ESPN UK Channel - £12 a month on Sky

[tototoner]

but only £9 a month if you already subsribe to Sky Sports.

Prices on VirginMedia / BT Vision to follow later.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8138992.stm

The US broadcaster ESPN has announced plans to launch a new UK sports channel, called ESPN, on 3 August.


The channel will show 46 live Barclays Premier League football games, which were to have been shown by Setanta until its recent financial problems.


The channel will also show some of the US sports to which ESPN owns rights.


ESPN has reached an initial deal to have the channel shown on Sky, but it is in talks with all UK pay-TV platforms about carrying the service.
Sky will also be responsible for selling advertising on the new channel.

ESPN owns the rights to broadcast 46 live Premier League games in the 2009/10 season and 23 matches for each of the following three seasons.
Sky's residential customers will have to pay a premium of £9 a month for the new channel if they already pay for Sky Sports or £12 a month if they do not.


For commercial customers it will be part of the "ultimate" channel package.
Previously, the Setanta Sports package was available to Sky customers for between £9.99 a month and £14.99 a month plus a £14.99 initial connection charge.


The Premier League matches on ESPN will be produced by Sky Sports, although it will feature ESPN branding.


ESPN also owns rights to show American football, ice hockey, baseball and college football and basketball throughout Europe, which it used to show in the UK on its ESPN America channel.


ESPN is owned by The Walt Disney Company.

 

[Phantom]

hmmm very tempted but currently dont have sky.

 

[mil1lion]

I'm not paying another £9 a month just for more football. If they get UFC on there like Setanta did then i will though. Sky Sports will have plenty of games next season anyway.

 

[antiloqus]

this, or food? :think:

 

[Winchy85]

I will be getting it.

 

[LSUY]

ESPN also owns rights to show American football, ice hockey, baseball and college football and basketball throughout Europe, which it used to show in the UK on its ESPN America channel.

I miss the days when pieces from the BBC were accurate. ESPN only owns the rights to three of those here. I don't think anyone has picked up the rights to basketball since Sky dropped it. As for American football Sky, Five and the BBC have the rights to that.

As much as I want ESPN I doubt I will be able to afford it and I can't see my flatmates chipping in money.

 

[kishman]

£9 a month Eek
Bump!

 

[Krafty]

To be honest, I will not subscribe unless you can buy individual matches/events.

I have sky, and they have first (and second and third) pick of the games. I'm not going to spend 100 quid, as they will no doubt tie you in for a year, for the one Spurs game that I will miss.

 

[spurslenny]

no change from setanta then

 

[PT]

Good value for money as I had to pass up a ST for next season. I'll be getting it and there's a saving on Setanta by a few quid too.

 

[ever]

any idea who their pundits and comentators are?

i'd rather not pay for setanta with a different colour scheme and logo

 

[Welshiespursboyo]

I will probably get it - don't like the thought of missing out on live football games! I will probably subsidise it by getting rid of sky movies which i never EVER watch !

 

[amardilo]

I'm not paying another £9 a month just for more football. If they get UFC on there like Setanta did then i will though. Sky Sports will have plenty of games next season anyway.

£9 a month isn't too bad but it still seems high on top of an existing Sky sub. I'll too will most likely get it if they add UFC.

 

[brasil_spur]

would be nice to know

a) if there is a minimum term contract - if not then you can just pay up in the odd month here and there were they have a spurs game of two, it's highly unlikely they will have just one spurs game per month, especially if this seasons setanta showings are anythign to go by.

b) will they had an HD option?

 

[DEFchenkOE]

if they show some south american football like the Libertadores or Argentinian/brazilian leagues then I might consider this.

 

[Krafty]

any idea who their pundits and comentators are?

i'd rather not pay for setanta with a different colour scheme and logo

Could be worse, could be a bunch of americans talking about Gomes' .532 shutout ratio, or how 'The Hotspurs have a host record of 6-1-2, and Keane has a starting .4 average and a SPG score of 8.2'

 

[thfc1989]

Apparently there is an HD option

 

[Goldman]

I will be getting it :hump:

 

[fazza]

I would have preferred a one off yearly season ticket, not sure i'll do this one this time round.

Depends what else they are going to be showing.

 

[riversmonkey]

Depends what else they are going to be showing.

Syncronised swimming, muff diving and monkey tennis