Setanta 'is on brink of collapse'

therecklessone

Des wrote: »

Pat Dolan is big everywhere.

Slightly less big than he used to be though.

Dub13

I could never understand nor get my head around why they have Pat Dolan in the studio,I understand its only for games in Ireland but surly there are a few ex pros (real pros like paul mcgrath) knocking about Ireland who are free on Sat afternoons.

Seen Dolan giving Torres,Gerrard,Ronney etc etc advice is just not right IMO.

Eire-Dearg

And that waistcoat...

Totally agree Dub, himself and the host make up for poor, unadvisive viewing.

JerryHandbag

The question I would like to have answered......is that a wig on Pat Dolans head?

I wouldnt like to see setanta workers lose there jobs, but if means me payin 20 quid a month less if all the football goes back onto Sky then, well happy days. But then, will that mean a repeat of this Pay-Per-View racket from a few seasons back? I dunno bout the whole thing....

Karmafaerie

Setanta Sports Great Britain
Important Customer Message


As has been widely reported in various media channels, Setanta Sports and investors are in the process of securing the future of the business.

All of our channels are still broadcasting across all platforms and our subscribers can continue to enjoy our programming and we are delighted to bring you live events this weekend such as UFC 99 and the St. Jude PGA TOUR golf event from Memphis.

We are taking subscriptions from new customers for our great sports content both online at www.setanta.com and at our call centres.

Our customer services operations are open and available to handle customer’s queries, but there are a series of frequently-asked questions, the answers to which are set out for you below.

We thank you for your continued interest in Setanta Sports and look forward to bringing you a wealth of sport over the coming months and years.

They're taking new customers.

mike65

Crisis, what crisis? Until the next time. Len Blavatnik already had a stake and so presumably is happy enough to take effective control and so has the money or links to investors to keep the ship afloat.

Headshot

Setanta has met part of its £35m instalment to the Premier League that is due tomorrow and is believed to have hammered out a repayment schedule. The league received £10m on Friday and Setanta will pay a further £10m this Friday. A final £15m sum has been deferred until later this summer, despite indications from the Premier League that it would not consider renegotiating or deferring payments.

However, the Premier League has reserved the right to put the final year of Setanta's three-year deal, which kicks in at the start of the 2009-10 season, out to tender if it believes the rescue is foundering.

Industry sources said it could begin the process of re-auctioning those rights before Friday by inviting offers from other bidders. It is believed to be concerned that Setanta's future remains in doubt with two months left before the start of the season. Setanta holds the rights to screen 46 games next season and 23 games for each of the following three seasons under a separate deal.

The company is continuing its emergency fund-raising drive as it battles to save its future. It emerged over the weekend that Endemol, the TV production company that makes Big Brother, could take a stake in Setanta as part of a refinancing package backed by the Russian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik. Endemol is run by Ynon Kreiz, a former partner at the venture capital firm Balderton Capital, one of Setanta's biggest investors, and sat on the Setanta board.

Kreiz was appointed CEO of Endemol last year after it was sold to a consortium headed by its co-founder John de Mol. Endemol is considering taking part in the rescue package, which will see Blavatnik's private company Access Industries pay around £20m for a 51% controlling stake in Setanta. A further £20m would come from other investors – enough to place the business on a firmer financial footing. The deal with Access, which owns a stake in Top-Up TV and is also a small shareholder in Setanta, has been agreed in principle but not yet finalised. Due diligence should be completed by the end of the week.

..

OhNoYouDidn't

Dub13 wrote: »

Seen Dolan giving Torres,Gerrard,Ronney etc etc advice is just not right IMO.

International player who played for Arsenal, Rovers in Europe and managed Pats to a league.

More qualified than most.

stovelid

Dub13 wrote: »

I could never understand nor get my head around why they have Pat Dolan in the studio,I understand its only for games in Ireland but surly there are a few ex pros (real pros like paul mcgrath) knocking about Ireland who are free on Sat afternoons.

Seen Dolan giving Torres,Gerrard,Ronney etc etc advice is just not right IMO.

That would disqualify 100% of the opinion on here - including mine - as bullshit then.

Judge the guy on what he says, not who he played for. Dunphy hardly had a glittering career, but he's loved around here. And the inverse is especially true: look at all the top-level ex-players that are brutal pundits.

Boggles

stovelid wrote: »

Dunphy hardly had a glittering career, but he's loved around here.

Dunphy is adored around here, tis nothing to do with his football knowdledge though.

Headshot

Have setanta paid up?

mike65

They have till close of business today.

Dub13

Any news yet..?

joe316

Just on Sky News that their premier league licence agreement has been terminated.

lordgoat

Ironically i'm watching setanta sports news now and there is no mention of it.

mike65

Yep that's that. The package now goes to auction with offers in by Monday so they ain't messing about. Anyone fancy guessing who'll made an offer?

MrStuffins

Just caught that on RTE News.

Thats the end of them.

What's the best way to terminate your subscription? I'm off to do it!

Headshot

The Premier League have terminated their contract with Setanta with immediate effect after the Irish broadcaster failed to make a scheduled payment before this evening's deadline.

Setanta had been warned earlier this week that the league would sell off their 46 live matches for next season to the highest bidder if they did not make the £30 million payment.

Last-ditch efforts by Setanta to secure a rescue package were unsuccessful and the Premier League will announce early next week who has won the rights to show the games.

The league said in a statement: 'The Premier League has been working with Setanta for some time to help them continue as the broadcaster of 46 UK live matches for the 2009/10 Season.

'The Premier League, in agreement with Setanta, stipulated that certain contractual requirements had to be met on or before Friday 19 June 2009 to allow the preparations for the 2009/10 season to continue unaffected.

'It is with considerable regret that we announce that Setanta has been unable to meet their obligations. As such the existing licence agreement between us has been terminated with immediate effect.

'The Premier League will now go ahead and market the 46 UK live matches for the 2009/10 season.'

Setanta still have a contract with the Premier League to show 23 live games a season from 2010 to 2013, but after their failure to come up with the money for next season the company looks close to the point of collapse.

The broadcaster, which started taking new subscriptions again this week based on hopes of a rescue by US tycoon Len Blavatnik's Access Industries has around 1.2 million subscribers, 700,000 short of the £1.9 million that industry experts believe they need to break even.

Setanta had suspended new subscriptions last week and has also missed a £3 million payment due to the Scottish Premier League - forcing the league to pay clubs from its own pocket.

...

Headshot

what's going to happen to the monday nights ?

MrStuffins

Headshot wrote: »

what's going to happen to the monday nights ?

Monday night football with our old friends Eurosport!:D

Quint

Dub13 wrote: »

I could never understand nor get my head around why they have Pat Dolan in the studio,I understand its only for games in Ireland but surly there are a few ex pros (real pros like paul mcgrath) knocking about Ireland who are free on Sat afternoons.

You obviously don't remember Paul McGrath as a pundit on TV3.

Unearthly

Does this include the Irish 3pm games to?

JerryHandbag

MrStuffins wrote: »

Just caught that on RTE News.

Thats the end of them.

What's the best way to terminate your subscription? I'm off to do it!

Yes can anyone answer this....I may be wrong but I think I heard somewhere that it is annoyingly difficult to cancel your subscription with them...which I wanna do now ASAP as I dont really watch any of their other sports, apart from the golf channel which I can live without tbh.

therecklessone

Unearthly wrote: »

Does this include the Irish 3pm games to?

No, they are a separate package. That's not to say they won't have to default on payment for that at some point.

MrStuffins

Any takers on how best to cancel your subscription?

A Dub in Glasgo

Cancel your direct debit

MrStuffins

Don't you need to give them 30days notice or something?

DonJose

Just phoned Setanta Ireland and was asked for a reason why I want to cancel, I told them because of the Premiership rights, big mistake, they went into a waffle that its all speculation blah blah and then finally that I needed to call England. The number is

0044 8712003322

Then press the following options,

2
1
3

Spoke to a guy after five minutes then he asked why I was cancelling, so I lied and said I'm moving house Then he asked what was I watching most, probably trying to catch me out, I said UFC wresting :rolleyes: Then he told me I have to send an email to unsubscribe to the following email addy with my name address telephone number and setanta reference

request@setanta.com

Headshot

setanta is expected to go into administration now

hopefully BBC may pick up the rights to the matches

A Dub in Glasgo

MrStuffins wrote: »

Don't you need to give them 30days notice or something?

You think they will worry about refunding your month in advance payment when they go bust?

MrStuffins

DonJose wrote: »

Just phoned Setanta Ireland and was asked for a reason why I want to cancel, I told them because of the Premiership rights, big mistake, they went into a waffle that its all speculation blah blah and then finally that I needed to call England. The number is

0044 8712003322

Then press the following options,

2
1
3

Spoke to a guy after five minutes then he asked why I was cancelling, so I lied and said I'm moving house Then he asked what was I watching most, probably trying to catch me out, I said UFC wresting :rolleyes: Then he told me I have to send an email to unsubscribe to the following email addy with my name address telephone number and setanta reference

request@setanta.com

I had heard they were making it very very hard for people to unsubscribe alright.

Thats ridiculous!

mike65

Which actual packages are Setantas right now (as of a few hours ago!)? Cos the one that Sky passes on will surely dictate who is willing to make a bid. BBC and ITV are so tied up with Soaps that the Monday slot would be near impossible esp for ITV. Saturday on the other hand would be very doable for both and being a tea-time KO would be not disrupt "prime time" sacred cows.

MrStuffins

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

You think they will worry about refunding your month in advance payment when they go bust?

No, but i happen to know about contracts. And i wouldn't want to be in breach if i had agreed to give them 30 days notice.

Headshot

mike65 wrote: »

Which actual packages are Setantas right now (as of a few hours ago!)? Cos the one that Sky passes on will surely dictate who is willing to make a bid. BBC and ITV are so tied up with Soaps that the Monday slot would be near impossible esp for ITV. Saturday on the other hand would be very doable for both and being a tea-time KO would be not disrupt "prime time" sacred cows.

do BBC 2 have soaps on a monday ?

MrStuffins

Headshot wrote: »

do BBC 2 have soaps on a monday ?

I wish!

Boggles

ITV and BBC both have 4 main channels each, don't think the soaps will be a problem, as these are usually watched by dribbling women.

Mossy Monk

It wouldn't surprise me if five bid. They are afterall owned by the European media powerhouse RTL

Unearthly

23 more games for Sky wouldn't be enough for them to bring back prem plus, unless they be smart and sneaky and add a previously standard package they had to the new one will they will acquire and bring back that ppv service.

Best case scenario. Setanta die. RTE get the 3pm games, Sky add the 23 games to their normal schedule with no prem plus, and someone like BBC/ITV/Channel 5 pick up the remaining 23 games.

Headshot

Unearthly wrote: »

23 more games for Sky wouldn't be enough for them to bring back prem plus, unless they be smart and sneaky and add a previously standard package they had to the new one will they will acquire and bring back that ppv service.

Best case scenario. Setanta die. RTE get the 3pm games, Sky add the 23 games to their normal schedule with no prem plus, and someone like BBC/ITV/Channel 5 pick up the remaining 23 games.

RTE are barely keeping a float,could they afford the games ?

MrStuffins

Headshot wrote: »

MrStuffins ?

:P

Mossy Monk wrote: »

It wouldn't surprise me if five bid. They are afterall owned by the European media powerhouse RTL

I bloody hope not!!! There goes all the football :mad:

Headshot

MrStuffins wrote: »

I bloody hope not!!! There goes all the football :mad:

if the worse comes and channel 5 gets it

an ftv card will get ya channel 5

btw i deleted my previous joke by accident

Unearthly

Headshot wrote: »

RTE are barely keeping a float,could they afford the games ?

Not sure tbh

How about TV3? Hope we don't lose the 3pm games altogether. What will we do? go outside? having a laugh.

Aquos76

Headshot wrote: »

an ftv card will get ya channel 5

You dont even need a ftv card anymore, Its FTA for the past few months

Headshot

Unearthly wrote: »

Not sure tbh

How about TV3? Hope we don't lose the 3pm games altogether. What will we do? go outside? having a laugh.

what they should do is a combined bid for the games

Unearthly

Headshot wrote: »

what they should do is a combined bid for the games

Yes that would be good, just like Setanta and RTE shared a few years ago.

Mossy Monk

MrStuffins wrote: »

I bloody hope not!!! There goes all the football :mad:

It's free on satellite.

Headshot

Aquos76 wrote: »

You dont even need a ftv card anymore, Its FTA for the past few months

oh right

times have changed

nice one

MrStuffins

I was under the illusion that we still couldn't get Five here

Lovely!

Mossy Monk

See the link for information on how to tune in five on satellite

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055520627

OPENROAD

Just called Setanta, I pay monthly but on a 12 month contract, guy asked me why I was cancelling, told him due to the premiership, he told me it was speculation from their main rivals and they are still in negotiations and will still have the premiership in his opinion. He said I was on a 12 month contract and so could not cancel, I told him that the package I signed up for had significantly changed and so they had breached contract. He came back to me and said I could cancel with 40days written notice. They still have the FA Cup and Arsenal tv so not sure what I will do yet.