NTL sets its sights on Sky's Premiership football rights monopoly

LONDON – UK cable operator NTL is trying to wrest the live television rights for Premier League football matches from BSkyB by lobbying the European Commission.

According to the Financial Times, NTL chief executive Simon Duffy said the cable group was making "active efforts to influence the structure" so the football rights go to auction and no company owns more than 50% of the matches.

As it stands, Sky has exclusive rights to the Premier League until 2007, having paid £1.1bn for the three-year broadcasting rights deal, but the European Commission wants to see them shared by more than one broadcaster.

NTL and rival cable company Telewest complain that they pay Sky over the odds for Premiership matches and make losses on the football packages they offer subscribers.

Duffy believes breaking up Sky's monopoly would benefit everyone.

"It would be a win-win situation. It would mean more money for the Premier League, more money for the sport and lower prices for consumers," he said.

The news comes as NTL yesterday reported its second-quarter results for 2005, adding 205,500 subscribers to its cable TV service and 111,800 to its broadband offering.

The company achieved an operating income of £6.4m compared with a loss of £22.6m for the second quarter in 2004.

Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports, Telewest, NTL and BSkyB are all preparing to launch their bids for the Premier League Football rights, which will be up for grabs in 2007.

However, all the bidders are left guessing while the European Commission continues discussions with the Premier League about whether an auction or limit on the number of matches to be shown by a broadcaster will be the fairest option.

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