Setanta branches out with new online offering

by Emma Barnett Media Week 31-Jul-07, 10:55

LONDON - Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports has launched a service called Setanta by Broadband.

The service allows viewers to watch sport online at any time and is currently available for £7.99 a month. Setanta Sports 1, 2 and Setanta Golf will be on offer through the service.
The broadcaster, which is already available on Freeview, satellite, cable and BT Vision, hopes its exclusive online footage of football matches from the Barclays Premier League and the Clydesdale Bank Premier League will attract people to sign up.

Setanta by Broadband also offers an archive of sports broadcasts, allowing viewers access to a catch-up service.

The launch of the broadcaster’s new channel, Setanta Sports News, was exclusively revealed in Media Week (24 July) and is due to go live on cable later this year, with no date currently set.
The channel is a joint venture with Virgin Media, but Setanta Sports hopes for it to appear on broadband and satellite in the future.
The channel is said to be a replacement for Sky Sports News, which Virgin Media lost from its schedule earlier this year following a dispute with Sky over carriage costs.
The sports broadcaster has recently announced the launch of a nationwide TV campaign, fronted by former Match of the Day presenter Des Lynam, who will also be a presenter of its coverage of 46 live Premier League games.