ESPN FAPL channel info.

[RoYaL KiD]

ESPN has given details of its new premium channel for the UK market, the centrepiece of which will be the Disney-owned broadcaster’s recently acquired rights to the English Premier League.

Launching on August 3, and known simply as ESPN, the channel will be available in both standard and high definition.The HD channel may be delayed into early September due to the relatively short period of time ESPN has been given to put the channel in place.

In addition to the Premier League, ESPN will also carry international sports, and premium US events that were previously carried on ESPN America, which will be integrated into the new channel. “We feel this works for sports fans as time differences of the sport we will show means we will have a truly 24/7 Live sports channel,” a spokesman for ESPN. He added that ESPN America would continue to air in over 40 countries in continental Europe and another 19 across the Middle East. ESPN also runs its broadband TV service ESPN360, which carries a number of live and as live American sports.

Lynne Frank, managing director, ESPN for Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented: “We hope football and sports fans will enjoy ESPN’s compelling mix of Barclays Premier League football, international sports and the best of the US sports in both SD and HD. We look forward to working with Sky to deliver great sports content to their subscribers and will continue our discussions with all other pay-TV providers so that we can bring ESPN to as many sports fans in the UK as possible.”

ESPN America is currently carried by Virgin Media and Top Up TV has temporarily added the channel following the closure of Setanta Sports.

In Sky homes ESPN will take the 417 EPG position currently held by ESPN America, while the HD version will appear on the currently unoccupied channel 443. Existing Sky Sports subscribers will be able to receive ESPN for an additional £9 per month while other Sky subscribers can add the channel for £12. The HD version will be available at no extra cost to ESPN subscribers already paying the £10 monthly fee for the Sky HD pack.

ESPN Classic will continue to broadcast on channel 442 and remains in the News and Events Pack. Sky commercial customers will receive the new channel as part of the ‘Ultimate’ channel pack at no extra cost.

ESPN has sub contracted coverage of the Premier League to Sky’s in house production team, although it will use ESPN graphics, and be packaged with ESPN analysis. Sky will also be responsible for the channel’s advertising sales.

[lincsat]

That's very bad news for US Sports fans, the prime-time US Sports will no doubt be sacrificed for Soccer and Soccer related programming

[PaphosAL]

Originally Posted by RoYaL KiD

ESPN Classic will continue to broadcast on channel 442 and remains in the News and Events Pack. Sky commercial customers will receive the new channel as part of the ‘Ultimate’ channel pack at no extra cost.

What a load of typical Sky bollox! ESPN was part of my local pub's Sky Sports package at an eye-watering £800 a month. Then along came Setanta, for which Sky demanded an EXTRA £160 per month, as their so-called 'Ultimate' package...

Now that all 6 or 7 channels have vanished from the Sky Ultimate package, Sky are still contracturally enforcing this extra £160 a month, by claiming that "oh well, there's not that much sport on at the moment is there?".

So the ESPN channel which was originally part of his £800 pcm deal now gets quietly shoved into their 'Ultimate' pack, so they can continue ripping him off for an extra £160 a month- and claim in their Press Releases that ESPN will be FREE to commercial Ultimate Pack subscribers.

You couldn't make this spin up, could you, FFS?

Meanwhile- VM have pulled the plug on their Commercial side, on account that Sky only give them a 5% commission to work with - which incurs them in a loss. Meaning that Sky have a 100% monopoly now on pubs and clubs etc.

Cheers- AL :grrrrrrr

[philg]

SPL agrees TV deal with Sky/ESPN

Sky and ESPN will broadcast 60 live games per season
The Scottish Premier League has agreed a £65m five-year deal with Sky and ESPN to screen 60 live matches each season.

But the SPL has an option of opting out of the final two seasons of the agreement with the new grouping.

Sky/ESPN's deal replaces the one agreed with collapsed broadcaster Setanta, but clubs will earn about half what they would have gained under that deal.

The new contract is worth a similar amount to Setanta's original deal - £13m per year - due to end next year.

Scotland's 12 top-flight clubs - some of whom were facing severe financial problems without a TV deal - voted on the proposal at the league's annual meeting at Hampden Park on Thursday.

And SPL chairman Lex Gold said: "We are pleased that in just over three weeks we have been able to strike this deal.

"Sky and ESPN are two of the biggest names in sports broadcasting and they will bring first-class production standards and a wide audience to the table.

This new deal gives Sky Sports viewers 30 live matches a year, including each of the Old Firm games, and it gives the Scottish Premier League clubs stability and continued investment from committed partners

Sky Sports managing direrctor Barney Francis
"We are looking forward to working with both in the coming years to raise the profile of the SPL for our clubs, fans and partners."

Setanta's original contract began in 2006 and the Irish-based broadcaster had negotiated a new contract worth £125m due to begin in 2010.

However, Setanta lost the rights to top-flight football in England and Scotland after being unable to meet payments at the end of last season.

Disney-owned ESPN last month bought the rights to show English Premier League matches that were to have been shown by Setanta.

It plans to launch a new UK sports channel, called ESPN, on 3 August and reached an initial deal to have the channel shown on Sky, which will also be responsible for selling advertising on the new channel.

Sky and ESPN were believed to have offered a five-year contract, but the SPL appears to have won an option for the final two seasons with the new grouping, and the agreement will last until at least the end of season 2011-12.

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain said this week that he had been in discussions with Celtic about buying the broadcasting rights themselves because they were unhappy at what they viewed as a cut-price offer.

Those late moves by the Old Firm came to nothing at Thursday's meeting, but Celtic chairman John Reid issued a statement critical of the SPL's handling of its television rights and saying that his club and Rangers would continue consider alternative plans for the future.

Lynne Frank, ESPN Managing Director in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "We look forward to working with the Scottish Premier League and its clubs over the next few years and beyond as we bring British and Irish sports' fans all the SPL action and excitement live on our new ESPN and ESPN HD channels."

Each broadcaster will show 30 live games each season across the UK and Ireland, starting with the 2009-10 campaign in August.

Sky Sports managing direrctor Barney Francis added: "This new deal gives Sky Sports viewers 30 live matches a year, including each of the Old Firm games, and it gives the Scottish Premier League clubs stability and continued investment from committed partners."

Meanwhile, St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour has been elected to the SPL board, replacing Campbell Christie, who has stepped down as chairman of Falkirk.

Gold was elected unanimously for the eleventh time as chairman but indicated that he would stand down in the autumn.

Hibernian's Rod Petrie, Aberdeen's Duncan Fraser and Rangers' Martin Bain were all re-elected by the clubs to complete the SPL board along with newly-appointed chief executive Neil Doncaster.

[RoYaL KiD]

cheers for that one!