Setanta Sports is launching a pay-TV sports channel on the Foxtel platform in Australia.

The channel will join Foxtel on October 9 under the ‘open access regime’, which means that Setanta can join the platform but Foxtel does not have to sell Setanta as part of its service. Foxtel subscribers who want Setanta will have a direct contract with the broadcaster.

The Foxtel platform is using the Setanta deal to show that the ‘open access regime’, which was modified in a March 2007 deal with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is successful.

“The access agreement with Setanta shows that our ’special access undertaking’ works,” said Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams. “Foxtel provides open access on terms that are fair to both Foxtel and access seekers as the agreement with Setanta demonstrates.”

The channel will be the first competitor to Fox Sports since the collapse of the Seven Network’s C7 in 2001. The Seven Network recently lost a court battle over the closure of C7, which failed to gain carriage on Foxtel, before the open access regime was introduced in 2003.

Currenty Foxtel offers nine sports channels as part of its package. Setanta’s Australian version will offer international football including some qualifying matches for Euro2008, Scottish, German and Italian league football, programming from some UK club channels, including Manchester United and Chelsea, Six Nations rugby union, England home internationals and premier league rugby; plus Gaelic football, cricket and boxing.