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espn uk to close/BT sports two new sports channels

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c4bee40-6...#axzz2K4mGhlMp

Quote:

Walt Disney is “exploring an exit” of ESPN from the UK, after the sports network incurred losses and lost key sports rights contacts.

ESPN, the largest sports broadcaster in the US, launched to great fanfare in the UK three years ago and made an immediate impact, buying a package of rights to live Premier League football and setting itself up as an alternative to British Sky Broadcasting, which holds most of the rights.

However, the network lost out in the auction for the next three seasons when it was outbid by BT. It also recently lost mobile rights when it was outbid to a rival offer from News Corp. Coverage included in ESPN’s current Premier League contract, which expires at the end of this football season, will not be affected, said a person familiar with the situation.

Jay Rasulo, Disney’s chief financial officer, said on Disney’s first-quarter earnings call that ESPN had “experienced losses” in the UK due to the ramping up of sports rights costs and was “exploring an exit”.

The cost to screen Premier League action soared by 70 per cent in last year’s auction, when BSkyB and BT snapped up the rights to the next three football seasons, bidding more than Pounds 3bn. ESPN’s departure would leave the UK sports market a less competitive field, although with John Malone’s Liberty Global bidding for Virgin Media, there could soon be another deep-pocketed buyer on the scene.

Disney reported first-quarter results that beat expectations and sent its shares up close to 3 per cent in after market trading. The company, which recently acquired Lucasfilm for $4bn – giving it the right to make sequels to the Star Wars films – revealed it was also planning spin-off movies based on popular Star Wars characters.

Profits across the group were lower than the comparable quarter last time, the result of higher programming costs – and increasingly expensive sports rights – at ESPN and declining home entertainment sales at Disney’s movie studio.

There was better news at Disney’s consumer products division, which reported better profits thanks to an improved performance by its merchandise licensing unit and at its retail unit.

Total revenues across the group rose from $10.8bn to $11.3bn. Net income slipped from $1.52bn to $1.44bn and earnings per share fell from 81 cents to 78 cents.

Good news freeview channel 34 can be use for a free to air channel :dance::dance::dance:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus. (Post 5816723)

oh no

why do you have like this channel bt sport channels coming soon

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael21 (Post 5816815)

why do you have like this channel bt sport channels coming soon

yeah
it got all the football

would be a bit gutted, watch the german/italian football on there and I doubt sky would buy those rights

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus. (Post 5816822)

yeah
it got all the football

yea but bt sports channel have all the football from next season

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan (Post 5816824)

would be a bit gutted, watch the german/italian football on there and I doubt sky would buy those rights

bt sports brought them a long time ago where has every one been :laugh:

BT can **** off, still an awful company

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan (Post 5816829)

BT can **** off, still an awful company

that true but there are building on there sports rights the 2 or 3 channels will launch before the new football season starts

espn are getting rid of all there sports rights who will
get

fa cup
europa league
spl
ufc

freeview channels i hope :amazed:

Europa League ITV, SPL probably sky or no one because there's no rangers, Bundesliga is still signed to ESPN UK till 2015 currently

BT have French and Italian football

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan (Post 5816843)

Europa League ITV, SPL probably sky or no one because there's no rangers, Bundesliga is still signed to ESPN UK till 2015 currently

BT have French and Italian football

Bundesliga will go to the highest bidder

it's a shame, I like ESPN's coverage of things overall

Hope BT isn't another setanta sports, that was awful

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan (Post 5816853)

it's a shame, I like ESPN's coverage of things overall

Hope BT isn't another setanta sports, that was awful

i watch espn but i dont pay :laugh:

So where does the extra 2 Prem games a week go now?

BT

and I think they've got even more than just the 2

(this is at the start of next season)

Are they already a channel now? Have never noticed it

So this BT channel will be on freeview?

they will be 2 bt sports channel there are on sky now testing as sailing 1 and sailing 2 there will be rename closer to the full lunch

http://www.btlife.bt.com/entertainme...otball-rights/

Quote:

BT has won the rights to screen 38 of the best games from the 154 live Premier League matches a year for three years, starting from August 2013.

Our rights include the games broadcasters most want because they will attract the greatest interest from fans. For the first time consumers have a real choice of provider when it comes to watching great football. We have secured access to 38 live games, including the opening game of the 13/14 season.

We’ll be launching a new football-focused channel to carry the games. It will offer new interactive features when supplied over BT’s fibre network and we will look to distribute it on other platforms. We’ll be releasing full details and pricing as soon as we can.

Frequently asked questions
When can I sign up for this channel?
There will be plenty of opportunity to sign up to this channel in good time prior to the start of the 2013/14 season. In the meantime we will shortly be opening a pre-registration website for interested consumers.

Which games will you have?
We will have a total of 38 matches in each season, which include 18 ‘top picks’ – the games that most people want to watch. The ‘top picks’ will include some Saturday and midweek/bank holiday games, so we are confident that the channel will have a great selection of matches throughout the season.

I’m a Sky / Virgin Media customer and don’t want to lose the Premier League – how does this help me?
We intend to make this channel widely available on all major distribution platforms, not just BT Vision. We want to make it as easy as possible for consumers to subscribe. Further product details will be announced in due course.

How much will the channel cost / will this mean I end up paying more for Premier League football?
Our objective is to widen the enjoyment of Premier League football and make it less dependent on signing up to an expensive pay TV package. We will also offer attractive bundles including our market-leading broadband and telephone packages. All details on the channel, including pricing and offers, will be communicated in good time prior to the start of the 2013/14 season.

Will it be available in HD / 3D / red button / additional devices?
We intend to deliver of these features; specific product details will be announced in due course.

I don’t see BT as a Sports channel – what makes you think you can do this better than Sky?
We have lots of experience in TV – we have over 700,000 households using our BT Vision service and this is growing faster than both Sky and Virgin Media’s TV services. We will team up with high quality partner companies to produce this channel and are confident we can offer a great show.

Why did BT buy these rights?
We believe we can create a winning offering for the consumer, delivering a fantastic football experience. We also think we can offer attractive bundles that combine the best TV content with our market-leading broadband and telephone services at exceptional value.

I’m a pub/club/hotel owner, will I lose my Premier League service?
We aim to offer the same Premier League service for pubs/clubs/hotels as you currently get. Further product and commercial details will be announced in due course.

Will the matches be in HD and 3D?
We intend to offer HD, 3D and interactive elements. Details will follow soon.

Will it be limited to BT Infinity customers – and will the interactive element only be available on BT Infinity?
We’re aiming for wide distribution on a variety of platforms including on BT Vision.

When will you release details about prices?
We’ll release details about prices in good time prior to the launch of the 2013/14 Premier League season.

Much obliged, Michael.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redway (Post 5817169)

Much obliged, Michael.

that ok :)

because i made this thread bt are stating to move fast

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/ne...er-launch.html

Quote:

BT has today unveiled the logo for its new £1 billion-plus BT Sport venture ahead of its launch in the summer.

The logo, developed by digital media firm Red Bee Media, mixes the imagery from BT Connected World with a new font developed specifically for BT Sport.

Alongside unveiling the new logo, BT has also today started online pre-registrations for the BT Sport channels, which will show Premier League football, rugby and other sports.

http://i1.cdnds.net/13/06/618x137/me...sport-logo.jpg

Contained in a lozenge shape, the logo features the traditional BT corporate font in the left-hand corner, with partial elements of the globe in red, yellow, lilac, purple and green.

The 'Sport' brand fills the rest of the logo in white lettering using a bespoke new font based on gotham.

Red Bee Media, the operation that was formerly BBC Broadcast, is also developing a new identity for BT Sport across on-air, marketing materials and social media.

Grant Best, senior channel executive producer at BT Sport, said: "We are delighted with the logo Red Bee Media has produced for BT Sport.

"We wanted to build on the familiarity of the BT brand, and also appeal to customers who have not considered BT before as a sports broadcaster.

"We have used the BT connected world globe, with a twist. The globe colour palette allows us flexibility to introduce elements of creativity throughout our new sports channels, giving us a unique look and feel."

BT is taking a huge gamble with its new sport operation, after spending big on live rights to take on the dominant Sky.

Last year, the telecoms giant snapped up a three season deal to Premier League rights worth a total of £738 million, and then spent £152m on a four-year deal to Aviva Premiership Rugby.

It has poached BBC presenter Jake Humphrey to lead its football coverage and has signed up Clare Balding as a BT Sport presenter.

The BT Sport channels will be based at the iCITY development at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Add in production and set up costs, along with the acquisition of other sports rights, and BT has invested well over £1bn on the venture.

Customers can now pre-register their interest in BT Sport at a new dedicated website.

The channels will launch in the summer ahead of the start of the new football season in August 2013. Alongside BT Vision, the BT Sport channels are also expected to be available on Sky and Virgin Media.

ESPN is pure **** for football. The pundits legit spend Half the match just chatting **** about De Gea and Sir Alex Ferguson's pre match comments :joker:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brother Leon (Post 5817574)

ESPN is pure **** for football. The pundits legit spend Half the match just chatting **** about De Gea and Sir Alex Ferguson's pre match comments :joker:

:laugh2: