Sports Extra (TNT/Premier)

icdg

Strangely enough, commercial customers (ie pubs) would be the places I’d most frequently see old Sky boxes - even ones with the original EPG occasionally!

This removes their ability to do the SD/HD split we saw during the Allianz Leagues - of course by the time next season comes around eir Sport 2 and Premier Sports 1 will be separate channels. I wonder what the reason for this is - preparation for the split perhaps?

dulpit

I assume it'll save a few bob too?

icdg

Might not in the overall scheme of things. At the moment eir Sport 2 and Premier Sports 1 are one channel so share their transmission costs. After the split what is now one channel will become two separate ones.

Presumably going forward, eir and Premier will be bearing their own transmission costs. In addition it may be that Premier will now need ROI specific channels, with the Premier League but without Pro14. Depends though - they had no issues with blocking hours of GAA coverage in Ireland on summer Sundays so maybe it will be the same with the Pro14.

mackersdublin

Premier Sports 1 is HD only on Sky in the UK. The SD version was removed when Premier Sports 2 launched last summer

icdg

https://www.eirsport.ie/availability-of-eir-sport-1-eir-sport-2-in-hd-only

Here’s a bit on the switch off.

Another possibility is that this is to make room for Premier Sports 2 HD and FreeSports HD.

Shero1985

Can someone just clarify - with Sky teaming up with BT Sports, it means that BT Sports channels will be offered as part of an overall Sky package, but would be priced higher than the existing Sky packages including sports?

Also, this now means that BT Sports will simply be removed from existing Eir packages effective in June or July is it? So will the price of the Eir package be reduced?

joe_99

Shero1985 wrote: »

Can someone just clarify - with Sky teaming up with BT Sports, it means that BT Sports channels will be offered as part of an overall Sky package, but would be priced higher than the existing Sky packages including sports?

Also, this now means that BT Sports will simply be removed from existing Eir packages effective in June or July is it? So will the price of the Eir package be reduced?

Premier Sports will also be included in the Sky pack

mackersdublin

Shero1985 wrote: »

Can someone just clarify - with Sky teaming up with BT Sports, it means that BT Sports channels will be offered as part of an overall Sky package, but would be priced higher than the existing Sky packages including sports?

Also, this now means that BT Sports will simply be removed from existing Eir packages effective in June or July is it? So will the price of the Eir package be reduced?

I don't think anyone here can answer either question. eir haven't confirmed what will happen when the BT channels leave the eir sport pack

icdg

Nobody can answer either question. No details on pricing have yet been unveiled.

The only comparable situation happened when Setanta GB went bust. The Setanta Sports Pack suddenly went from seven channels to two....and yes, they charged the same price for it.

If anyone thinks Sky are going to simply give away the BT Sport and Premier Sports channels, id suggest they have another think.

kooga

another issue will be whether you will be able to solely subscribe to bt sports and premiersport on the sky platform? will you have to take a sky basic tv package as well

Delta2113

kooga wrote: »

another issue will be whether you will be able to solely subscribe to bt sports and premiersport on the sky platform? will you have to take a sky basic tv package as well

-Deffo have to have sky basic tv pack.

FreudianSlippers

kooga wrote: »

another issue will be whether you will be able to solely subscribe to bt sports and premiersport on the sky platform? will you have to take a sky basic tv package as well

Surely it will be available on NowTV?

icdg

Unclear on that one - the original, UK only cross supply agreement for BT Sport did say it would be available to BT Vision customers on Now TV. Not sure what the point of that would be, but anyway:

https://www.skygroup.sky/corporate/media-centre/articles/en-gb/sky-and-bt-agree-cross-supply-of-tv-channels

That still hasn’t launched, even in the UK, by the way - they seem to be waiting to start the UK and Ireland deals together.

As for Premier Sports, I doubt that will be made available on Now TV for now.

Mr.Maroon

Has a date been announced for when eir will lose the Premier Sport channels?
Sky take over the broadcasting of BT Sports on the 1st of August - but I can't find a date for Premier Sports.

icdg

Nothing announced, no, other than it’ll be before the start of the Premier League season. I wouldn’t be surprised if it also ends up being 1st August, but that’s pure conjecture on my part.

roadmaster

The Eir sport ads on radio at the moment say the channels are subject to change so is that a way of saying the BT channels will be going from the eir pack?

Delta2113

roadmaster wrote: »

The Eir sport ads on radio at the moment say the channels are subject to change so is that a way of saying the BT channels will be going from the eir pack?

- Might be more than just BT channels - this is to cover themselves.

Johnboy1951

roadmaster wrote: »

The Eir sport ads on radio at the moment say the channels are subject to change so is that a way of saying the BT channels will be going from the eir pack?

IIRC that has been the situation all along, so no change in terms ...... but maybe a change in preparing people for an upcoming change in available channels.

icdg

Every pay TV provider includes that in their terms and conditions - they can’t be held responsible for third party channels. BT is (like eir) first and foremost a telecommunications company and there’s been several times over the last few years that management could have pulled the plug on the Sports business. I suspect eir management may be contemplating doing the same at the moment. Next year they will be really, really dependant on the Pro14 and they need to pull something out of the bag rights wise as many will be content to make do with TG4/S4C/FreeSports coverage of that competition. The Rugby World Cup will be a draw but they’ll be competiting with RTE for Ireland games and all the the other games will be on ITV, so perhaps not as compelling a proposition as may seem.

Personally I wouldn’t sign up to eir Sport at the moment without any clarity as to what will be included next season. The Pro14 is a big draw for me but I have to weigh up whether it’s worth €27 per month on its own, if that’s what they are going to continue to charge, particularly if BT Sport and Premier Sports are now more money on top of that.

Tigerandahalf

Eir need to go after the gaa.
What sort of money are Sky paying for the gaa in comparison to what eir are paying for BT sport?

icdg

We don’t know what eir were paying for BT Sport, the RTE and Sky deals were reported as €55m together but no breakdown as to how that goes RTE/Sky (and RTE have the lions share of the rights).

However you might be waiting a while there as the current deals run until the end of the 2022 Allianz Leagues - three more years effectively.

In fact, eir gave away (well, more accurately sublicensed) a package of its GAA rights to RTE his year, seemingly because their Pro14 package meant they didn’t have the airtime for all the club championship coverage they committed to. Their Allianz League rights are attractive games, but very hard to build subscriptions on because they only last seven weeks.

dulpit

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Eir need to go after the gaa.
What sort of money are Sky paying for the gaa in comparison to what eir are paying for BT sport?

Wasn't part of the justification of giving GAA to sky that it would make it available in UK? Which wouldn't be possible with Eir...

Tigerandahalf

dulpit wrote: »

Wasn't part of the justification of giving GAA to sky that it would make it available in UK? Which wouldn't be possible with Eir...

That's the GAA viewpoint plus all the $$$$.

You get the feeling that the GAA may not be far off going semi-pro. They just need a big enough tv deal.

lertsnim

dulpit wrote: »

Wasn't part of the justification of giving GAA to sky that it would make it available in UK? Which wouldn't be possible with Eir...

Which made no sense as the games were always available on Premier Sports, who still show all the RTE games and the TG4 league matches. Though not as many live league matches this year due to Serie A.

Johnboy1951

dulpit wrote: »

Wasn't part of the justification of giving GAA to sky that it would make it available in UK? Which wouldn't be possible with Eir...

It was just money.

If it was for UK supporters then they did not have to give Sky exclusive rights.

$$$$$

roadmaster

The only reason i went with eir broadband was so i could get the nfl and nhl. But i started watching bt channels and found them not to bad and over all i taught it was a good value for money package for the broadband and sports channels. But if they lose bt i wont be renewing

Tigerandahalf

I am paying €53 p/m out of contract with eir. If I went to somebody else I would be paying something similar, maybe discounted for the 1st year. The free channels are very handy.

Next year is more tricky and getting the bt channels will probably require a sky content plus bt contract. I am hoping that bt will be put on now tv. If it isn't I am not sure if I will bother subscribing. If Sky sports and bt sports were offered on now tv at max €50p/m I might be tempted to subscribe.

Even if you switch to Sky on a broadband/sports bundle you still have no access to eir sports.

icdg

It actually hasn’t been bad value when you consider that customers have been getting effectively three sport packages (eir Sport, BT Sport, and Premier Sports, plus Box Nation) for one single price. Alas when things get back up and running in August they will be three separate packages and probably a lot more costly. As I said before when Setanta GB went belly up in 2009 and the Setanta Sports Pack suddenly was reduced from about ten channels (I think at that point it was Setanta Ireland, Setanta 1&2, Setanta Golf, NASN, Racing UK, Celtic TV, Rangers TV, and LFC TV, as well as Setanta Sports News which wasn’t strictly part of the pack) down to just Setanta Ireland and Setanta 1, there was no reduction in price.

awec

Nobody is going to pay €30 a month for what's left after they lose BT and Premier.

dulpit

Do we know how many people subscribe to Eir Sports as a standalone offering? Most people I know with it have it because of Eir Broadband, and it's a bit of an attraction to the broadband with current offering. If they lose everything except their own channel, then not so much of a draw (and definitely not as a stand alone offering)