Setanta in Crisis

Setanta in Crisis

Postby gzagee » Mon May 04, 2009 1:23 am

Crisis talks to rescue Setanta TV

May 3, 2009
James Ashton and Kate Walsh

THE sports broadcaster Setanta is fighting for its life this weekend as a new management team holds urgent talks to raise cash and slash the amount it pays for sports rights.

Sir Robin Miller, the Emap publishing veteran, has been parachuted in as Setanta’s chairman to lead it through an emergency refinancing.

The company, which has 1.2m customers and broadcasts Premier League and England international football, faces an uncertain future unless it can raise up to £100m this month from shareholders including private-equity firms Doughty Hanson and Balderton Capital.

Accountants from Deloitte have also been called in to work alongside long-time advisers at Close Brothers and could be appointed as administrators if negotiations fail. Setanta is understood to have agreements in principle from sports bodies including the PGA golf tour that could let it cut up to £20m from the estimated £120m a year it will spends on rights from 2010.

The company was dealt a severe blow when it won the rights to screen only 23 Premier League fixtures per season from 2010. The rest will air on BSkyB, which is 39.1% owned by News Corporation, ultimate parent company of The Sunday Times.

The Irish company is racing to find funding for a payment of £35m to the Premier League due on May 15. Some rights partners, including IPL cricket and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, are said to be broadly supportive. However, they want evidence that Setanta has a future before agreeing to reducing the value of contracts, while shareholders want to see that the company is able to cut costs so it can remain a viable business before putting in more cash.

Only the Football Association, which splits FA Cup games and England’s home internationals between Setanta and ITV, is understood to be digging in its heels.

Setanta is also trying to renegotiate contracts that have yet to start. At a meeting with Scottish Premier League clubs in Glasgow this Thursday the company will try to chop both the length and value of a four-year £125m deal due to begin in 2010.

Miller’s last job was as chairman of the debt-laden Entertainment Rights – home to Basil Brush and Postman Pat – which was bought from administration by an American media firm. He is working with Gary McIlraith, a former Sky executive who became Setanta’s acting chief executive last month.

Founded in 1990 by Leonard Ryan and Michael O’Rourke, Setanta began life beaming Irish football to expats in London. It grew steadily and burst onto the national scene when it broke Sky’s stranglehold on Premier League games in 2006.

Disney, which bid unsuccessfully for some Premier League rights earlier this year, has long been linked to a bid for Setanta. The company tried to sell itself last year but called off the process because of limited interest.


http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 210938.ece

I really hope they can find a buyer/money. Even though the quality isn't as polished as Sky, they've provided competition and brought regular coverage of other football leagues as well as getting one up on Sky Box Office with big fight boxing. Not to mention UFC and IPL.
However, I wonder if when they do find a buyer it'll mean increased prices and maybe the introduction of the dreaded PPV?
Image
User avatar
gzagee
Member of the Year 2008
Member of the Year 2008
 
Posts: 20802
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:46 am
Location: Somewhere between Nadir and Nirvana

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby Gunner Down Under » Mon May 04, 2009 6:36 am

And some great stuff on SBS with Sven the puppet and all- ever seen that?
Image
User avatar
Gunner Down Under
Bertie Mee
Bertie Mee
 
Posts: 9278
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby absolutely_fabregas » Mon May 04, 2009 9:24 am

ive got it at home, but the fact of the matter is, the games they have are usually pub time games

5.15 sat, 2pm sun, 8pm monday

id say im in a pub for 70% of th games that are shown, and i think many guys are realising this and cancelling their subscriptions, well the guys i talk to anyway are
Image
absolutely_fabregas
Member of the Year 2007
Member of the Year 2007
 
Posts: 10070
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:17 pm

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby gzagee » Mon May 04, 2009 9:39 am

I hear you ab-fab.
But I'm seriously considering cancelling my Sky contract and only having my Setanta contract.
Remember, other folks watch footy from other leagues and their coverage of other sports is something quite attractive about them.
But obviously, not attractive enough.

I would just hate to see Sky swallow all the games and sports again. I wouldn't be able to afford it.
Image
User avatar
gzagee
Member of the Year 2008
Member of the Year 2008
 
Posts: 20802
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:46 am
Location: Somewhere between Nadir and Nirvana

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby She_Gunner_Wales » Mon May 04, 2009 9:46 am

Dont Virgin customers get Setanta for free?
Image
User avatar
She_Gunner_Wales
Graphics Team
 
Posts: 14462
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:26 pm
Location: Swansea

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby TheLittleMozart » Mon May 04, 2009 10:43 am

She_Gunner_Wales wrote:Dont Virgin customers get Setanta for free?


Yes,but only if your on the XL Tv package. Other-wise you have to pay £12.99 per month.
TheLittleMozart
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
 
Posts: 6806
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:47 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby She_Gunner_Wales » Mon May 04, 2009 11:31 am

TheLittleMozart wrote:
She_Gunner_Wales wrote:Dont Virgin customers get Setanta for free?


Yes,but only if your on the XL Tv package. Other-wise you have to pay £12.99 per month.

You work for Virgin dont you? How come Virgin/NTL customers get it free?

Im on the full package with Sky and still got to pay, dropped it about 2 months ago though in favour of Sky HD.

Setanta lost alot in the rights, maybe if they dropped the price they would get more customers.
Image
User avatar
She_Gunner_Wales
Graphics Team
 
Posts: 14462
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:26 pm
Location: Swansea

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby left right left » Mon May 04, 2009 11:51 am

i dont have it anymore, but i can get it on the net for free


if it was a little cheaper i would buy it, but payin £45 for sky is enought, sod another £12.99
you mess and you get the knocked the f**k out baby!!!!!!
Image
User avatar
left right left
Tony Adams
Tony Adams
 
Posts: 4204
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: hertford

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby TheLittleMozart » Mon May 04, 2009 12:28 pm

She_Gunner_Wales wrote:
TheLittleMozart wrote:
She_Gunner_Wales wrote:Dont Virgin customers get Setanta for free?


Yes,but only if your on the XL Tv package. Other-wise you have to pay £12.99 per month.

You work for Virgin dont you? How come Virgin/NTL customers get it free?

Im on the full package with Sky and still got to pay, dropped it about 2 months ago though in favour of Sky HD.

Setanta lost alot in the rights, maybe if they dropped the price they would get more customers.


I think its just given to customer as a bonus tbh,offering something to combat what sky can and all that.
Virgin Media customers don't actually pay that much for it unless your on the lowest package. But even then its cheaper than sky sports which costs £18 plus another £7 to get it in HD.
TheLittleMozart
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
 
Posts: 6806
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:47 pm
Location: Glasgow

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby Andreys_Does_Simples » Mon May 04, 2009 5:34 pm

This has been news for months now, I think Yorky and myself had a talk about TV money a while ago? I may be wrong.

Setanta were using money they simply didn't have and gambled big time on getting it back which backfired on them.
Reinvestment before Renewal.
User avatar
Andreys_Does_Simples
Match Reporter
 
Posts: 9590
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:04 pm
Location: London

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby Yorkyblue » Tue May 05, 2009 1:51 am

Ades_Dancin_Shoes wrote:This has been news for months now, I think Yorky and myself had a talk about TV money a while ago? I may be wrong.

Setanta were using money they simply didn't have and gambled big time on getting it back which backfired on them.


Yeah I think we did mate.

I get Setanta for free though, being with VM. Still pay £60 a month just for TV and Internet, though.
Image
User avatar
Yorkyblue
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
 
Posts: 19428
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2007 1:52 pm

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby rogerthornhill » Tue May 05, 2009 3:37 pm

I'm not sure but I think that next season they will only have 23 PL matches so in view of that I might be cancelling my subscription. The PL matches are the only thing that I watch on Setanta.
User avatar
rogerthornhill
Tony Adams
Tony Adams
 
Posts: 4385
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:23 pm

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby Gunflash » Tue May 05, 2009 9:27 pm

Well Steve McManaman is one of Setanta's expert pundits, so you draw your own conclusions.
There's David O'Leary and big Willie Young, sending Rixy and Stapleton off on a run
Gunflash
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
 
Posts: 1904
Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:33 pm

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby liam_cork » Wed May 06, 2009 12:47 am

i like setanta a bit of competition, an its a bit old school they to much talking shit on sky an not enough real comentary, and no w***er andy gray is great. and it shows the bundesliga which i like
arsene knows
liam_cork
Tony Adams
Tony Adams
 
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:37 pm
Location: braunschweig germany

Re: Setanta in Crisis

Postby Jimmy Clarke » Thu May 28, 2009 1:12 pm

I get most of the Premiership matches in the US by subscribing to Setanta. I'm a bit concerned I won't be able to watch it anymore.
Jimmy Clarke
Michael Thomas
 
Posts: 89
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:20 pm


Return to TV

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests