Not sure if I'd bail out now since I enjoy watching the Premiership games. But it is going to be hard to justify the money come summer since I'm not a rugby fan.

Then again, they're probably counting on people like me who just procrastinate too long....and I'll probably never call to cancel...:-)

I am a rugby fan and I don't care if they ever get the Sportsnet 2 license. If it meant that they cut back on rugby to show soccer shows then I would definitely be against it.

I have been quite happy with the rugby coverage, outside of the World Cup debacle. The 6 Nations coverage is same or next day and we have Super 14 starting this weekend. These events have not been covered in Canada before, or at least not for a few years, so it is worth it for me.

I will continue to subscribe. I am a soccer fan and rugby interest and the soccer on offer is more than I can handle and I haven't been in that position before so it's there anytime I want, and I am largely talking about live offerings. For example, I saw 2 games on Sat, 2 on Sunday, Arsenal on Monday and tape delay of Celtic on Tuesday so today I am giving the Everton game a miss.
For interest to Sportsman, and others, I asked Setanta the latest re- Sportsnet 2. The reply did not surprise me....."well, that is the CRTC for you. We are in the final stages of negotiation but unable to give you a timeline". From what I understand the CRTC did not give a simple OK, but it seemed to contain an unexpected restriction on the number of hours of live sport they could show. Unless this can be changed we are as well with what we have.
Robin

If that's the case, Robin100, that's too bad, as the offering that Setanta gives to the U.S., although not much different, seems more filled-out than what we have here...

"well, that is the CRTC for you. We are in the final stages of negotiation but unable to give you a timeline". From what I understand the CRTC did not give a simple OK, but it seemed to contain an unexpected restriction on the number of hours of live sport they could show. Unless this can be changed we are as well with what we have.
RobinI'm not buying that explanation. Setanta wouldn't be the first to blame the CRTC for their own failings.

The CRTC approved the licence for Sportsnet 2 back in October. What is there to negotiate?

Didn't we clear up the live programming restriction (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=647275#post647390) a couple of months ago?

I'm not selling it! I do tend to believe it because a few months ago I read somewhere that they were still in discussion with CRTC and they have a history of bringing in small nuances that are aimed more at supporting some other channel's complaint rather than favouring the viewer of that 'new' channel. I did reply to them asking if they could assure me that all would be ok in the end and they replied that they fully expected it would. I would imagine also that CRTC only meet on occasion and maybe any issue raised by Setanata has to await getting on to the agenda. Areply then goes back and the cycle starts again - don't know but.....

I will keep the channel until the end of the EPL season. Not sure if I will keep it for the Super14. Tri-nations also, tempting!

I would imagine also that CRTC only meet on occasion and maybe any issue raised by Setanata has to await getting on to the agenda.The CRTC is an agency with hundreds of full-time emloyees. It doesn't 'meet'. It holds hearings regularly, but Setanta and Sportsnet 2 aren't the subject of any scheduled hearings.

Does anyone have a theory about how the CRTC could be holding back their launch as a Cat 2 channel?

I'm like everyone else, not party to the actual facts of the matter - does 'the fly' still visit here as he seemed to have really good contacts. However, Setanta wanted the licence and thus it has to be something which is preventing them broadcasting virtually the same format as in US and elsewhere and I still think it's related to trying to restrict the number of live offerings on a standard channel. CRTC could be attempting to make sure that TSN and Sportsnet are not way out in left field compared to this new kid on the block and trying to keep them competitive re- soccer.

I'm like everyone else, not party to the actual facts of the matter - does 'the fly' still visit here as he seemed to have really good contacts. However, Setanta wanted the licence and thus it has to be something which is preventing them broadcasting virtually the same format as in US and elsewhere and I still think it's related to trying to restrict the number of live offerings on a standard channel. CRTC could be attempting to make sure that TSN and Sportsnet are not way out in left field compared to this new kid on the block and trying to keep them competitive re- soccer.
I am still here but unfortunately don't have any info to add other then I don't believe this has anything to do with a "live" cap as my understanding was that this was a misunderstanding on this board.

The only thing that would prevent them from broadcasting virtually the same format as in the US is Canadian content regulations. Rogers Sportsnet is supposed to produce that for Setanta.

The only thing that would prevent them from broadcasting virtually the same format as in the US is Canadian content regulations. Rogers Sportsnet is supposed to produce that for Setanta.
I'm not sure that's an issue in this instance. FSWC has very little CanCon but got a licence without too much trouble. They likely got around the content issue with the Fox Soccer Report, although there's almost no actual Cancon in the show. Surely all Sporstnet would have to do would be to shift SoccerCentral over to the new channel to satisfy those requirements.

Judging by the content of other forums, Setanta has an abysmal reputation, and is regarded by many as a poorly run company. There is also a fair amount of discontent with their treatment of subscribers and with their production quality. Could it be that they just don't care? I'd like to think not but, from what I've seen and experienced, they're not very forthcoming with information or answers.

Maybe a bit unfair. Some hiccups initially but the programs I have been watching in the last few months have been free of problems. Also PQ has been very acceptable as well. If you like pre and post match soccer panel discussions (e.g. I think the guy Pat ... knows his stuff) they are far ahead of what we previously got. I also like the frequent score updates during the main Saturday match, we have additional Champ. league and UEFA Cup we did not get before, we have Carling Cup Final coming up, 6 nations etc.etc. All in all the positives far outweigh the negatives and, as I say, I haven't experinced any program negatives for some time now.
Robin

Can't be that 'bum' an outfit. Have just read they are likely to be the subject of takeover bids and that a European broadcaster has bid over a billion euros for the company. Hope that does not spell problems for us here in Canada.

If someone bought Setanta, then there's be a chance they'd be selling off pieces like the Canadian channel to get some cash. So the big Canadian companies - Rogers, CTV, Global, would be the likely bidders.

Maybe a bit unfair. Some hiccups initially but the programs I have been watching in the last few months have been free of problems. Also PQ has been very acceptable as well. They haven't worked out all of the bugs - a few weeks ago I was watching a rugby game and for about 10 minutes the vertical syncing was screwed up so that the top half of the picture was on the bottom half of the screen and the bottom half of the picture was on the top half of the screen.

But it is nice to see the rugby coverage like 6 Nations over the last few weeks and Super 14 which just started this weekend. We haven't seen much, if any, of that covered in Canada for several years, if at all.

If someone bought Setanta, then there's be a chance they'd be selling off pieces like the Canadian channel to get some cash. So the big Canadian companies - Rogers, CTV, Global, would be the likely bidders.
Don't even think about Global taking over soccer coverage in this country. They'd have the "virtual blimp" flying all over the place.

As per Robin100's comments, this appeared in the Manchester Evening News, February 10th 2008.

"PREMIER League football broadcaster Setanta Sports was at the centre of takeover speculation today after reports of a £1 billion-plus offer for the business.

The Irish company received the unsolicited approach from a unnamed European media company before Christmas and the interest could spark a flood of rival offers, a Sunday newspaper said.

BT, Virgin Media and US giant Disney - owner of the ESPN sports television network - are all mooted as potential bidders for the business.

Setanta was founded in 1992 but scored a major breakthrough in May 2006 when it broke BSkyB's monopoly on live Premiership matches.

It paid £392 million for the rights to 46 top flight games each season under a three-year deal which began in August 2007.

The broadcaster - which was unavailable for comment on the story - now has more than three million subscribers, including two million via the Virgin Media platform.

Rights

As well as the Premier League, it has also landed rights for most away matches featuring the home nations and the Republic of Ireland in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, including England's trips to Croatia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs - also a shareholder in the business - has been asked by fellow investors to handle potential offers for the business, the Sunday Telegraph said. Goldman was unavailable for comment.

According to the report, Goldman owns around a fifth of the business, with 20% stakes also held by private equity firms Doughty Hanson and Balderton Capital.

The two founders of the business. Irishmen Michael O'Rourke and Leonard Ryan, are also said to own around a fifth of the company between them.

Setanta Sports is joint owner with Virgin Media of Setanta Sports News, the 24-hour sports news channel, launched as a rival to BSkyB in November last year.

The broadcaster operates ten channels in the UK, Ireland, North America and Australia, reaching around 50 million digital homes across the world."

I certainly hope we, in Canada, don't have to go through another bout of uncertainty if Setanta is bought out. The possibility that ESPN would take over presents some interesting scenarios, not the least of which is their association with TSN.

I noticed this yesterday while watching the Manchester United game on Setanta...

Setanta secures Indian Premier League rights in five-year deal

Setanta Sports has further broadened its coverage of sport by announcing it has secured the exclusive rights to the Indian Premier League, the new Twenty20 cricket competition, in a five-year deal. Its exclusively live coverage will start with all 59 games of the inaugural Indian Premier League season that takes place across India from April 18 to June 1, 2008.

The eight teams involved in the tournament - Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai - have attracted some of the biggest names in world cricket to play in the competition. Indian cricketing stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly will all feature alongside cricketing legends such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacques Kallis and Adam Gilchrist.

The Indian Premier League’s first season will start on Friday, April 18 with Bangalore v Kolkata and concludes with the final in Mumbai on Sunday, June 1. Each team will play each other twice, with the top four teams competing in semi-finals on May 30 and May 31. The vast majority of the fixtures will be day-night matches and Setanta will show each and every game exclusively live. As the games will start at 9.30am, 1.30pm or 2.30pm GMT, Setanta will ensure the games are repeated in peak time to maximise the audience able to view this exciting tournament.

I guess this is how Setanta fills the void once soccer is done for the season. I AM happy to see Australian Rules Football back, though...:p