General : ESPN, BT, Euro, Premier and Sky Sports news

[Arthurgray50@blu]

I am glad to hear about 'our' Gareth Joining BT Sports, He wont leave Spurs.

Levy will open his check book and not only that Gareth is to much of a 'home' boy to leave Tottenham

[thenry]

We'll see when the big boys come calling.

[tvtimes]

I would say in the case of Bale. the player is bigger than the club.

[Gavin-D]

Owen Hargreaves to join BT Sport?

Owen Hargreaves could be back in English football next season.

The Daily Mail says BT Sport are in talks with as many as 15 former players or those who might arrive straight from the dressing room.

High on the list is former Manchester United midfielder Hargreaves, whose career has been ravaged by injury since playing for Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2008. He was released by Manchester City at the end of last season.

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articl...1#.UVxBtldHSu0

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Gavin-D

Owen Hargreaves to join BT Sport?

Owen Hargreaves could be back in English football next season.

The Daily Mail says BT Sport are in talks with as many as 15 former players or those who might arrive straight from the dressing room.

High on the list is former Manchester United midfielder Hargreaves, whose career has been ravaged by injury since playing for Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2008. He was released by Manchester City at the end of last season.

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articl...1#.UVxBtldHSu0

Oh dear not yet another ex player again who they then call experts.

[Media Boy UK]

Official: BT Sports buys UFC rights for 3 years.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...1&postcount=51

[denphone]

Thanks MB for that update.

[Chad]

Found this piece on the UFC and a UK TV deal on an American website. Looks like UFC will be getting a big push from BT.

UFC exec says English TV deal nearly done, teases launch of weekly magazine show
by John Morgan on Apr 04, 2013 at 12:05 pm ET

STOCKHOLM – For years, UFC President Dana White has pinned the potential for U.K. expansion on key factor: the "right" TV deal. Now, it seems, the company may finally be on the verge of signing such a contract.

"What we've worked hard on is finding a TV partner that just doesn't pay money for our rights but actually gives us the opportunity to produce and develop a magazine program that tells the story and creates awareness about the sport," UFC Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa Garry Cook told MMAjunkie.com. "So we've worked with a TV partner. We're very close to having a deal."

The UFC currently airs its U.K. programming on ESPN in a contract the promotion previously announced runs through August.

The channel has been home to the UFC since 2009, but the U.K.'s version of the all-sports option works considerably different than in the U.S. and is currently available only a premium subscription channel to British customers. The model hasn't proved financially viable for ESPN, which recently sold its assets to upstart company BT Sport.

Cook declined to disclose what channel was leading the way in negotiations but said he feels confident the new home will provide an ample platform with which to build the UFC brand in the U.K.

"There's one major issue, and that's always consumption and access," Cook said. "It's like any business: The harder it is to get it, the more niche it becomes. Right now 96 percent of our broadcasts are after 2 o'clock in the morning in the U.K. When you are confronted with that challenge and building a business for the future, my job is to change that dynamic. The U.S. is not going to have 9 o'clock in the morning fights live on television, so we have to consider that, as well.

"We'll be able to explain that in more detail at a later date, but one of the key elements is every week, on a Thursday night, for the next three years, we'll have a magazine show in-studio, in the U.K., telling the story of the UFC. So we feel that that's a major leap for us as a business. That will increase the awareness."

So it appears the UFC may be close to signing a deal that has long proven difficult to close, much to the dismay of UFC boss White, who has famously expressed his shock at the lack of progress in recent years.

"The television deal we want hasn't been as easy to acquire as we thought it would be," White said one year ago. "We thought we could get that thing done. If you'd have asked many years ago and said, 'Do you think you'll be on FOX before you secure a big deal over here in the U.K.?' I would have said, 'There's no way in hell. We'll probably get the U.K. deal done first.'

"But it hasn't happened. We're still invested in that whole market out there, and we will get it done. We're not going to give up on it."

Cook believes once the deal is in place, it will begin the launch of a new phase of European growth for the world's largest MMA promotion.

"We're also involved in engaging in areas where kids and where youth are touching and consuming sport," Cook said. "As we all know, they are gaming. So we're about to embark on a rather large commercial product with a major global brand, and that, we think, will be a game-changer. On top of that, we shouldn't detract from the elements of fitness. Everybody wants to aspire to be as fit as the fittest athlete. These are the fittest athletes. If we can develop a fitness business, a fitness product, through gymnasiums, through training, all of the elements – nutrition – if you round yourself outside of the core competency, which is fighters and fights, and build fans through TV networks and fitness through a training regime, you've got women engaged, you've got kids engaged.

"All of a sudden the future and the outlook for the sport is built more than just around the fights and the fighters."

UFC on FUEL TV 9 takes place Saturday at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe Arena. While no official announcements have been add, the organization is expected to return to Europe in 2013's fourth quarter.

Looks like this could get interesting?

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/m...er-League.html

[denphone]

One thing certain at the end of all this and that is the poor customer will end up paying more and these two companies will have to watch it because they might find that the goose that layed the golden egg might suddenly disappear quicker then you can say Jack Robinson.

[Dave42]

Originally Posted by denphone

One thing certain at the end of all this and that is the poor customer will end up paying more and these two companies will have to watch it because they might find that the goose that layed the golden egg might suddenly disappear quicker then you can say Jack Robinson.

yes Den prices will continue to only go up and up

[coulsontom]

given how poor this season has been too, can't think of many games that were actually good to watch.

[colin25]

Originally Posted by coulsontom

given how poor this season has been too, can't think of many games that were actually good to watch.

yes, got to agree. Been a disappointing season

[braysoj1]

UFC on BT? UFC EMEA chief Garry Cook hints a new UK TV deal is "very close"
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-...medium=twitter

[denphone]

Sky refuses to air BT's ads for its Premier League coverage.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013...premier-league

BSkyB has refused to air a multimillion-pound TV advertising campaign BT promoting its Premier League and other sports coverage.


On Monday, it emerged that BT has complained to media watchdog Ofcom about the satellite giant's actions, in an escalation of the bitter rivalry between the two media giants.


BT, which spent £738m to snatch 38 top flight Premier League matches a season last year, is set to spend millions of pounds on advertising the launch of two new sports channels from July. Its Premiership coverage will launch from 17 August.


A key part of BT's strategy to build awareness and viewers is to run TV advertising on BSkyB targeting the existing football and sports fans among its 10m-plus subscriber base.


However, BSkyB has refused to air BT's ad campaign – which as well as football was to highlight other sports it has secured TV rights for including Premiership Rugby, European Cup Rugby and top-flight women's tennis – although it is not clear on what grounds.


Under the broadcasting code TV companies are compelled to air ad campaigns and promotions run booked by rivals.

A leopard never changes its spots and remember Sky have considerable history of bully boy tactics l am afraid.