Quote:
Originally Posted by andy_m
I think the lure of the Premier League will probably mean Virgin are keener to keep the football free on xl than they are the ESPN channel suite. That said, with less to offer a mass market, ESPN will have to reconsider their current subscription model anyway I reckon.
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I think it really comes down to what rights BT snap up. Even without the English Premiership, ESPN will still be a major player in terms of live football:
•Scottish Premier League - 30 live games a season from the SPL, featuring all 12 teams
•Scottish Third Division - 10 live Rangers matches.
•FA Cup - 25 live matches including 1 exclusively live FA Cup Semi Final and live coverage of the FA Cup Final live from Wembley.
•UEFA Europa League - At least 1 live UEFA Europa League game each match week
•Italian Serie A - 80 live Serie A matches and matches from the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup
•German Bundesliga -Up to 5 live matches a week from the Bundesliga and German Cup football.
•Dutch Eredivisie - 2 live games a week from the Dutch Eredivisie
•French Ligue 1
•Russian Premier League - A maximum of 2 live games each week
•Major League Soccer (MLS) and MLS Cup - Including live MLS Play-Offs and MLS Cup Matches
•Live Brazilian Championships - Live matches from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and Campeonato Paulista
•Women's Super League - Coverage of the inaugaral Women's Super League
•Live England U21 Home Internationals
If Premier Sports can charge £10.00 per month for their limited content, and Boxnation can charge £10.00 per month for about 6 live shows, ESPN must have a good chance of surviving. I think what TV rights they pick up and retain over the next 12 months will also have a massive impact on their future.