(Soccer) New EPL Packages for 06-07

[SirFozzie]

If you're a Setanta fan, you have to be very very happy. FSC.. not so happy, but still happy.

Irish pay-TV operator Setanta has broken BSkyB's exclusive coverage of live premiership football matches, winning two packages of TV rights.

The Premier League awarded BSkyB with a further package on Friday, which means it now has four of the six available.

The broadcasters will be able to show games on a pay-per-view or subscription basis for three years from 2007.

The TV rights generated £1.7bn ($3.1bn) for the Premier League, with Sky paying £1.3bn and Setanta £392m.

Something for everyone

Setanta is 40% owned by private equity group Benchmark Capital and is carried by the Sky satellite pay-TV platform.

BSkyB was not able to buy all of the rights packages after the European Commission decided there was not enough competition in the previous system.

In the auction each rights package was divided into 23 games and the Commission wanted at least two broadcasters to have a "viable and meaningful" share.

The Commission had threatened to take legal action against the Premier League if it failed to give other broadcasters a slice of live TV matches.

BSkyB owns the current packages of live matches after agreeing a £1.024bn ($1.8bn)-deal with the Premier League in 2003.

The satellite broadcaster has held the live rights to Premiership football in England since 1992, a position which has helped it become Britain's leading pay TV service.

Other Premiership rights, including mobile rights, television highlights packages and overseas rights, will be determined separately.

here's the breakdown of who got what.

Sky package
Package A: 23 matches shown at 4pm on Sunday
Package B: 23 matches shown at 1.30pm on Sunday
Package E: 23 matches shown at 12.45pm on Saturday
Package F: seven to 13 matches on midweek evenings/bank holidays, 10 to 16 at 12.45pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday

Setanta Package
Package C: a minimum of 12 matches at 8pm on Monday, the rest either at 1.30pm on Sunday or 5.15pm on Saturday or other times
Package D: a minimum of 18 matches at 5.15pm on Saturday, the rest either at 1.30pm on Sunday, 8pm on Monday or other times.

So if Setanta USA carries games, it will be:

Package C: 3 PM Monday, 6:30 PM Sunday or 12:15 Saturday
Package D: 12:15 Saturday, 8:30 PM Sunday, 3 PM Monday.

And it'll be one game per week most weeks, there's roughly 36 weeks in a season, and there's 46 games for Setanta

[Crapshoot]

Uh, Foz ?

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Other Premiership rights, including mobile rights, television highlights packages and overseas rights, will be determined separately.

[Critch]

I posted something similar on one of the big soccer boards only to have somebody point out that it's UK only, International rights aren't being awarded til 2007.

One good thing for Setanta is that they've expanded their Scottish league coverage for next season, so there will be 20 extra non-Rangers/Celtic games that they will hopefully carry live.

[AlexB]

Well looks like I can kiss the English version of MNF goodbye