Quote:
Originally Posted by denphone
If they take over ESPN's sports rights portfolio for the UK then there is a chance that BT Sports could still remain on the XL pack.
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I can't see it happening.
http://www.btlife.bt.com/entertainme...otball-rights/
"How much will the channel cost / will this mean I end up paying more for Premier League football?
Our objective is to widen the enjoyment of Premier League football
and make it less dependent on signing up to an expensive pay TV package."
That to me suggests they have no intention of the channel going into the XL package with Virgin.
If ESPN closes their UK business, and BT Sports doesn't go onto the XL package, what will Virgin do to keep Premier and VIP customers happy? The potential loss of ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Classic, ESPN America and ESPN on demand will be huge to people who have specifically joined Virgin or upgraded to Premier or VIP for "free" access to the channels. It'll be an even bigger slap in the face if BT offer BT Sports for free to their own customers. I hope Virgin are working on a contingency plan.