Sports Extra (TNT/Premier)

Dindane

mikeym wrote: »

Last day of Eir Sports on Virgin Media.

Its a shame Eir and Virgin couldnt work out a deal.

Watch Virgin launch their own Irish sports channel now.

It had been rumoured a few months ago, but now that they've axed Eir Sport (which they never called by its new name), it now makes sense.

Delta2113

Not going to happen for now. Virgin would not have enough Sports content.

Dodge

Without BT, Setanta was struggling. A stand alone Virgin sports is a complete non runner particularly as they've just alienated a ton of sports fans

Not to mention rights issues etc etc.

icdg

I think Virgin will concentrate on acquiring rights for TV3, to be honest, rather than go down the pay sports channel route. They're still rather weak on that front though they'll be bolstered by the Six Nations from 2018. Getting GAA rights in the forthcoming auction will be a target, as I think both Sky and Eir's rights will be vulnerable for different reasons (but we have a whole other thread on that).

Anyone who thought the rebrand might mean shiney new graphics from Eir Sport btw - nope, they've just swapped yellow for blue and changed the font. The stupid diamond clock is still there.

Elmo

icdg wrote: »

Anyone who thought the rebrand might mean shiney new graphics from Eir Sport btw - nope, they've just swapped yellow for blue and changed the font. The stupid diamond clock is still there.

idents are the same?

icdg

The idents are different (though no better, and rather garish). It's the actual football graphics I'm talking about.

Incidentally Premier Sports are using the same graphics (with yellow instead of blue) for their Scottish Challenge Cup game tonight.

dulpit

icdg wrote: »

The stupid diamond clock is still there.

I watched the last 15 minutes of the Dundalk game on mobile yesterday. The quality was good but you're right - that diamond clock is stupid. Very stupid.

icdg

New look for BT Sport from today, as BT Sport Europe becomes BT Sport 3. Unfortunately it keeps the "Sky Sports News-style" bottom and sidebars during recorded programming.

In the UK, the Ultra HD channel becomes BT Sport 4K.

Johnboy1951

icdg wrote: »

New look for BT Sport from today, as BT Sport Europe becomes BT Sport 3. Unfortunately it keeps the "Sky Sports News-style" bottom and sidebars during recorded programming.

It is available without the side or bottom bar on BT Sports x6. (BT Sports Extra 6)

icdg

In SD.

Chris_Bradley

Is BT's 4K channel to remain exclusive to their own service in the UK next season?

icdg

They haven't announced any change for the moment.

icdg

BT announced details of their new Soccer Saturday rival, BT Sport Score today. Many have tried to ape the Soccer Saturday format, but few have succeeded (though the BBC presists with Final Score, which, although the name preceeds Soccer Saturday, only aired as a 30 minutes or so slot on Grandstand until the late 1990s).

http://sport.bt.com/football/news/bt-sport-unveils-two-new-live-saturday-football-shows-S11364077195571

BT will also air a round up programme at 8:00pm, Premier League Tonight, though afaik it won't actually be allowed show game highlights.

Talking of highlights there is still no news as to the Irish highlights rights to the Premier League, and as of now, there is no highlights show in Eir Sport 1's schedule for Saturday 13th August, the first day of the season.

sigmundv

icdg wrote:

BT announced details of their new Soccer Saturday rival, BT Sport Score today. Many have tried to ape the Soccer Saturday format, but few have succeeded (though the BBC presists with Final Score, which, although the name preceeds Soccer Saturday, only aired as a 30 minutes or so slot on Grandstand until the late 1990s).

In fact I prefer the low key Final Score to the loud and hyperbolic Soccer Saturday, but as far as I've seen online I'm quite alone in this preference.

Elmo

Q: Tony Hanaway head of Virgin said that he wasn't considering using the brand Eir against Eir but didn't Virgin kind of do this?

http://m.independent.ie/business/technology/no-chance-of-late-deal-between-virgin-and-eir-over-sports-channels-34938996.html

lertsnim

It will be a nice ratings boost for Virgin's TV3 on Champions League nights.

sigmundv

Just saw the new BT Sport DOGs. Very pleasant on the eye compared to the old ones.

lertsnim

They have shrunk which is always welcome. Even BT Sport // ESPN is almost acceptable now.

icdg

The ESPN one is a welcome improvement, though it's the full colour live version of that DOG ("BT Sport//ESPN HD LIVE") which is worse offender.

seamus

Elmo wrote: »

Q: Tony Hanaway head of Virgin said that he wasn't considering using the brand Eir against Eir but didn't Virgin kind of do this?

http://m.independent.ie/business/technology/no-chance-of-late-deal-between-virgin-and-eir-over-sports-channels-34938996.html

I think Virgin Media are betting on internet and communications as a long-term strategy as the end is nigh for cable/satellite TV packages.

Eventually and imminently someone will launch a netflix-style service catering purely for sports (probably netflix themselves tbh) which will be the beginning of the end of add-on sports packages from the likes of Sky.

Elmo

seamus wrote: »

I think Virgin Media are betting on internet and communications as a long-term strategy as the end is nigh for cable/satellite TV packages.

Eventually and imminently someone will launch a netflix-style service catering purely for sports (probably netflix themselves tbh) which will be the beginning of the end of add-on sports packages from the likes of Sky.

technically an add on just not added to your bill and paid directly. I am surprised that Eir isn't offering its online pack to non-Sky and non-Eir customers.

also isn't GAA GO really that type of service.

irishfeen

Has EirSport (Setanta) lost the rights to the Premier League highlights show? I see its not scheduled for next Saturday Night

icdg

There's currently no Premier League highlight show scheduled on any Irish broadcaster, which I guess means at this late point that the FAPL have failed to sell the rights.

irishfeen

icdg wrote: »

There's currently no Premier League highlight show scheduled on any Irish broadcaster, which I guess means at this late point that the FAPL have failed to sell the rights.

That's amazing! Why in the name of God don't TV3 pick up the rights to the show - use world feed commentary crews and it could be made very easily!

icdg

seamus wrote: »

Eventually and imminently someone will launch a netflix-style service catering purely for sports (probably netflix themselves tbh) which will be the beginning of the end of add-on sports packages from the likes of Sky.

Eir Sport can be taken without any other package (as long as you had Sky at some point).

To be honest I don't think that's a market Netflix will get into, they are all about recorded content and have no experience doing live. They've also made clear that, now that they are available (almost) globally, they will want to do more global deals and sports rights holders won't play ball with that.

flazio

I'm looking at Eir Sport schedule on Sunday however and 5:45 until 10:00 doesn't have anything on (unless "Planning Purpose" is some event I've never heard of) . Possibly they'll put a highlights show on a Sunday to catch all matches over the weekend.

icdg

flazio wrote: »

I'm looking at Eir Sport schedule on Sunday however and 5:45 until 10:00 doesn't have anything on (unless "Planning Purpose" is some event I've never heard of) . Possibly they'll put a highlights show on a Sunday to catch all matches over the weekend.

Marseille v Toulouse and Bastia v PSG are scheduled on Sky EPG

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

The decision not to force through a deal seems fairly pig headed on both Eir and Virgins part.

I could easily be wrong but I would have assumed the way they handle subscriptions would go something like this. I pay Virgin 25 per month for EirSport/BT, Virgin take a small cut of say a fiver, and they hand the remaining 20 over to Eir. Don't both companies make money from a deal?

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Also kinda off topic, but were Virgin a bit stupid for changing their name? I was under the assumption that UPC had an excellent reputation for providing the best broadband in the country, they spent a massive sum of money only a few years ago pushing their brand name forward fronted by the enigmatic Craig Doyle, only to change their name to a word which is a little weird, and is far more associated with planes and music shops.

icdg

That is off topic, but briefly, more to do with changes at Liberty Global group level and in particular the decision to change the Irish operations reporting relationship to reporting via London instead of Amsterdam.