Bt win English Premiership rugby rights

channelsurfer2

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/rugby/2012/0912/1224323936277.html

the major development is that it will include english tv rights for the Heineken Cup or whatever european tournament is in existence at the start of the 2014 season.

this is a big blow for sky as it leaves them with trying to get the residual rights to the european tournament eg irish teams when they play the english teams at home...

p.oconnor

I think the HC rights have to be negotiated with the ERC, I wonder does this apply if the English teams break away from the HC, as the are saying they will do along with the French clubs unless the rules are changed in picking the pro 12 teams.

channelsurfer2

p.oconnor wrote: »

I think the HC rights have to be negotiated with the ERC, I wonder does this apply if the English teams break away from the HC, as the are saying they will do along with the French clubs unless the rules are changed in picking the pro 12 teams.

I read elsewhere that the ERC centrally negotiate them up until 2014 then its open season with everything up for grabs and I would guess that the English Clubs are probably using it as a bargaining tool with the ERC or Celtic Rugby clubs. I wonder how much of an extra premium BT has paid for the future European rights and can they walk away if these arent included?

p.oconnor

http://corporate.sky.com/investors/press_releases/2012/four_more_years_of_european_rugby_live_on_sky_sports

Very strange Sky Sports now announcing a deal as well....

From sky

THE HEINEKEN CUP: Exclusive live matches from each of the first four rounds, plus all knock out stages and finals for a further four seasons, across the UK and Ireland.

AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP: Exclusive live coverage of matches in the opening rounds, knockout stages, both Semi-Finals and the Final across the UK and Ireland.

Does this mean they are sharing the rights I wonder?

lertsnim

If Sky say exclusive then it will only be Sky showing it. I cannot see how a BT deal with the RFU can include European rugby rights.

mike2084

It all sounds a bit odd really - and the bills to watch all this sport with be climbing as you will need to subscribe to about three or four differnt channels to see everything.

icdg

There's a lot more going on here. Taking the Premiership Rugby rights bit firstly, this main repercussion here is that ESPN will almost certainly close their UK station next summer. They have no significant domestic events left apart from second choice FA Cup and UEFA Europa League rights and that won't pull in the subscribers on its own (the top games in both competitions are on ITV). Expect ESPN America and ESPN Classic to continue, but the main station to close.

The European business is the trickier piece to analyze. If it is part of Premiership Rugby's posturing, someone hasn't told the BT Vision CEO who is boasting in articles that his company is going to not only broadcast, but actually take over the running of this competition. I can't see the other unions standing for that. Premiership Rugby had absolutely no right to sell rights to a competition that doesn't even exist, never mind purport to be able to sell rights to games English clubs are involved in outside England. They have a set of other demands which to be honest are for the Rugby forum to discuss (and I know there's a massive thread there) but Premiership Rugby have not made themselves any friends with this move - even their allies in the LNR will not be happy with this.

Digifriendly

Rugby boards.ie has a much fuller discussion on this.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056667675&page=22
Looks like English clubs flexing their muscle re possible breakaway from ERC to set up their own European competition.