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Canadian soccer fans may be treated to two new channels
Viewers keen to watch more soccer can expect one and perhaps two new channels to launch before the end of the year.
Setanta Sports, an international soccer-rights holder, is preparing to place a subscription channel in Canada that will air many of the best games played in the English Premier League.
Rogers Sportsnet carries Premiership games on Saturdays and Fox Sports World Canada has a Sunday morning game.
But some of the top match-ups are not being seen because they are the exclusive property of Setanta.
Setanta's EPL rights include first pick of the Saturday 10 a.m. EDT lineup, as well as exclusive rights to the best Sunday 8:30 a.m. game, plus rights to the leading match-ups on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Setanta channel will be up and running in three to four months, said Shane O'Rourke, president of North American operations for Setanta.
Setanta will link up with a Canadian partner, believed to be TeleLatino Network Inc., which is licensed for two new channels: RCS Television and Soccer Television.
O'Rourke would say only that the partnership will be for three years and subscribers will be billed $14.99 a month for the service.
Setanta, in addition to the EPL, airs the Coca-Cola Championship (second tier in England), Champions League content, live French and Dutch games, and taped Scottish Premier games.
It is speculated a Setanta-TeleLatino partnership will result in RCS Television being renamed Setanta Sports Canada.
TeleLatino's second channel, Soccer Television, could be the new home of Fox Soccer Channel Canada.
If Fox Soccer Channel Canada is launched on the TeleLatino soccer outlet, questions will be raised about the future of Fox Sports World Canada, which also focuses on soccer. Will it be made redundant?
Viewers keen to watch more soccer can expect one and perhaps two new channels to launch before the end of the year.
Setanta Sports, an international soccer-rights holder, is preparing to place a subscription channel in Canada that will air many of the best games played in the English Premier League.
Rogers Sportsnet carries Premiership games on Saturdays and Fox Sports World Canada has a Sunday morning game.
But some of the top match-ups are not being seen because they are the exclusive property of Setanta.
Setanta's EPL rights include first pick of the Saturday 10 a.m. EDT lineup, as well as exclusive rights to the best Sunday 8:30 a.m. game, plus rights to the leading match-ups on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Setanta channel will be up and running in three to four months, said Shane O'Rourke, president of North American operations for Setanta.
Setanta will link up with a Canadian partner, believed to be TeleLatino Network Inc., which is licensed for two new channels: RCS Television and Soccer Television.
O'Rourke would say only that the partnership will be for three years and subscribers will be billed $14.99 a month for the service.
Setanta, in addition to the EPL, airs the Coca-Cola Championship (second tier in England), Champions League content, live French and Dutch games, and taped Scottish Premier games.
It is speculated a Setanta-TeleLatino partnership will result in RCS Television being renamed Setanta Sports Canada.
TeleLatino's second channel, Soccer Television, could be the new home of Fox Soccer Channel Canada.
If Fox Soccer Channel Canada is launched on the TeleLatino soccer outlet, questions will be raised about the future of Fox Sports World Canada, which also focuses on soccer. Will it be made redundant?