Setanta wins Guinness Premiership rights

Stev_o

So the ever expanding Setanta will now have the rights to show 68 games of the competition including the final while Sky are left with 29 plus semi and final. Some steal.

Premier Rugby announced today that live domestic television broadcast rights contracts had been agreed for the Guinness Premiership with Setanta and Sky Sports.



The new 3 year deals will commence in the 2010/11 season and will see the number of live televised Guinness Premiership games more than double the current 33 to 69 a season.

Setanta will broadcast 43 live Guinness Premiership games a season including a Guinness Premiership Semi Final and the Guinness Premiership Final.

Sky Sports will broadcast 26 live Guinness Premiership games including a Guinness Premiership Semi Final.

In addition to the live rights Premier Rugby has also concluded broadcast agreements for the Guinness Premiership’s highlights, broadband and mobile offering. Details of theses agreements will be released at a later date.

In a difficult economic climate the new agreements will deliver in excess of £54 million in revenue over 3 years, which is a 45% increase to the Guinness Premiership clubs. This increase along with double the match coverage will enable the clubs to develop their commercial businesses on the back of an increasingly strong broadcast platform.

Mark McCafferty, CEO of Premier Rugby, said “The substantial increase in value and exposure for the Guinness Premiership is fantastic news for our clubs, their supporters and sponsors and is a reflection of the growing attraction of club rugby. We are delighted to continue our relationship with Sky Sports and look forward to working with Setanta on delivering more matches from the Guinness Premiership than ever before. For rugby fans the new deals mean that every weekend there will be a choice of three live televised Guinness Premiership games on Setanta and Sky Sports plus a free to air highlights show featuring action from all six games.”

hardCopy

I hope this doesn't have a negative effect on their coverage of the Magner's League.

Iang87

hardCopy wrote: »

I hope this doesn't have a negative effect on their coverage of the Magner's League.

Ya hopefully it doesn't it shouldn't they're still a young station so are trying to get as much as they can. it should be interesting to see what sky come up with to fill the gaps

phog

hardCopy wrote: »

I hope this doesn't have a negative effect on their coverage of the Magner's League.

The only negative is that they might drop it onve their contract is up, the positives is that might now get a few decent commentators and improve their camera angles, sometimes it looks like their filming from another town they seem to be so far away from play.

themont85

I highly doubt they'll drop the ML. They bought that largely for the Irish audience and iirc pay a realitve pittance for it, Sky don't want it in England so its piss cheap i'd say for the overseas rights. They want as many subscribers from demographics as possible. Buying the GP gives them access to the a highly lucrative demographic. Sky have kept what they wanted(allbeit no final?!) and still have the HC. But now Setanta have access to all the best teams in both Britain and Ireland, a major boost for them. Setanta is all about subscribers, not ratings for now, this will give them a boost-but will enhance what their major goal is it seems, to buy as many sports rights as possible with a chunk of subscribers to sell of at a later date(ESPN most likely).

Goodluck2me

Super strategic move by Setanta - Premiership football, rubgy, Magners league internationals, they are really developing the brand well.
I'd not like to lay money on them getting HC in a few years either.

toomevara

goodluck2me wrote: »

Super strategic move by Setanta - Premiership football, rubgy, Magners league internationals, they are really developing the brand well.
I'd not like to lay money on them getting HC in a few years either.

Yep, nice to see some genuine competition in the market for Sky's coverage. Will keep them honest and also,hopefully, keep costs down for the Punter.

Hope they also take a look at Super League. They already stream coverage of the NRL from Oz and I'd like to see them bid for some UK RL, if only so I don't have to listen to those two colossal Bell-ends, Eddie and Stevo, commentate any more!

Digifriendly

Good news if you're a Setanta subscriber but not so good if you're Sky subscriber only. Won't take effect for 2 seasions but still looks like rugby is following the way of soccer - you simply have to pay to watch best clubs live. Just wondering if present recession were to continue for another 2-3 years whether many would still be willing to pay extra in subscriptions to watch all club rugby on Setanta and Sky.

Stev_o

Digifriendly wrote: »

Good news if you're a Setanta subscriber but not so good if you're Sky subscriber only. Won't take effect for 2 seasions but still looks like rugby is following the way of soccer - you simply have to pay to watch best clubs live. Just wondering if present recession were to continue for another 2-3 years whether many would still be willing to pay extra in subscriptions to watch all club rugby on Setanta and Sky.

God damn you Irish rugby is depressing enough as it is without having to mentioning the on going recession :P

Wonder what new commentators and panelists they ll get for it because if they stick with what they have it ll be a nightmare.

zenmonk

I'd say with the growing European popularity of teams like Munster, Leinster, Ospreys and Cardiff Sky could well make a bid to take a few games from the ML in the future, especially as there will be a knockout format next year.

sm.org

Good move for them, I image Setanta Ireland will still focus on the ML and the Setanta sports package will have more GP games.

Wish they'd spend more then a tenner on guest commentators though.

Erin Go Brath

This shouldn't affect ML coverage. Setanta have 3 Irish sports Channels: Setanta Ireland, Setanta 1, and Setanta 2. Theres plenty of channels there to show a number of big games from both leagues every weekend. They will always show Munster and Leinster i would imagine as those two teams would be the biggest audience pullers.

ozt9vdujny3srf

Sky have HC until 2014 so thats going nowhere.

Personally is cheeses me off a bit that you have to pay for one TV provider to see all of your teams games, let alone 2.

Chucky the tree

toomevara wrote: »

Yep, nice to see some genuine competition in the market for Sky's coverage. Will keep them honest and also,hopefully, keep costs down for the Punter.

How will having to subscribe to two different channels keep costs for the punter down?

toomevara

Chucky the tree wrote: »

How will having to subscribe to two different channels keep costs for the punter down?

I guess I was thinking along the lines of plumping for one over other, with increased competition meaning the companies need to come up with more attractive, cost-competitive packages.

But I do of course take your point, I've got both (must have my NRL) but tbh, as it stands, If one had to go (which it may very well have to:( ) it's going to be Setanta.....Now, if Setanta were to get some HC/Super League action, that might be a more difficult decision to make, hence my point....

Chucky the tree

toomevara wrote: »

I guess I was thinking along the lines of plumping for one over other, with increased competition meaning the companies need to come up with more attractive, cost-competitive packages.

But I do of course take your point, I've got both (must have my NRL) but tbh, as it stands, If one had to go (which it may very well have to:( ) it's going to be Setanta.....Now, if Setanta were to get some HC/Super League action, that might be a more difficult decision to make, hence my point....

If Sentanta got the lot it wouldnt be so bad, but what they've done has made it far worse for the punter. Basically having to fork out for 2 subscriptions too see all the matches. It's the same for the premiership and so far I've havent signed up for Setanta 1.

Thank god they cant touch the HEC for a good while. Once they dont start showing nfl I'll stick with sky, but it's annoying.

toomevara

Chucky the tree wrote: »

If Sentanta got the lot it wouldnt be so bad, but what they've done has made it far worse for the punter. Basically having to fork out for 2 subscriptions too see all the matches.

Indeed Chucky, you're right...talking through me hat, or worse (again).

Chucky the tree

toomevara wrote: »

Indeed Chucky, you're right...talking through me hat, or worse (again).

It's an extremely rare occourance, that's why I had to pick you up on it! You could argue though that since the number of games beng shown will be doubled it mightnt workout too bad.

themont85

Chucky the tree wrote: »

If Sentanta got the lot it wouldnt be so bad, but what they've done has made it far worse for the punter. Basically having to fork out for 2 subscriptions too see all the matches. It's the same for the premiership and so far I've havent signed up for Setanta 1.

Thank god they cant touch the HEC for a good while. Once they dont start showing nfl I'll stick with sky, but it's annoying.

Yep completely true. The wise old hats of the European Commision in trying to bring more 'competition' managed to create a olligopoly where before we had a monopoly. Ensuring that the EPL rights were split in packages was imo a dreadful decision. Although essentially all Setanta got was Sky's old ppv games it has given them a launchpad to create a pay sport channel which can buy rights to other sports. Where as before I just paid for Sky and got practicaly all i wanted, now i dish out for Setanta too. The argument that now Setanta give me all the extra sport for perhaps double what the ppv cost is bull. Rights to US golf, Fa Cup games, NRL, Aussie Rules, boxing ect were all at Sky before. Now the fact that I have less content and more 'competition' would perhaps make you think that Sky might cost less than before Setanta, well guess what it doesn't. Now although its only a small reduction in GP games(final though crucial) it all adds up. Sky and Setanta imo are happy to divy up rights because they know we'll pay. Each has their porfollio to ensure subs, ie Rugby League fan-NRL(Set) and Super League(Sky).

Competition my arse, all it has done has inflated footballers salaries further.

Goodluck2me

There is a difference to having to fork out for another subscription, and having more choice.
e.g. Sky showed 40 games in the first year of Sky Sports.

Now they show around 66, and setanta show around 40 - so you get about 65 more games per season on TV each year, it doesn;t mean you have to buy both, it just means you have the option to.
If you had sky you still get the 40 you did before, in fact more, you now also have the CHOICE of the extra ones.