ESPN Snaps Up Setanta’s Premier League Rights
In its first foray into live UK football, ESPN have snapped up the Premier League TV rights packages reclaimed from Setanta after troubled pay-TV broadcaster was unable to pay the latest £30m instalment of its rights fee.
The Premier League has awarded ESPN two exclusive live media packages for the 2009/2010 season, and one package from August 2010 for the following three seasons.
The agreement means ESPN will deliver fans in the UK 46 Barclays Premier League matches this coming season and 23 matches each season after that until May 2013.
The Disney-owned US network has won the two packages of games shown on Saturday teatimes and Monday evenings.
While the rights fee was undisclosed ESPN is thought to have paid about £90m for the games for next season, according to industry sources. Setanta paid £131m, but the league had already received about £40m from the Irish pay-TV company in downpayments for the 2009-2010 season.
‘We are clearly delighted that our bid for exclusive media rights to the Barclays Premier League matches in the UK has been successful,’ said Lynne Frank, ESPN Managing Director in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
‘This is a huge step for our business, and we look forward to working with the Premier League, football clubs and distributors to bring UK sports fans all the excitement they expect in Premier League football.’
ESPN plans to make its Barclays Premier League coverage widely available across multiple pay-TV platforms. As a first step to this distribution strategy, ESPN has reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers.
