See article below. And not being a English man i just want to ask what you guys think about this? Bad or good? From my own point of view and experience with setanta sports when they were about, fragmentation of coverage is really really bad! Its costs us a bloody fortune to see game, causes piracy due to people watching live streams (no problem with it ) and overall causes confusion. On the other hand its nice to see Sky getting a taste of their own medicine!
ARTICLE:
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The Aviva English Premiership in rugby is to be televised exclusively live on BT Vision from next season in a deal worth up to £152 million (€190,138,320).
The four-year contract will see BSkyB and ESPN, who currently split coverage of matches, replaced by BT as the only platform on which to watch top flight English club rugby. In a further development, BT will also have exclusive live broadcast rights to games played by Premiership teams in European competitions from 2014 for three years.
This could potentially result in the fragmentation of European coverage if BSkyB continue to hold overall rights to any competition, although the landscape may have changed significantly by then. The qualification process for the Heineken Cup is to be discussed at a meeting between ERC stakeholders in Dublin next Tuesday.
The English and French clubs are currently in dispute with ERC over its structure and have threatened to set up an alternative tournament when the current agreement ends in 2014 if their demands are not met.
“This is a game-changing agreement and will deliver a service that I know our club supporters will enjoy," Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty said. “We are delighted to have concluded our discussions with such an ambitious partner that will help bring the Premiership to new audiences."
The agreement sees BT secure broadcast rights to up to 69 Premiership matches per season and also includes games from the entire J.P. Morgan Asset Management Sevens Series.
BT Vision - Win English Premiership Rights.
posted on 14/9/12
Actually gents, this whole thing has taken a drastic turn for the worst.
If it goes through it means the end of the HC plain and simple. it has literally thrown the European game in to chaos.
posted on 15/9/12
I just don't want to get shafted into having to pay for yet more TV channels!
posted on 15/9/12
Ye sporty, thats what happened back in the days of Setanta sports.
But this time its different. This is a very volatile situation now with the guy from BT vision (Marc Watson) stating this - “We are looking to set up, or at least help set up, a dazzling new European tournament with a fantastic new format, with, we hope, all the best clubs.”
The arrogance of this guy has been highlighted b the French and indeed some folks from the other unions, as they have been quoted saying. They (BT) have the English Prm clubs, They however do not have the french, irish, welsh, scots or italians.
Of which France Italy and Ireland do not have access to BT vision even if we wanted it!
There is good news tho!
The RFU have also joined the party and stated the the PREMIERSHIP RUGBY did not have the power to sell European TV rights.
I recommend reading this article which outlines the whole mess better than i can - http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0915/1224324046581.html
posted on 15/9/12
Ultimately I think this comes down to the debate as to what club rugby in England should be like - its current status involving promotion, relegation and essentially town based clubs remains from the amateur days - akin to France but unlike Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Perhaps Ian McGeechan's review will answer this, but if this format is to be maintained its a little difficult to see how it can fit with the Rabo League format, and the consequence of this may be a withdrawal of ENglish clubs from European club competition - intersteingly, in which case there'd be no European TV rights issue (this seems to much of a coincidence to be true, though it could also be a severe form of brinkmanship).
If a Rabo type format were adopted - no promotion or relegation, and "region based" clubs were adopted then it would seem logical to continue, but could you really see a merger of Leicester & Northampton or Bath & Gloucester or Saracens & Harlequins?
posted on 15/9/12
SARS first i have heard people complaining that the Prem clubs cant compete due to wage caps. Then due to money, now you are saying its because the are town based clubs.
Leinster and Munster are operating on a confirmed budget of no more than 5.5 million a year with a limit of 4 foreign players per club.
Now im pretty sure thats less than any of the big "town clubs" your referring to and a hell of a lot less than the 30+ million they are operation on in the big french clubs.
I dont normally disagree with you mate, but this time im 100% disagreeing with you. This all boils down to one thing.
Greed. Nothing more than Greed.
posted on 15/9/12
Hi there!
I think the struggling to compete is mainly down to the salary cap, though i know we differ on this, the town basis is to some degree what forces the salary cap to ensure smaller sides can compete, which is in turn driven by the promotion and relegation part.
They are all essentially, different parts of the same whole, and its something English rugby has yet to come to terms with. Maybe there is an option that suits all, but it beats me to be honest
Ps just down the road from where the big meeting is on Tuesday, Lady GaGa is currently going through her sound check, maybe she can provide some words of advice to them all?
posted on 15/9/12
Sorry, i also meant to day, i dont think this is about money or greed, English clubs arent asking for more money, but rather something that recognises the differences between the league set ups. Tough again, I'm damned if I can find the answer - maybe send Gareth Chilcott, Olivier Merle and Ciaran Fitzpatrick down the Waterloo and let them come up with the answer?
posted on 15/9/12
Well either way SARS the HC is under the gun because of this and for sure its about money with BT vision flashing 5 times the cash SKY are willing to pay.
Fact is the game suffers as a whole because of this. And while i agree to a point the qualification structure needs to be revised, as per the ultimatum of the English and French clubs, this business of undermining the whole European game because of greed back home is down right despicable. Bottom line, The french clubs representative has condemned what the Premiership have done, so has the RFU and the ERC, Next the IRB will get involved. But its all for nothing it the deal is legal.
And if it is legal, then the HC is over. Because if the HC continues without English clubs it is effectively not a complete pan European competition and is devalued. With the english out in the cold.
posted on 17/9/12
From what I recall of the wage cap - Premiership teams are capped at 4.5 million pounds. And get no real "support" from the RFU for internationals. The Irish teams as an example have a salary cap but their internationals salaries are paid for by the IRFU thus a larger disparity than it first appears.
I think this is just a bit of brinksmanship and itll all calm down soon - I must admit I'd prefer sky to lose the premiership coverage as I cant stand the smug chubby one from Barrrrth who spends an entire game saying how Leicester cheat then lauds Smit for never getting onside!
posted on 18/9/12
4.5 million. ur a few mil short mate. perhaps that was a few years ago?
I do tend to agree about barnes! god i loath that man.
Still better the deliv you know than the devil you dont and its simple enough.if sky lose the rights england are out of the HC so better to stay with sky unless you want them out that is. And i for one dont.