New season of TV & Broadband competition kicks off
Friday, August 10th, 2007Defending champions Sky face a fresh challenge
This weekend saw the beginning of the new football season, and a fresh set of campaigns from the main players in the digital TV markets own premier league. Reigning pay-TV champions Sky face their toughest season yet, with both Virgin Media and BT rolling out coverage of the beautiful game to rival what has been the jewel in the satellite crown for over a decade.
BT Vision made the appropriate noises over its ‘near-live’ coverage of 242 Premier League matches, allowing for multiple repeat viewings of games, and Virgin unrolled a series of newspaper and poster ads, making the most of their partnership with relative newcomers Setanta. Virgin have also quietly made mention of exclusive online content only available to Virgin Media broadband customers, in an attempt to halt customer defection to Sky’s See Speak Surf squad.
BT, who are sitting pretty at the top of the Broadband Champions League are hoping to cement that position by retaining customers in a more direct manner – a subscription to BT Broadband, not just any broadband connection, is required for BT Vision to work.
Adverts for Setanta’s Sports Pack, available on practically every digital TV platform – Top-Up TV, Sky, Virgin, BT Vision and Freeview – has been doing the rounds on TV and DAB radio this week, with silver otter Des Lynam, punting the £9.99 a month subscription service from behind a burger van.
Sky was famously forced to cough up a portion of its exclusive Premiership broadcast rights by the EU – Setanta Sports was awarded the rights for the remaining matches, and looks to become as synonymous with football in British homes as Sky has. Setanta, based in Ireland also features coverage on GAA Gaelic Sports and regularly broadcasts coverage of European football matches and a whole range of American sports.
