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Something that often amazes me is talking to people from England, us here in the Colonies actually tend to have better access to the Premier League matches on television. After Friday, that access is going to change in some major ways after the Premier League pulled its television package from the troubled Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports. Setanta had a £392 contract to broadcast 46 live matches in the U.K. for the upcoming 2009-10 season, but that is now open to the highest bidder and will be determined by Monday.
Setanta, which has been aggressive in acquiring all sorts of sports rights, seems on the brink of folding and it. Cash injections from American and Russian investors, apparently weren't enough to keep the station afloat.
The collapse of the deal means the loss of up to possibly £10 million to each Premier League club. That won't hurt the Big Four clubs, but the smaller fish in the pond will take a hit. The biggest hit will probably be the Scottish Premier League, which got a big boost from Setanta a few years ago and is its only broadcast partner. Unlike the English Premier League, broadcasters probably won't be lining up to add the SPL, unless it comes for a bargain basement price. Clubs could lose an estimated £30 million.
One of the broadcasters likely to make a bid for Setanta's lost rights is ESPN, which operates a couple channels in the U.K., including a network devoted to North American sports.
This, however, won't extend to ESPN's actual operations North America, since Setanta has its own separate deal, detailed by the New York Times Jack Bell. Setanta US issued a statement of its own. Still unclear is what will happen to its broadbrand service, of which I currently subscribe.
Probably the most important aspect of the Setanta collapse is the fate of 'Special 1 TV'. If you've seen it, you don't need me to tell you what a loss that would be because sports and puppets have never been a better mix.
