Howzat? Setanta adds cricket to burgeoning sports portfolio
-Setanta secures Indian Premier League rights in five-year deal-
London, 25 February 2008: Setanta Sports has further broadened its coverage of sport by announcing it has secured the exclusive rights to the Indian Premier League, the new Twenty20 cricket competition, in a five-year deal. Its exclusively live coverage will start with all 59 games of the inaugural Indian Premier League season that takes place across India from April 18 to June 1, 2008.
The eight teams involved in the tournament - Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai - have attracted some of the biggest names in world cricket to play in the competition. Indian cricketing stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly will all feature alongside cricketing legends such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacques Kallis and Adam Gilchrist.
The Indian Premier League’s first season will start on Friday, April 18 with Bangalore v Kolkata and concludes with the final in Mumbai on Sunday, June 1. Each team will play each other twice, with the top four teams competing in semi-finals on May 30 and May 31. The vast majority of the fixtures will be day-night matches and Setanta will show each and every game exclusively live. As the games will start at 9.30am, 1.30pm or 2.30pm GMT, Setanta will ensure the games are repeated in peak time to maximise the audience able to view this exciting tournament.
Trevor East, Setanta’s Director of Sport, said: "The Indian Premier League is going to be massive. We're absolutely thrilled to acquire these rights and add another major sport to Setanta's programme line-up. Twenty20 cricket has been a phenomenal success and this tournament with all its world-class players is sure to capture the imagination of sports fans young and old. I firmly believe the IPL will become a highlight of the international sporting calendar for years to come. That's why we've shown our commitment to it by signing a five-year deal."
“We are delighted to have concluded this landmark deal with Setanta, the UK’s fastest growing sports network, on its first major international cricket property,” said Seamus O’Brien, President and CEO, World Sport Group, the global media rights holder of the IPL.
Added O’Brien, “The IPL, which is set to become one of the top sports leagues in the world, featuring some of the finest international stars of the modern game, is a natural fit for Setanta, itself the rising star of the UK sports broadcast market.”
Lalit Modi, Chairman & Commissioner, IPL, said: “BCCI-IPL would like to welcome Setanta as its newest broadcast partner and is pleased to be working with Setanta Sports on the broadcast of the DLF Indian Premier League in the territory of the United Kingdom. We’re confident that this will be a successful working partnership for the next five years and we believe the viewers of Setanta will have a exciting line up of matches to look forward to with an array of international stars and the best cricketing action.”
The Indian Premier League adds to an already impressive line-up on Setanta in March and April, with Barclays Premier League, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Blue Square Premier and US PGA Tour golf all featuring alongside top-flight boxing including Enzo Maccarinelli vs. David Haye on March 8th, Clinton Woods vs. Antonio Tarver on April 12th and Joe Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins on April 19th. All this great sport is available to Setanta Sports subscribers for just £9.99 a month.
Setanta Sports is available for £9.99 a month to satellite viewers, via a Freeview box or an iDTV viewing card adaptor (CAM) and on BT Vision and Tiscali. Virgin Media XL pack subscribers can see Setanta for no additional charge, whilst M and L pack subscribers can add the Setanta Sports Pack for just £9.99 per month.
For information on how to subscribe, go to: setanta.com or call 08712 10 20 30. Virgin Media, BT Vision and Tiscali customers should contact their operator.
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For more information: Call James Matheson or Richard Tompkins at braben on 020 7566 2990 or email james@braben.co.uk / richardt@braben.co.uk
Notes to editors:
Setanta Sports is a leading international pay-TV sports broadcaster operating nine channels in the UK, Ireland, North America and Australia. Founded in 1992, its premium sports content is available to more than 50 million digital homes worldwide.
Setanta operates more sports channels than any other broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Setanta Sports is the most widely-available premium sports channel in the UK and is available to all digital homes: on satellite, via Freeview, Virgin Media, Tiscali, BT Vision and by Broadband, ensuring the widest possible distribution to all sports fans.
Setanta Sports is the only broadcaster of premium sports on digital terrestrial (Freeview). The Setanta Sports 1 channel, featuring the best of Setanta’s premium live content, is available on Freeview boxes and digital TVs with viewing card slots.
The Setanta Sports Pack is available to satellite and cable customers and is made up of the following ten channels:
Setanta Sports 1
Setanta Sports 2
Setanta Golf
Setanta Ireland
Arsenal TV*
Celtic TV
Liverpool TV
Rangers TV
NASN (North American Sports Network)*
Racing UK
Setanta Sports is also available online, live and on demand, via Setanta by Broadband, featuring all Setanta’s leading content offered on Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports 2 and Setanta Golf, allowing sports fans to access at home, work or elsewhere.
For a full list of Setanta Sports’ exclusively live sporting content and fixture details, please visit www.setanta.com. Content includes Barclays Premier League football, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Blue Square Premier, US PGA Golf, Live Magners League rugby, top-flight boxing, Ultimate Fighting Championship and action from some of Europe’s best football leagues. Later this year, Setanta’s exclusively live content will include the Community Shield, FA Cup, England international friendlies and 2010 World Cup qualifiers involving England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Setanta Sports is available from £9.99 a month, with no annual contract required. For the latest pricing offers on any platform, please visit www.setanta.com or call 08712 10 20 30.
Setanta Sports is also joint owner with Virgin Media of Setanta Sports News, the new 24-hour sports news channel, available free-to-air on the Virgin Media platform, and also on satellite, covering all the top sports stories from the UK and abroad. Setanta Sports News provides viewers with the breaking sports headlines that matter every 20 minutes, delivered by a pool of presenters and multi-skilled reporters in the field, as well as supported by regular views and opinions from fan correspondents across the UK. Setanta Sports News EPG number on Virgin Media is 518. The satellite EPG number is 435.
*not available to Virgin Media customers