 Television Network Limited have the RoI TV rights to the 2012-15 Champions League and Super Cup, no mention of Sky in UEFA press release.

    http://www.uefa.org/events/marketing/media-rights-and-services/news/newsid=1791613.html#irish+media+rights
    http://www.uefa.org/events/marketing/media-rights-and-services/news/newsid=1623933.html

    The UEFA Europa League 2012-15 TV rights went to TV3 Television Network Limited and Setanta Sports

    http://www.uefa.org/events/marketing/media-rights-and-services/news/newsid=1800612.html
    icdg wrote: »
    There's also been a bit of comment that the French rights have gone exclusively to a pay-TV broadcaster but as the Charles Sale piece in the Mail imitates that may have been a one-off though we'll have to see.

    The article in the Mail gives the impression the French TV rights have already been awarded for 2015-18, they haven't. The French TV rights they were referring to were for 2012-15 period where the Qatar-owned beIN SPORT channel (Al Jazeera Media Network) will broadcast 133 matches (€61m per season) on pay-tv with Canal+ having just 13 first picks per season (€50m over 3 seasons) on their pay TV channel. The final is broadcast FTA on Canal+ and TF1 (€2.5m per year). It seems that French 2012 right deal has set a precedent that UEFA may follow again this time around, we'll see I guess.
    But ITV will hope that live terrestrial coverage is still regarded as crucial by UEFA and that France is a special case because of the Qatari influence. Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund own Paris St-Germain and it is reported political pressure was put on France’s UEFA president Michel Platini to vote for a Qatar World Cup.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2435951/ITV-Champions-League-bid-fears--Charles-Sales-Sports-Agenda.html#ixzz2heIg58ds

    The 2015-18 Champions League & Europa League TV rights process has just got underway and only 4 European countries are involved so far Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,492 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    Onthe3rdDay wrote: »
    It wouldn't surprise me if one of the matches was still shown on one of the Free to Air stations in France once the dust has settled. A taster if you will for the main course on Pay TV.

    ....

    However, Football authorities make surprising decisions far more often than we like.

    Under the current contract all Champions League matches in France are on pay TV, only the Final is FTA on Canal+ and TF1


  • Options
    #8
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    The Cush wrote: »

    According to the UEFA website Setanta Sports Hibernia Sarl, Radio Telefis Eireann and TV3 Television Network Limited have the RoI TV rights to the 2012-15 Champions League and Super Cup, no mention of Sky in UEFA press release.

    Nonetheless, if you click on UEFA.com's "Live Streaming" page, you'll notice Sky Sports listed as an official UEFA Broadcast Partner along with TV3, RTÉ, and Setanta:

    http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/video/livematchcoverage/index.html

    Part of the UEFA Champions League contract is a requirement to provide online streaming - even Setanta does it.

    There may be an element here of UEFA "talking up" the rights in order to secure increased bids from existing holders. This is in the context of the UK market where UEFA's requirements make it, while not impossible, very difficult for the BBC to bid. As it happens I'd be surprised if there isn't at least one FTA broadcaster in both the UK and Ireland.


  • Options
    #9
    channelsurfer2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,582 ✭✭✭channelsurfer2


    all speculation in relation to the irish rights as it could be this time next year again they are even offered. the UK rights much more difficult to tell. I still cant see a scenario where BT will end up with the lions share unless they triple what the existing costs are to ITV and SKY.

    allowing sky to co-broadcast the rte and tv3 games suits rte and tv3 as otherwise sky would easily outbid them for the exclusive irish rights. (Ryle nugent said RTE pay around 1million euro a year, which is peanuts)


  • Options
    #10
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,492 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    icdg wrote: »
    There may be an element here of UEFA "talking up" the rights in order to secure increased bids from existing holders. This is in the context of the UK market where UEFA's requirements make it, while not impossible, very difficult for the BBC to bid. As it happens I'd be surprised if there isn't at least one FTA broadcaster in both the UK and Ireland.

    You could be right about UEFA talking up the issue but they are moving towards payTV as we've seen in France and Italy in the 2012-15 CL round and Scandinavia for the European & World Cup qualifiers. It will be interesting to see where the UK and Scandinavian CL TV rights go in the coming months.


  • Options
    #11
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    In a slightly odd move perhaps not unrelated to this process, but ultimately for reasons known only to BSkyB, Manchester United v Sociedad will be simulcast on Sky One next Wednesday. First live sport on that channel for many years.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,492 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    The Cush wrote: »
    It will be interesting to see where the UK and Scandinavian CL TV rights go in the coming months.

    Getting interesting - BT Sport to show Champions League and Europa League football from 2015
    BT Sport was last night on the brink of a stunning victory in the battle for Champions League football after blowing BSkyB and ITV out of the water with a near £1 billion bid for the world’s biggest club competition.

    The new broadcaster is understood to have begun final negotiations with Uefa for the exclusive UK live rights for both the Champions League and Europa League for three years from 2015, signalling an end to decades of terrestrial coverage of European club football.

    Scandinavian CL TV rights (Sweden, Norway and Denmark) went to pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group.

    German and Austrian CL TV rights are next up for auction.


  • Options
    #13
    indiewindy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,425 ✭✭✭indiewindy


    These are very likely to be our last 2 seasons of having fta champions league football in Ireland, Setanta are dead certs to buy the Irish rights now. We will be left with internationals fta:(
    BT are agreeing to show 1 game per season fta for each English club and the final.


  • Options
    #14
    Badabing
    Registered Users Posts: 1,907 ✭✭✭Badabing


    Highly doubtful Setanta could afford to get exclusive Champ League coverage in Ireland, maybe one of the nights plus it all depends on how much RTE values their coverage and if TV3 go big and bid for both nights again with the saving they'll make from no Corrie and Emerdale.


  • Options
    #15
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Badabing wrote: »
    Highly doubtful Setanta could afford to get exclusive Champ League coverage in Ireland, maybe one of the nights plus it all depends on how much RTE values their coverage and if TV3 go big and bid for both nights again with the saving they'll make from no Corrie and Emerdale.

    No I don't think so, unless they did some sort of joint bid with BT Sport. It's been ages since there's been any change in the Irish rights to the Champions League and if there was any change, I'd be wagering on the possibility of TV3 losing the Tuesday night first pick games if they feel they can't afford them. RTÉ will keep their Wednesday first game unless they are somehow outbid.

    I think the big issue here is the loss of Match Choice. Right now Sky are broadcasting up to 8 games in a night during the group stages. We'll lose all of this unless BT Sport offers something similar and its not blocked here. Assuming the existing rights holders retain the Irish rights, it'll be down to the terrestrial first choice and one, perhaps sometimes two, games on Setanta. If you take that there are typically four English teams in the group stages, and sometimes one Scottish, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to figure that on any given night during the group stages RTÉ/TV3 will show one of the British sides and Setanta one of the others. So attractive games involving continental teams, such as Milan v Juventus this week, won't get any Irish coverage at all.


  • Options
    #16
    losthorizon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭losthorizon


    mikeym wrote: »
    BT wouldnt be interested in the Irish rights.

    Their Europa League games are blocked to Irish viewers.

    It would be a joke if Itv lost the rights they only get one match between the two days group matches. Sky have way too many games.

    Lucky for us Irish we have Rte and Tv3 (I know Tv3 doesnt show their games in HD). If you dont have sky sports and you live in the Uk you get a bad deal.



    Europa League games never get blocked for me:confused:


  • Options
    #17
    ziggyman17
    Registered Users Posts: 1,404 ✭✭✭ziggyman17


    I wonder how bt can get the exclusive rights in England, would'nt that be seen as a monopoly, like when sky could not have 100% rights to the premier league, I see bt are trying to get around this by offering a free game here and there and having the final as free to air.. maybe sky for the next bidding rights for the premiership will play the same game as bt, by bidding for all the premier league packages and then sub letting some of the weaker games to ITV or the bbc to try and kill off bt.. either way its the paying public that gets screwed yet again, I cannot see how bt are going to make a profit here they have clearly bid well over for these rights..


  • Options
    #18
    Onthe3rdDay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,194 ✭✭✭Onthe3rdDay


    ziggyman17 wrote: »
    I wonder how bt can get the exclusive rights in England, would'nt that be seen as a monopoly, like when sky could not have 100% rights to the premier league, I see bt are trying to get around this by offering a free game here and there and having the final as free to air.. maybe sky for the next bidding rights for the premiership will play the same game as bt, by bidding for all the premier league packages and then sub letting some of the weaker games to ITV or the bbc to try and kill off bt.. either way its the paying public that gets screwed yet again, I cannot see how bt are going to make a profit here they have clearly bid well over for these rights..

    They don't have to make a profit on them as they're a loss leader. It's something to attract the masses in. Just like the 12p loafs of bread in the supermakets years ago. It's a real problem for Sky, everyone else that tried to take them on needed to make a clear profit to stay in Business. They were TV companies first and foremost. BT want to connect people to their phone/broadband lines, they use TV as a tool. It's a different approach, that doesn't mean that it will work, but this is the first real competitor SKY have ever had.


  • Options
    #19
    lertsnim
    Registered Users Posts: 9,718 ✭✭✭lertsnim


    losthorizon wrote: »
    Europa League games never get blocked for me:confused:

    That's strange. Its blocked for everyone else using a Setanta sub on satellite or UPC. Only ever seen it work on a UK sub or someone using illegal means to get BT Sport


  • Options
    #20
    losthorizon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭losthorizon


    Local cable company in waterford


  • Options
    #21
    lertsnim
    Registered Users Posts: 9,718 ✭✭✭lertsnim


    Which company is that?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    paulboland
    Registered Users Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭paulboland


    Sky Box with Irish sub to Setanta
    Add uk versions of Setanta Ireland and Premire Sports
    Using add channels feature

    Setanta Sports 1 transmits when it's not premire broadcast

    I tried this a few weeks ago
    Note premire aka Setanta sports 1
    I had to add again recent as freq changed


  • Options
    #23
    lertsnim
    Registered Users Posts: 9,718 ✭✭✭lertsnim


    What UK version of Setanta Ireland?


  • Options
    #24
    paulboland
    Registered Users Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭paulboland


    lertsnim wrote: »
    What UK version of Setanta Ireland?


    Setanta Northern Ireland

    12633 H
    22000
    5/6
    Add Channels
    Setanta Ireland
    Setanta Sports 1
    Premier Sports

    Premier Sports will work with Setanta subscription on sky
    Premier Sports = Setanta Sports 1


  • Options
    #25
    robertwilliam
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1 ✭robertwilliam


    The Cush wrote: »
    An article in the Sunday Business Post today speculates that the Irish Champions League TV rights from the 2015/16 season onward could end up exclusively on BT Sport or Sky.

    The invitation-to-tender for the British rights closed last Friday with BT Sports and Sky Sports expected to be the main bidders and a potential £1 billion bid.

    The Irish right haven't been opened for tender yet but UEFA said a British bidder could win the rights exclusively. A precedent has been set with the Scandinavian European Championship and World Cup qualifiers going to the SBS Group.

    Setanta, BT Sport and Sky did not comment

    Also - ITV's Champions League bid fears as UEFA set precedent in France

    BT Sport spends £1bn and now eyes a shot at the Champions League
    High stakes game for TV rights will keep UEFA's club giants content

    probably better coverage


  • Options
    #26
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    lertsnim wrote: »
    Which company is that?

    Casey Cablevision I'd guess.


  • Options
    #27
    Digifriendly
    Registered Users Posts: 4,016 ✭✭✭Digifriendly


    First time Sky has been outbid by another competitor re football rights.


  • Options
    #28
    Guffy
    Registered Users Posts: 8,036 ✭✭✭Guffy


    Ha if everyone boycotted bt for a season they wont be long goin bust. 1 billion is a joke.


  • Options
    #29
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    gufc21 wrote: »
    Ha if everyone boycotted bt for a season they wont be long goin bust. 1 billion is a joke.

    Most of their UK subscribers are getting it bundled with something else, either BT Broadband or as part of a Virgin Media package.


  • Options
    #30
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,846 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    gufc21 wrote: »
    Ha if everyone boycotted bt for a season they wont be long goin bust. 1 billion is a joke.
    1 billion over 3 years is 333 a year so small enough considering that BT make 2 billion profit per year on a turnover of over 20 billion.

    So, no, they wont go bust as they can cover the cost of the 3 year deal out of 6 months profits.

    But I cant see how they can be making money on it either. With 900,000 TV customers currently, if you got 100% of them to pay 15 pounds a month you'd still only have 160million or so over the year.

    They are probably just writing off the loss as part of their process of getting their TV platform established, which by the way is what Sky did in the beginning by paying what was an unbelievable sum of money for the premiership.
    Sky spent many many years building up their subscriber base to break even, and thats what BT are doing now.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #31
    Dozen Wicked Words
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,325 ✭✭✭✭Dozen Wicked Words


    So could Sky not just bid for irish rights, small enough outlay could persuade more here to subscribe, and maybe hang on to subscribers it's losing.


Advertisement