Setanta Sports to launch paid-for digital and Freeview channels

LONDON - Irish broadcaster Setanta is to launch a Setanta Sports subscription channel on digital TV and a Freeview service, which will be available next year through Top Up TV.

The exact date for the channel has yet to be finalised, but viewers with a Top Up TV-compatible digital box or digital TV will be able to subscribe to Setanta Sports for a monthly fee.

The Setanta Sports channel will be offered on a standalone basis or part of Top Up TV's own pay-TV package.

The network will start broadcasting live English Premiership matches from next August and will also broadcast live US PGA Tour golf, Magners League rugby union, Scottish Premier League matches and many more live premium sports events.

In May, Setanta won two of the Premier League football rights packages on offer in the final round of bidding, with BSkyB taking four.

Setanta, partly owned by private equity firm Benchmark Capital, paid £392m for the two packages and Sky paid £1.314bn in all for its four packages, giving the Premier League a combined £1.706bn.

The Irish broadcaster also won the rights to broadcast the PGA Tour in June, breaking Sky Sports' 10-year hold on the event.

The six-year deal gives Setanta the rights to all PGA Tour events and programming including 'The Player's Championship', which features high-profile players in the sport. Setanta has also snared the rights to the 24 events in the Champions Tour, featuring professional golfers 50 years old and over, and to coverage of the PGA Nationwide Tour.

Trevor East, director of sport at Setanta, said: "Our research indicates there is substantial demand for a competitively priced premium sports service among Freeview homes. Setanta is proud to be the first broadcaster to offer high quality premium sports content such as live FA Premier League matches, US PGA Tour Golf and Scottish Premier League matches to Freeview homes since the platform's launch."

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