ibleedblue 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The Scottish Premier League hopes to conclude a broadcasting deal with Sky and ESPN before the end of next week after all 12 clubs met at Hampden Park today. The proposed contract would lead to 60 matches being screened live from the start of next season and avert financial disaster for some clubs following the collapse of Setanta. While there is no disagreement over the principle of a joint deal between Sky and ESPN, insiders have said some aspects require clarification before any vote could take place at next Thursday's SPL annual meeting. Two thirds of SPL clubs would need to support any proposal for it to be accepted. The two channels are understood to favour a five-year contract worth at least the £13m paid to the SPL by Setanta before its demise. Some clubs would prefer a shorter two-year agreement but that may prove risky given there is no competing deal on the table. Sky's exact broadcasting commitment also remains to be seen. While ESPN has plenty of schedule space to fill on the creation of a new British channel, Sky's 450 live football games per season leave the broadcaster with little scope for Scottish football. Initial suggestions had been that Sky would take 20 games to ESPN's 40 but the Murdoch-backed firm could take even fewer, with the SPL's four Old Firm matches per season their key target. Neil Doncaster was tonight named as the SPL's first chief executive. Doncaster, 39, last held the same position at Norwich City and has served on both the Football Association and Football League boards south of the border. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2009/jul/...ootball-tv-deal SPL TV channel back on the agenda The Scottish Premier League will revive plans for SPL TV to prevent a repeat of the potentially devastating circumstances that now threaten the future of some of its financially stricken members. After yesterday's emergency board meeting at Hampden Park, the 12 clubs will now ratify the £65m joint broadcast deal offered from BSkyB and ESPN at next week's annual meeting. The Herald understands they will grudgingly accept the only deal on the table, worth the same £13m per year as the defaulted deal with Setanta but half the £125m promised before the collapse of the subscription channel's UK operation. None the less, they have lobbied for a get-out clause after year three of the five-year contract, by which time they intend completing another feasibility study into the creation of their own dedicated channel. The idea was first conceived by Roger Mitchell, the former SPL chief executive, in 2002. He was forced to stand down after the collapse of the Sky deal was compounded by the clubs' failure to vote through his plan, which left the SPL with no alternative but to accept an £8m take-it-or-leave it offer from BBC Scotland. Both Sky and ESPN played hard-ball with the SPL, warning that, unless positive noises were forthcoming, they could forget about the SPL becoming part of the new partnership between the broadcast giants, which will culminate in the launch of a new ESPN UK digital channel on August 3. Rumours have abounded that Sky, whose schedule is already packed with more than 400 live games, seek only cursory coverage for their investment: thought to be the Old Firm and Edinburgh derbies, with ESPN given the rest of the 60-game package to fill slots in their new channel. The Disney-owned company could also be given possibly one of the Rangers v Celtic games as the jewel in their SPL coverage. Those in attendance at the meeting refused to comment on the discussions throughout a robust two-hour debate but it is believed there was an air of resignation. The terms and conditions of the Sky/ESPN offer are similar to the previous arrangement with Setanta: clubs will receive two-thirds of the annual sum in August and the final third in January. n The SPL yesterday appointed Neil Doncaster, the former Norwich chief executive, as their CEO, their first since Mitchell resigned in 2002. http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines..._the_agenda.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leiper 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would this mean having to purchase ESPN to catch the games...Then purchasing Sky to get the Old Firm games? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangeclement 555 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would this mean having to purchase ESPN to catch the games...Then purchasing Sky to get the Old Firm games? Not sure, i get ESPN in place of setanta on my freeview now. problem is i fucking hate rounders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan_1 1,132 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I think if you get Sky you will get ESPN with it. This is what I wanted tbh, very happy if this happens! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCartmanLee 313 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 They are charging £9 a month if you have sky sports and £12 a month iof you don't...it's a shite deal for the fans....again...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie1689 1 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaffbear 4,082 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Well it's about time you got yer nat king isn't it............boy your age Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1mgg 3,766 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 what about us virgin dudes what about us knock off nigels aswell? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCartmanLee 313 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Only deal for epsn so far has been with sky but it said they are going to enter into negotiations with BT and virgin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue73 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Would this mean having to purchase ESPN to catch the games...Then purchasing Sky to get the Old Firm games? Not sure, i get ESPN in place of setanta on my freeview now. problem is i fucking hate rounders :lol: I wouldn't mind ESPN becuase I quite like the American sports Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
908 14 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Evening Times and Daily Rebel sites said the 'Old Firm' were both against the deal offered. Seem to think SPL-TV would make more money than this derisory Sky/ESPN deal: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/displa...2518825.0.0.php Anyway, it is obvious to anybody that ESPN and Sky are shafting us. Surely the monopolies commission or EU competition watchdogs could step in here? I know some on here worship the ground the Murdoch family walk on, but for the rest of us, £13 a month gets you ESPN, with run-of-the-mill SPL away matches. But if you want to see us play celtic, you need to subscribe to Sky Sports for about £30 a month. Or, if you already have Sky, you need to pay an extra £10 for the majority of our league matches. Compared to £10 a month for all our matches on Setanta (with Rangers TV as a bonus) how can anybody see this as a good deal? The irony being that the old firm are now wanting SPL-TV, having blocked plans for such a plan last time out. Personally, I would gladly pay £9 a month for every Rangers match live, but I fear such a set up (like the Eredivise TV one) would fail in this country, because sadly Scots seem to be so thick they would rather subsidise the English premiership, to the detriment of their own clubs. And Rangers F.C. have been affected worse than any other by the rise of BskyB - before 1992, top English clubs couldn't compete with us in the transfer market (due to us having the biggest attendances in the UK then). Nowadays, thanks to Sky we can't even compete with Hull City, West Brom and Burnley for signing targets!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanow 72 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Can someone tell me in short words whats going on im not the smartest of people. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendofCoop 16,360 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Alright Davie mate? I read a few days ago that Virgin would be in talks with any new bidder. Hopefully we'll get the same deal we did with Setanta...although, if Sky show the OF games, we may well be up shit creek for them! I fear the worst though...even us XL customers may not get ESPN now! http://www.virginmedia.com/myvirginmedia/setanta.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
weejimmy 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 One unanswered question is Rangers TV - anyone reckond that'll ever be resurected? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper1989 0 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Dumb question -- but what about CL matches, Rangers Live etc. etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanow 72 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 CL matches are on Sky Sports 123&extra so no worries there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksen_da_best 2,034 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 They can fuck right off. What a great idea from sky to get us cunts to sign up for sky sports 1,2 and 3. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
californiadreamin52 339 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 The worst of both worlds Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie! 8 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Alright Davie mate? I read a few days ago that Virgin would be in talks with any new bidder. Hopefully we'll get the same deal we did with Setanta...although, if Sky show the OF games, we may well be up shit creek for them! I fear the worst though...even us XL customers may not get ESPN now! http://www.virginmedia.com/myvirginmedia/setanta.php I'm hoping there is a similar deal to the setanta one, because I'm already paying for the Sky Sports package with virgin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendofCoop 16,360 Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I'm hoping there is a similar deal to the setanta one, because I'm already paying for the Sky Sports package with virgin. I'm up shit creek if they don't, as I don't have Sky Sports & couldn't afford to up my package to get it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamlafferty 1 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Was in America for a few weeks there and the only decent sport channel we got in the hotel was ESPN, and its fucking dire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBF2 3,540 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 what about us virgin dudes Get yer hole Better no be American commentators.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PedrosHeroes 26 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Virgin Media is Bollocks you get F**k all channels and a lot of the time it freezes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsidelad 34 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 One unanswered question is Rangers TV - anyone reckond that'll ever be resurected? I want to know this as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
californiadreamin52 339 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Was in America for a few weeks there and the only decent sport channel we got in the hotel was ESPN, and its fucking dire. My thoughts entirely, Arthur Motford would be rotating in his grave if he was dead in fact it`s a stramash Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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