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Eir and Virgin Media Sport - cross supply deal

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    #392
    blindsider
    Registered Users Posts: 2,017 ✭✭✭blindsider


    Does that give us a faint hope that the next item for resolution is the return of Eir Sport on Virgin?


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    #393
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Faint I suspect is the word.


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    #394
    blindsider
    Registered Users Posts: 2,017 ✭✭✭blindsider


    :(


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    #395
    mikeym
    Registered Users Posts: 3,984 ✭✭✭mikeym


    I wouldnt be surprised if Eir close down the Eir Sport channel.

    They dont seem to be interested in getting new sporting content and are happy to show old content.

    Virgin could have taken them to the cleaners over the recent row over the cross supply deal, clearly Eir were in the wrong.


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    #396
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Long term future hinges on what happens with the Pro14 deal. I am not convinced it is currently paying its way for Premier Sports given the resources they need to put in as the main host broadcaster and I suspect they might back out. Where does the league go then? Sky are essentially out of rugby now. BT have PRL and little room in their schedule to do the Pro14 too. A new FTA coalition deal in the U.K. might then be on the cards but could weaken the case for eir Sport if they are effectively left with only interpros exclusively in any new deal. Interesting times ahead.


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    #397
    schmoo2k
    Registered Users Posts: 1,379 ✭✭✭schmoo2k


    icdg wrote: »
    Long term future hinges on what happens with the Pro14 deal. I am not convinced it is currently paying its way for Premier Sports given the resources they need to put in as the main host broadcaster and I suspect they might back out. Where does the league go then? Sky are essentially out of rugby now. BT have PRL and little room in their schedule to do the Pro14 too. A new FTA coalition deal in the U.K. might then be on the cards but could weaken the case for eir Sport if they are effectively left with only interpros exclusively in any new deal. Interesting times ahead.

    Amazon Prime might sweep up those rights?


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    #398
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Don’t see why they’d be interested in the Pro14 when by all accounts their mooted “interest” in PRL was purely imaginary (and left PRL with egg on their face when it turned out to be so and they ended up renewing with BT for less money). Amazon like rights that they don’t have to do any work in producing or that give a boost to their real business (retail and logistics) at a busy time of year.


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    #399
    forzacalcio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭forzacalcio


    Why is the CL/EL not blocked for us over here? If VM have the deal I would have assumed the BT part would be blocked? Will we still get CL/EL on BT from 2021/22 season the way we have for the last few seasons?


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    #400
    iseegirls
    Registered Users Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭iseegirls


    forzacalcio wrote: »
    Why is the CL/EL not blocked for us over here? If VM have the deal I would have assumed the BT part would be blocked? Will we still get CL/EL on BT from 2021/22 season the way we have for the last few seasons?

    It must be that they don't have an exclusive deal (if even something like that exists)

    Renewing the 6 Nations and Champions League this year is crucial for Virgin Media.


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    #401
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    forzacalcio wrote: »
    Why is the CL/EL not blocked for us over here? If VM have the deal I would have assumed the BT part would be blocked? Will we still get CL/EL on BT from 2021/22 season the way we have for the last few seasons?

    Essentially, what happened was that BT’s deal was done first, and was done on the basis of “exclusive in the U.K., non-exclusive in Ireland”. So both BT and Virgin Media have Irish rights to the content in question. This is different from a previous deal ESPN U.K. had for the Europa League only, prior to BT Sport’s entry into the market, where they had only U.K. and not ROI rights and it was blocked here. My recollection is that the last two years of that deal was inherited by BT Sport after they bought what remained of ESPN UK (after they lost the Premier League rights to BT) and that may have informed the change from 2015 onwards.


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    #402
    forzacalcio
    Registered Users Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭forzacalcio


    icdg wrote: »
    Essentially, what happened was that BT’s deal was done first, and was done on the basis of “exclusive in the U.K., non-exclusive in Ireland”. So both BT and Virgin Media have Irish rights to the content in question. This is different from a previous deal ESPN U.K. had for the Europa League only, prior to BT Sport’s entry into the market, where they had only U.K. and not ROI rights and it was blocked here. My recollection is that the two years of that deal was inherited by BT Sport after they bought what remained of ESPN UK (after they lost the Premier League rights to BT) and that may have informed the change from 2015 onwards.

    Thanks that makes sense. If VM do get exclusive CL/EL rights surley they would get their channels on the Sky platform?


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    #403
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,434 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    icdg wrote: »
    Long term future hinges on what happens with the Pro14 deal. I am not convinced it is currently paying its way for Premier Sports given the resources they need to put in as the main host broadcaster and I suspect they might back out. Where does the league go then? Sky are essentially out of rugby now. BT have PRL and little room in their schedule to do the Pro14 too. A new FTA coalition deal in the U.K. might then be on the cards but could weaken the case for eir Sport if they are effectively left with only interpros exclusively in any new deal. Interesting times ahead.

    I think the fact that Premier Sports have been really quiet / evasive about releasing subscriber numbers etc suggests it's not doing well.

    I think the Pro14 is going to end up with no TV deal and back on free to air.

    Eir sports will collapse. They are absolutely deluding themselves with their pricing of a channel that has almost zero worthwhile content.


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    #404
    channelsurfer2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭channelsurfer2


    awec wrote: »
    I think the fact that Premier Sports have been really quiet / evasive about releasing subscriber numbers etc suggests it's not doing well.

    I think the Pro14 is going to end up with no TV deal and back on free to air.

    Eir sports will collapse. They are absolutely deluding themselves with their pricing of a channel that has almost zero worthwhile content.


    i tend to agree about premier sports and the value of rights versus subscriber numbers. Pro14 jumped at the money at the time but now with Covid and broadcasters reducing spend on secondary rights they could be in for a big hit in revenue.


    Eir have no interest in running a sports channel since it was taken over by the French billionaire.


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    #405
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    awec wrote: »
    I think the fact that Premier Sports have been really quiet / evasive about releasing subscriber numbers etc suggests it's not doing well.

    I think the Pro14 is going to end up with no TV deal and back on free to air.

    Eir sports will collapse. They are absolutely deluding themselves with their pricing of a channel that has almost zero worthwhile content.

    That would be the worst for the Irish consumer,

    Premier League - SKY and BT
    FA Cup - BT
    Champions League - Virgin


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    #406
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,434 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    That said I'd imagine Premier would be in a very strong position to negotiate a huge discount on the rights as it's not like the Pro14 are going to have many options.

    But then the Pro14 would have to ask themselves if a obscure, relatively awkward PayTV provider is better than FTA if the money isn't significantly better. It could be better financially for them to take the slightly lower TV deal in exchange for the significantly greater reach they get with FTA.


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    #407
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,434 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    Deleted User wrote: »
    That would be the worst for the Irish consumer,

    Premier League - SKY and BT
    FA Cup - BT
    Champions League - Virgin

    I think there are worse outcomes. Something like Virgin buying exclusive rights to stick behind a paywall would be terrible.


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    #408
    iseegirls
    Registered Users Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭iseegirls


    The FA Cup will be shown across BBC and ITV next season which is a very welcome change.

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48388980


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    #409
    Delta2113
    Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Delta2113


    Will ITV4 have Republic of Ireland rights if they show some games? - answers on a postcard.


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    #410
    Hotblack Desiato
    Registered Users Posts: 34,030 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Doesn't matter unless you're a Virgin Media or eir sufferer.

    On the Freesat EPG and can be tuned in on Sky boxes.

    Life ain't always empty.



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    #411
    Delta2113
    Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Delta2113


    Since when did eir carry ITV4?


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    #412
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    It doesn’t. VM does (with most sports blocked).

    Either way though it’s very easy to suggest to someone who doesn’t have a satellite dish that they should put one up. Many Dublin homes who are long time VM/UPC/NTL/Cablelink/RTER customers don’t have a dish at all. It’s a big investment if it’s just to get some blocked programmes on one channel. Some dwellings have restrictive covenants that stop you putting up a dish. We have a poster over in satellite today who can’t put up a dish for a different reason to do with their house.


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    #413
    Elmo
    Registered Users Posts: 23,641 ✭✭✭✭Elmo


    icdg wrote: »
    It doesn’t. VM does (with most sports blocked).

    Either way though it’s very easy to suggest to someone who doesn’t have a satellite dish that they should put one up. Many Dublin homes who are long time VM/UPC/NTL/Cablelink/RTER customers don’t have a dish at all. It’s a big investment if it’s just to get some blocked programmes on one channel. Some dwellings have restrictive covenants that stop you putting up a dish. We have a poster over in satellite today who can’t put up a dish for a different reason to do with their house.

    While some building may restrict the erection of a satellite dish, many people with PAY TV from Virgin Media could easily switch to Sky, and later move to FTA satellite or remain with Sky past their contract, this wouldn't be much of an investment over anything your aren't currently paying to VM.


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    #414
    EdmondShiels3
    Registered Users Posts: 483 ✭✭EdmondShiels3


    Do Virgin block Champions league matches in Ireland that are being shown on BT sports.


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    #415
    Infoanon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,624 ✭✭✭Infoanon


    EdmondShiels3 wrote: »
    Do Virgin block Champions league matches in Ireland that are being shown on BT sports.

    Depends on your viewpoint - VM does not provide carriage of the BT Sports channels on their network in Ireland.

    Even with Pro14 rights I can't see how Eir Sport can survive, the majority of its programming is now labelled 'Gold ' which historically does not get good.ratings (Sky Sports Gold / Espn Classic).


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    #416
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    No mention of eir Sport in the League of Ireland’s new TV rights deals announcement, though I’m not sure if that actually means they’ve lost the rights or only that there’ll be a separate announcement at some stage.

    https://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/fai-announces-new-broadcast-deals


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    #417
    channelsurfer2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭channelsurfer2


    Some reports today that sky have won the pro16 rights. Could mean eir have nothing in Ireland to keep the channel open. Also perhaps that's why premier could have champions leagues rights..not sure where that would leave virgin sport?


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    #418
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Virgin Sport will be dead if they really have lost the Champions League (which The Irish Times have reported, so it must be true...). They can use their FTA channels to fulfill the remaining twelve months or so of the international contract.

    As for the Pro14, if that heads back to Sky I don’t see much of a future for eir Sport either, though they’re not quite as dependant on that one contract as Virgin are. They still have the Allianz Leagues and FA Cup 3pms + a number of other stuff mostly non exclusive. One option may be to sell up to Premier Sports.


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    #419
    Douglas Eegit
    Registered Users Posts: 277 ✭✭Douglas Eegit


    that's a shame. I did enjoy the Eir coverage as dry as it was sometimes with the commentary team and studio team it was great to have every game live.

    Wonder is the Sky deal UK & I or just UK and Ireland is still out there. Although I do imagine if SKY are going for the package it's all or nothing.


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    #420
    channelsurfer2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,594 ✭✭✭channelsurfer2


    Douglas Eegit wrote: »
    that's a shame. I did enjoy the Eir coverage as dry as it was sometimes with the commentary team and studio team it was great to have every game live.

    Wonder is the Sky deal UK & I or just UK and Ireland is still out there. Although I do imagine if SKY are going for the package it's all or nothing.
    based on previous sky deals it will be for Uk and Irl with some fta for TG4 and or bbc wales/scotland/S4c


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    #421
    Delta2113
    Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Delta2113


    Even if it's literally total repeats I can see Virgin Media Sports still operating for the foreseeable future. Less sure about Eir Sport.


This discussion has been closed.
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