Setanta’s founders and MCD boss Denis Desmond are expected to take full control of the sports giant’s Irish business after agreeing a buyout with original investors, including Doughty Hanson and Goldman Sachs. The deal comes as secured debt holders, who are owed E220 million by Setanta, consider fresh “commercial terms” offered by the Irish team. […]
ESPN, which last week acquired its first live English Premier League (EPL) TV rights, has secured its presence on Freeview and is expected to launch a high- definition version of its soon-to-launch EPL channel on Sky. Broadcasting on Freeview pay-TV service Top Up TV, ESPN America is using a channel previously occupied by Setanta, which […]
Disney-owned ESPN is to broadcast live English Premier League football action in the UK for the first time after securing the rights to show 46 games for the 2009/2010 season and 23 games in each of the three following seasons until May 2013. The rights were made available by the EPL after the holder, Setanta, […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain's largest pay TV group Sogecable and Mediapro, main shareholder in commercial TV channel La Sexta, have signed an agreement to bring an end to their fierce war over TV football rights that has taken them to Courts. The three years deal will allow Sogecable-controlled digital DTH platform Digital […]
The French pay-TV operator Canal+ will test a special 'weekend subscription' this autumn. CEO Bertrand Méheut said the subscription will cost around E15 a month, about half the usual price for a package from Friday evening to late Sunday night. Méheut also said there are 6.2 million households subscribing to either the Canal+ or the […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The Government is finalising a new set of TV regulations that will pave the way for the launch of pay DTT services, HDTV on DTT; will complete local TV map; allocate the final digital multiplexes and rule on aircraft mobile communications. Later on this year (before December 19th) it […]
American investor Len Blavatnik is offering £20m (E23.4m) to buy some time for the beleaguered sportscaster. However the BBC reports he is demanding a 51% stake in return. Blavatnik is also involved with Top-up TV, the pay-tv channel on Freeview, and is said to have strong Russian connections.
Setanta co-founders Michael O’Rourke and Leonard Ryan have won additional breathing space to try to push through a last minute refinancing rescue package to save the company from going in to administration. The Irish pay-TV broadcaster’s next pressing deadline is a £30 million (E35m) payment to the English Premier League due next week. Setanta’s founders […]
BSkyB refused a £50m (E58m) lifeline to Irish pay-TV broadcaster Setanta which had offered access to its live rights for 46 English Premier League games next season as an add-on option to Sky Sports, in return for the cash. Subsequently Setanta’s founders Leonard Ryan and Michael O’Rourke have been in emergency talks with backers to […]
The board of UK and Ireland football broadcaster Setanta is meeting this week to assess whether it has any options other than placing the business in administration. Last week the company failed to pay the Scottish Premier League £3m (E3.4m). The SPL has had to find £3m from its own funds to distribute to the […]