This was posted December 17 on Setanta Sports' web site:Setanta Sports News
Coming to the Setanta Sports channel, starting in January -- a great new show, Setanta Sports News, to be broadcast LIVE 3 times a day.

Here are the times in the US for the upcoming Setanta Sports News show:

ET: 1am / 5pm / 10pm

CT: 12pm / 4pm / 9pm

MT: 11pm / 3pm / 8pm

PT: 10pm / 2pm / 7pmAlthough it mentions the US, I found this information when I went to www.setanta.com and changed the region to Canada. So hopefully we get this segment up here as well. You can preview what Setanta Sports News is all about on Setanta's home page (they have a live feed you can watch for free there).

I don't think we'll see this until PPV changes to the formal channel edition, the timing of wehich has gone absolutely quiet. What can possibly be delaying this as the channel was given the go-ahead a couple of months ago and you would have thought it would already have been mostly pre-planned. Does 'the fly' still have an inside Setanta contact as I cannot rouse them!
Robin

How can one ever use the word "pre-planned" in connection with the Setanta operation ? It has been obvious since day one that this was a fly by the seat of the pants operation. As though the deterioration of TV programming was not enough to contend with, we now see organisations such as Setanta jumping on the bandwagon and grabbing the soccer TV coverage where they saw an opportunity to make money out of a service that was already being provided reliably by others. TV is getting to the point where once the provision of a service is proving attractive to large numbers of viewers, more and more business ventures will hone in to extract additional revenue not so much from the current providers but from individual subscribers like you and me. The timing alone of this venture just as a new season was about to start should have raised questions, but here we are at the half-way point of the Premier League, and very little has changed in the way of improving what has obviously needed to be improved.

Yes, I definitely jumped the gun with my post about Setanta Sports News. Checking the American schedule, SSN is on three times a day beginning January 1. Over to the Canadian schedule....no sign of SSN!

So I e-mailed Setanta to get the lowdown, and got this reply:WE are still negotiating with the CRTC and until those open-ended negotiations are done, we are unable to show anything aside from live and delayed games. Hopefully, these will be over sooner rather than later, and we will be able to include highlights and news programming.So we apparently now have the CRTC as a scapegoat! How long DOES it take to negotiate with a government body? :confused:

why is the Old Firm aka Celtic-Rangers never shown live on any kind of Canadian tv station with the exception of pubs that have it via Setanta, someone must figure out there is a way to make some coin off this game, either through pay per view or such?

Setanta Sports does show Scottish Premier League games, although sometimes they end up being shown at all hours....

FYI, Setanta shows Celtic vs Rangers at 4:45 pm January 4...

In reply to 'educator' the Old Firm clubs/pubs in Canada hold exclusive rights to all matches involving Rangers and Celtic and this agreement only allows their matches to be shown on tv on a tape dalay basis, I believe minimum 48 hours. That is why you get some live SPL games on Setanta e.g. Hibs v Hearts but never involving Rangers or Celtic.
Robin

Yes, I definitely jumped the gun with my post about Setanta Sports News. Checking the American schedule, SSN is on three times a day beginning January 1. Over to the Canadian schedule....no sign of SSN!What is the big deal of this programming becoming available? How will it be any better than the soccer reports that are currently available on some of the other channels? Isn't there regular soccer news shows on some of the other channels like Gol and FSW?

It is kind of like having a nightly sports report on TSN vs. RSN vs. the Score. Is there really any difference between them?

During the Rugby World Cup we got a flavour of the quality of the Setanta "analysis" (on pre-game, half-time and post-game shows) and IMHO it was severely lacking. Everything had an Irish angle to it - why would North Americans care about the implications on the Irish of Argie vs. France? Yet that is what we were subject to. I realize Setanta is based in Ireland but it is a very small country (it has a smaller population than the GTA) and they likely have more viewers outside of Ireland than inside.

This is turning into a nitpicking forum! The 'big deal' is all the extra soccer programs available in US and not available here e.g. weeky EPL and SPL reviews, weekly discussion programs on happenings within EPL and SPL, weekly Friday 1 hour EPL preview program (I saw one and it was very good), 15 minute classic matches etc. - and all this means fewer repeat matches and general wider programming.
Re- the comment on the Irish influence. This is a bit small minded because this particular programming was provided by Ireland so, for us, it was take it or leave it. I think the pre and post match coverage of Saturday and Sunday matches is very good and I enjoy the Saturday 10am match having regular scoring updates from Scotland and England. We also have good pre and post match coverage of Sky matches shown by Setanta. If you prefer the pre and post match provided by Sportsnet, TSN and Score then why not just stick to that and don't infest others with small-minded criticism. Better still, why not just stop taking Setanta if you are so upset! (and I am Scottish, not Irish!).
Robin

Re- the comment on the Irish influence. This is a bit small minded because this particular programming was provided by Ireland so, for us, it was take it or leave it.My comment on the Irish view was with respect to the Rugby World Cup. It was not provided by Ireland for us. The Canadian rights to the RWC were bought by Setanta - I don't know, but they may have had the US rights as well. In the past we have seen the RWC coverage from the "world pool" broadcast team on TSN or RSN that is sent to all countries. Presumably Setanta could have provided this to us but they did not. They were not doing us a favour - they outbid others for these rights, then showed an inferior product (due to lousy announcing) and then sold all games past the first round on a PPV/subscription basis. And in the Canada/Japan game at the RWC the announcers were denigrating the Canadian team for much of the game.

If you prefer the pre and post match provided by Sportsnet, TSN and Score then why not just stick to that and don't infest others with small-minded criticism. My comments here were not with respect to pre and post game coverage of EPL on TSN, RSN and Score. I was pointing out the fact that all three of these networks provide nightly sports wrapups that are essentially the same package of hockey, basketball, etc. highlights. Sure it is good to have an option but I don't see that much value in getting 3 shows vs. 1. I feel the same way about the soccer shows - it is the games themselves that matter, getting Setanta's pre and post game shows is irrelevant and that is why I am surprised that so many folks here are getting their knickers in a knot over when these shows come to Canada.

Better still, why not just stop taking Setanta if you are so upset! (and I am Scottish, not Irish!).Because I am a rugby fan and Setanta has rugby fans by the short and curlies much more than soccer fans. If you don't subscribe to Setanta the only rugby you get in Canada is a weekly 30 minute show on the Score. At least soccer fans can not pay the $$$ to Setanta and still get several games a week from other sources. Rugby fans do not have that option! And I am glad that we are getting rugby games that haven't really been seen in Canada in the past such as Heineken cup, English Rugby union matches, Magner league, etc.

We also have good pre and post match coverage of Sky matches shown by Setanta. If you prefer the pre and post match provided by Sportsnet, TSN and Score then why not just stick to that and don't infest others with small-minded criticism. Better still, why not just stop taking Setanta if you are so upset! (and I am Scottish, not Irish!).
Robin

I think I have bitten my tongue enough, but you know what they say" if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck," then this robin100 fellow is obviously a shill from day one for Setanta and now he even uses the corporate "we" to confirm it. It doesn't surprise me that he would use such words as "don't infest others with small-minded criticism" and "why not just stop taking Setanta if you are so upset!" That kind of take or it or leave it talk is indicative of someone who attempts to defend the indefensible. Probably the next thing will be the cancellations of the subscriptions of any of us who would have the temerity to criticise Setanta and their ill prepared money venture.

There are few more die-hard sports fans than yours truly but even I'm baffled by the appeal of those magazine style programmes. Most of them are just filler, at best. Others are full of overhyped nonsense and blatant marketing of brands and products that resemble infomercials. I can see the point to a hughlights programme for sporting events they don't show live or at a convenient time (eg. Dutch football) but the last thing Setanta needs is even more EPL.

Although I was also annoyed by the way the Canadian rugby team played - so much so that I was glad Japan equalized at the end of that match - I agree with Wayne that the Irish analysts went overboard and started piling on. (Did they see how the Irish played?!) Another commentator - Mark Robson from my hometown of Belfast - was very anti-New Zealand in an unprofessional way, while other analysts, predictably, denigrated England. I also agree there way too much emphasis on Ireland - the team I was supporting. The launch of Setanta seemed very last minute and I'm willing to believe that they will become a little less parochial as they develop an international audience. We'll see.

Also in fairness to Setanta I don't believe they were trying to soak the Canadian rugby fan by putting the good matches on PPV only. I think that was explained earlier in this thread. Blame the International Rugby Board for that. Expect the Six Nations to be the same.

Anyway, I don't anticipate subscribing unless their coverage of Aussie rugby league is extensive or they add some cricket.

I have to agree that many of the Setanta commentators and so called analysts for the RWC were awful. I got used to the Irish bias and sort of tuned it out but in general their analysts were very one sided and just aching for someone to beat the eventual winners the Springboks.

Nigel Starmer Smith might have been a decent rugby player but he is without doubt the worst commentator I have ever listened to. He mumbles on about player stats and info (obviously reading from a laptop) and gives boring personal observations whilst ignoring the game on the field. The only solution for me when he was commentating was the mute button.

I am enjoying Setanta but it's certainly not very slick Endless loops of the same four commercials and promos and shows starting late with the first five or more minutes of the game already played. The schedule is also still riddled with mistakes -wrong teams, wrong competition and even wrong game!

I am persevering for now but I hope it gets better ....

Also in fairness to Setanta I don't believe they were trying to soak the Canadian rugby fan by putting the good matches on PPV only. I think that was explained earlier in this thread. Blame the International Rugby Board for that. Expect the Six Nations to be the same.It is very annoying when this is pretty the most expensive english language channel in the Rogers lineup and then when you get to important games they make you pay more for those games. That is particularly the case when you only watch the rugby and not much of the soccer.

Hi,
In reply to JGP I'm just a regular watcher like anyone else, just that I feel Setanta is over-criticised for some things (not all) because they are, in Canada, the new kid on the block. For example
1. Did you see the PQ on Fox's week end FA Cup coverage, esp. the Man Utd game? Much poorer than Setanta and I switched over to a match running on Setanta at the same time to confirm that. It surely has to be the quality of the signal coming from UK?
2. For Wayne, how many times has it to be explained that the putting of the big rugby games on PPV is not Setanta's doing but a decree from the IRB. Setanta probably does the best it can by putting it on tape delay as soon as the IRB will allow. I'm sure it will be the same with the Six Nations. In a similar vein that's why all matches involving Rangers and Celtic are on at least a 48 hour delay - it's because the Rangers and Celtic clubs in Canada hold exclusive rights and invoke this minimum 48 hours.
Robin

2. For Wayne, how many times has it to be explained that the putting of the big rugby games on PPV is not Setanta's doing but a decree from the IRB. Setanta probably does the best it can by putting it on tape delay as soon as the IRB will allow. I'm sure it will be the same with the Six Nations. Actually, I don't think this was really explained in this thread. All that was really mentioned was this in post 343: Apparently it is the IRB who are responsible for the good matches being available only on PPV. So you are saying that the IRB decreed "In North America there will be no Live Coverage of the RWC beyond Round 1 except on PPV" Why would they do that - was it solely PPV in other countries like the UK, France, Aus, New Zealand and South Africa? I don't think it was in Argentina which is where I watched the Final Match. Or were they forced to PPV due to exorbinant fees demanded by the IRB for North America. It would be interesting to find out exactly how much the IRB made from this in North America as I don't imagine there would have been tons of subscribers willinng to pay the fee.

So Robin100, can you please explain exactly how it is the IRB's doing that all RWC games past the first round were PPV? And why it is the IRB's fault some or all of the Six Nations will also be PPV?

And what is the relationship between the IRB and the Six Nations? I do not believe that IRB has much to do with the Six Nations as the IRB is the Global body whereas the Six Nations is purely a European Competition. I don't think the IRB would have any say over TV rights for this competition. It is kind of like Soccer - I don't think FIFA has anything to do with the Euro tournament as UEFA is the one that administers this tournament.

And the same thing with Tri-Nations - it is run by the SA, Aus and NZ Rugby Unions so the IRB shouldn't have any say.

By the way, if you look back through this thread you will see that I have generally been quite supportive of Setanta. It is great to see rugby on TV in Canada again and to a degree that we have never seen before. But I feel that I, as a rugby fan, am being taken advantage of when I am paying $15/month and then being deprived of big games. This is pretty much the most expensive English language channel on TV, it is much more expensive than the Movie Channel, so that is why I have high expectations for it. As I mentioned earlier I am not much of a soccer fan, if there was a Setanta rugby channel that I could subscribe to I would do so and not subscribe to soccer, so I am not paying for the soccer.

Hi wayne,
Certainly the IRB and World Cup issue was referred to several times and is a 'given'. I took a bit of poetic licence when I used the term IRB in relation to the Six Nations but I'm sure the same principle will apply although needs to be confirmed. Based on previous years a number of the Six Nations are shown by pubs in Canada and you pay to see that so I don't see the powers that be changing to suddenly allow a free for all on TV.
Hope I'm wrong but........ I won't have a big problem so long as they are shown 24 hours later (I can avoid the result)as this is a vast improvement on what went before.
Robin

Six-nations is a private company and sells it's broadcast rights to companies around the world, just like any other sports entity. I don't think the IRB has much to do with it, if anything. Their big money-spinner is the world cup. And i don't imagine that IRB or Six-Nations have any say as to how the TV rights are used.

I believe Setanta has bought the North American rights to Six-Nations, just as they did with the World Cup, and, as exclusive rights holder, they will distribute them as they see fit. They obviously believe that die-hard fans will willingly fork over PPV fees to see the games live, while showing them on tape delay might encourage subscribers to Setanta canada.

These people are experts at bleeding every dollar they can out of this kind of situation. Unfortunately we're at their mercy so don't expect any favours.

Hi Boca,
I'm not sure on that. I remeber reading before the start of the Rugby World Cup (and it may have been an e-mail reply from Setanta) that for such transmissions to pubs, PPV on TV etc Setanta only was the carrier and that someone else was "laying down the law" and making the financial gain. Thinking back re-the World Cup was the PPV not on BEV's PPV channel - I did not take any games but if the pre and post game stuff was not our Irish friends then indeed maybe not Setanta.
Read earlier as well that Setanta has the England home games and FA Cup from next season.
Robin

You may be right, but I still can't see where Six-Nations or the IRB would dictate how the games are distributed on TV once they have sold the rights. When the whole Setanta/TheScore/RSN fiasco was going down, i don't remember the EPL getting involved. The owners simply sell the rights for the different media distribution. The rights holder seems to have the authority to charge whatever they want and re-sell whatever they want. Hence we have 3 different sources for EPL games.

I also think we have to remember what we mean when we say "Setanta". Setanta North America appears to be the regional rights holder for the whole continent. they in turn, control Setanta Canada, so maybe that's what was meant by "someone else laying down the law".