Setanta Sports News poised for launch

by Emma Barnett, Media Week 06-Nov-07, 11:50

LONDON - Setanta Sports News, jointly owned by Setanta Sports and Virgin Media, has announced a launch date of 29 November.

The 24-hour channel will be available free-to-air on the Virgin Media platform and on satellite, covering sports stories from the UK and abroad. Kelly Dalglish, daughter of former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, will host a weekly chat show. Reporters will deliver headlines every 20 minutes, and will also discuss the main stories of the day with a panel of high-profile guests.

As part of its drive for “fresh” programming, the channel is recruiting “fan correspondents”, including one for every Premier League football club. The channel will be produced by ITN after the original production company TWI pulled out. It will appear at position 518 on the Virgin Media EPG. The satellite position has yet to be confirmed.