Scottish Premier League - ESPN to consider bid for SPL rights

Eurosport - Wed, 24 Jun 08:21:00 2009

TV network ESPN is looking to acquire further British sports rights and will consider Scottish football after its recent success with the English Premier League, an ESPN executive said.

Rangers players celebrate after securing the SPL title, May 2009 - 0

ESPN on Monday won the right to show 46 live English Premier League football matches for the 2009/10 season and 23 matches for the following three years in Britain in a hastily-arranged auction.

The rights were put up for sale after their previous owner, privately owned Setanta, failed to make a contractual payment. Setanta went into administration on Tuesday and many of its other rights, including those of Scottish games, will also come up for sale.

"We always look at things when they come up," said executive vice president and managing director of ESPN International Russell Wolff.

"If they make good business sense, we go after them; we certainly are looking at other things at the moment, but we're not committed at the moment and have nothing yet to add."

Asked about the impending auction for Scottish rights, Wolff said ESPN would take a look.

Speaking in a phone interview, Wolff said the group was also in talks with other British television platforms about distributing its rights as widely as possible.

It already has an agreement in place with dominant pay-TV BSkyB, and is expected to strike similar deals with cable operator Virgin and others.

Wolff said ESPN would not look at directly retailing its channels to customers, like Setanta had done, but would instead sell them via TV platforms.

It already has two channels on pay-TV in Britain and Wolff declined to say whether it would launch a third.

He told Reuters that the group would, however, need to hire more staff and said he was confident the network would be ready for the first Premier League fixtures in August.

ESPN has previously worked with the English Premier League in selling the rights in Asia and Brazil and Wolff said the two sides have a good working relationship.

"We have a lot to get done in a short period of time, but we're pretty good at this," he said. "We've done it before.

"We've launched networks on short notice before; we've added content to existing networks on short notice before; so whatever we do here, we're fairly confident we'll be ready."

Reuters

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  1. DAVIE - you must get your ears syringed then..­ You're hearing things again!! I think it's the­ heeby-jeebies!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 8:01PM

  2. lovin every minute big man this is really what forums­ are about. Hang myself na !! ur no worth it !! and if­ theirs any viens popping their yours by the sound of­ things .....

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:59PM

  3. BTW: Davy-bhoy, I'm enjoying myself here.. I bet­ your blood pressure's through the roof!! The wee­ veins in your neck must be throbbing!!.. That's­ assuming you have a neck!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:52PM

  4. 230 - thanks for your advice! In return, here's­ some for you.. GO HANG YOUSELF!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:50PM

  5. 222 - yer maw's yer sister.. Yer brother's yer­ da!! Who gets tae play the banjo in your family then,­ in-bred??

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:49PM

  6. 226 from the man who talks football, thats what annoys­ me about u ginger u spend ur time talking about how­ this is a football forum, yet u stick ur neb in­ everybody elses buisness with ur coc.ky comments and­ yer snide remarks instead of concentrating on the main­ agenda !! think before u use your un witty and un funny­ patter to put other people down !!

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:48PM

  7. 227 - so the Wellington is a gay bar then? You go­ cottaging there, do you?? Or do you come onto these­ messageboards, hoping to procure young boys to satisfy­ your lust??

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:43PM

  8. As I said before, Davie-Bhoy... KEYBOARD HARDMAN!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:42PM

  9. I predict im touching a nerve. Who says i drink ??

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:41PM

  10. Yeah, you're right Davie Bhoy.. Keep believing that­ getting pished in an "english" bar, next door­ to an "english" fish and chip shop, and lying­ by your hotel pool is what Spanish culture is all­ about. The rest of us can get on with visiting places­ in further-flung places to learn about REAL culture!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:41PM

  11. 219 - you are in that pub from 5-7pm every night, so to­ conclude: (1) you have a drink problem; (2) you come­ onto websites to pick fights. In summary, you cannae­ handle yer swally! Oh, how I bet you are popular at­ parties!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:34PM

  12. U really are an anorak

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:33PM

  13. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh­ hhhhhhhh Im quaking in my boots. dont make me laugh ya­ wee has.been

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:32PM

  14. Old boring minging ginger sits there with a street map­ trying to impress us with his geographical­ knowledge.probably never beeen oot the central belt,­ what a Kn.ob my whole family is sitting here laughing­ at him ...........

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:31PM

  15. 219 - Since I live at the opposite end of the country,­ I've put a couple of pals onto waching the­ Wellington... Times / places / faces.. These are guys­ you DONT wanna be messing with, by the way!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:30PM

  16. #218.....LOL! :)

    From Captain Pugwash, on Thu 25 Jun 7:23PM

  17. Hey minging Ginger u been looking up a Paisley Street­ map u Wee muppet ? I told u where u can find me ( No­ Baws ) !!!

    From David W, on Thu 25 Jun 7:22PM

  18. ...And that was in SUMMER TIME!! LOL!! She's huv­ yer eyes oot wi' them in the winter!! heehee!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 7:00PM

  19. 216 - feck the duffel coat!!.. I could hing my whole­ wardrobe oan them!!

    From Singin' Ginger!!, on Thu 25 Jun 6:59PM

  20. #215 lol....could ye hang yer duffel coat on them? :D

    From Captain Pugwash, on Thu 25 Jun 6:18PM
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