Setanta signs Sky Premiership deal

Irish broadcaster Setanta has signed a deal with BSkyB to allow pubs and clubs to see all Premiership games with a single subscription…

Irish broadcaster Setanta has signed a deal with BSkyB to allow pubs and clubs to see all Premiership games with a single subscription.

Setanta won the rights to broadcast 46 of the Premiership's live matches, with Sky retaining 92. Sky won the coveted "A" package of matches, which are played late on Sunday afternoons.

It also has the rights for early afternoon Saturday and Sunday matches, as well as a group to be played midweek and on bank holidays.

Setanta's games, for which it is paying about £2.8 million each, are mostly scheduled for Saturday evenings and Monday nights. The rights cover three years beginning with the 2007/2008 season.

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Setanta's Premiership coverage will also be carried on Sky's satellite platform as a standalone subscription service after the companies reached a separate agreement for Sky to provide conditional access services such as encryption and regionalisation.

Privately owned Setanta said last week that its matches will also be carried on NTL's cable platform. The company is also considering a pay service on digital terrestrial TV.

BSkyB is paying nearly twice as much per game as it did for its existing deal and is losing exclusivity, following a ruling from the European Commission that required at least two broadcasters to share the rights.

The rights to televise England's Premier League generated £1.706 billion, with BSkyB paying £1.314 billion and Setanta £392 million.