Setanta set to make bid for Champions League rights

nations.

Tender documents for the three Champions League seasons from July 2009
will be issued in the spring. Uefa is hopeful of raising £150m a
year in the UK, up from the current £90m-a-year deal.

"We will be looking at a bid for the Champions League rights," said a
Setanta senior executive. "They're certainly going to add value to the
portfolio."

Should the private equity-backed TV firm acquire Champions League rights
for the three seasons starting August 2009, it would further erode the
monopoly currently enjoyed by Sky over top football rights. Previously,
it had been assumed that Setanta would not enter the bid-ding fray.

ITV and Sky currently share the Champions League rights in a £90m-a-season deal. According to the source, Setanta would not look to
team with another pay-TV player for the rights. "Competition will be
strong. You could even see the games being shown on two free-to-air
channels," the source claimed.

Sky, conscious of the challenge posed by Setanta, is planning to hang on
to its share of rights. Meanwhile, ITV is likely to bid again, with
executive chairman Michael Grade prioritising investment in "event
television", such as sport.