Setanta -vs- Sky Sports ? ... or both ?

[Garrett]

Hi

With both Setanta and Sky Sports now both able to show live games from the start of this season, any thoughts on which may be the better option ?

I guess it's too much to hope for, that we'd get a look at the entire season and see which LFC games are on which network, but I do know watching footie on TV ain't cheap ....


Setanta have the smaller packages of games (in conjunction with ITV, they got 2 sets of matches I think) & are offering 79 Premiership Games.

From Setanta's website, looks like it will cost us:

- €18 per month if you've got a dish (where your forced to take all their channels, whata rip off !)

- £9.99 per month, if your in Northern Ireland and have a dish

- €10 per month for Setanta Ireland & Setanta Golf, on Chorus (don't think you'll see many matches on these two channels ?)

- €10 per month for the Setanta Package of all channels, on NTL




Sky are claiming they will show something like 94 live games this season from the Premiership, but have also kindly written to me telling me they are sticking their prices up from September (again !)

- Their full package will now cost circa €68 per month (all channels) if you've got a dish !

- €55.50 per month gets you their Sports & Entertainment mixed package, agian via the dish

Here's the link to Sky, incase you want it: http://www.sky.com/portal/site/ireland

(just remember, if you do sign to Sky, get a friend to refer you and at least get a few bob back from them along the way ;))



Other Options to get Sky:

- NTL offer a Digital Sports pack (Sky Sports 1,2,3 & news) for €25 per month (can't find how much normal line rental is, assume it's above this monthly amount)

- Chorus also offer a Digital Sports pack for €25 per month (think they are owned by the same people as NTL these days, so no real suprise here !)




Obviously, the above are all getting very expenisve, when you consider it's only TV and not anything near the experience of going to a real, live game ... is it any wonder people consider watching matches online etc ?


All comments & opinions / tips very welcome :)


Thanks

[redeagle]

I'm with chorus digital so it looks like i'll be forking over 25 euros a month with sky. (although I would like to watch some spanish football)


Does anyone know how much a month it is for setanta 1?

btw, thanks for posting that info mate.

[StevieGisMyIdol]

I dont think you can get just Setanta1 but you have to get 2 + Setanta Ireland aswell,except if your with NTL where Ireland is free.
Its a shame because Setanta Ireland showed a fair few pool games last season but the quality wasnt very good and Pat Dolan or whatever his name is reminds me of dunphy because he always badmouths Liverpool.
Ive got SkySports with NTL but i doubt ill swap over because a,too much hassle and b, setanta Ireland are showing 15 premier league games next season...

[SUPERFAN]

well i have one of those box thingys that are all the rage at the moment.free Sky Sports/Box Office,free Prem Plus and free Setanta.the Ricky Hatton Fight was on live on it a few Weeks ago so i reckon all the Setanta Games will be on it also.
don't know how long it will last but i've had it since April and not had any problems so it's looking good for next season

[carragherisgod]

Skysports (via dish) all the way for me. Yes it's expensive but I don't think their coverage can be beat. My father has Setanta so I can just as easily go to his if Pool are on Setanta and not Sky on a particular day.

[stamullenredmen]

i got setanta in to watch the eircom league and setanta cup games.when ya factor in them plus the french and dutch leagues it makes it look good.add on the rugby world cup all the golf and f1 if your into and the aussie rules(some sport) 18e is a snip.what i done was got the movies taken off my sky package,thats a tenner less for something i never used anyway,so it was only 8e extra

[phil]

I've got them both, and have to say sky's coverage blows setanta away. I got setanta purely for the soccer, but found the rugby coverage to be very good as well.

[paddypower111]

i got both sky is great but setanta are getting good to so why not pitty there not cheaper:)

[Alex Raisbeck]

Got the whole package with NTL, im just happy that my girlfriend is almost as big a nut about the Redmen as myself.

[redeagle]

Got the whole package with NTL, im just happy that my girlfriend is almost as big a nut about the Redmen as myself.

that must be a godsend during champ lg matches, "honey, theres a interesting show on womens fashion from 8 till 10 tonight"

:D

[marko]

I can only get sky here and i'm not sure there's enough liverpool games on setanta to justify an extra 18 euro/month,can setanta be ordered on a monthly basis through sky?

[Conor]

i got setanta in to watch the eircom league and setanta cup games.when ya factor in them plus the french and dutch leagues it makes it look good.add on the rugby world cup all the golf and f1 if your into and the aussie rules(some sport) 18e is a snip.what i done was got the movies taken off my sky package,thats a tenner less for something i never used anyway,so it was only 8e extra

I have just done the EXACT same thing this morning. I never ever watch the movies on SKY so blanked that all together.

[Garrett]

I can only get sky here and i'm not sure there's enough liverpool games on setanta to justify an extra 18 euro/month,can setanta be ordered on a monthly basis through sky?

You mean you don't have to take out a year's contract etc ?

- now that might be a bit better, just order it the month there are a couple of games on etc

[Kopite]

Got the whole package with NTL, im just happy that my girlfriend is almost as big a nut about the Redmen as myself.

How did you manage the Girlfriend thing? I have been trying for 10 years to convert mine and I have had some success but I still need to book the tele a week in advance for all the games.

IMO you cant beat sky's coverage, I will get Setanta free on broadband because I work for a certain telecoms company:D

[marko]

You mean you don't have to take out a year's contract etc ?

- now that might be a bit better, just order it the month there are a couple of games on etc

Yeah exactly,can't see why you couldn't do this since it's available with other premium channels unless setanta insist on a 12 month contract.

just have to ring sky and find out but last time i was on it took nearly an hour to get through :D

[paul_]

Last season I had Art Sports which showed every Liverpool game live which was great. Unfortunately they've lost the broadcasting rights this year so I might go with DigitAlb supersports package.

They show all Sky and Setanta games as well as 2-3 3pm matches of a Saturday. Works out about €200 a year but the picture quality wouldn't be up to Sky's standard.

[bmac]

REDS TO LAUNCH NEW TV CHANNEL ON SETANTA
Paul Rogers 11 July 2007
Liverpool Football Club will launch its very own dedicated television channel - LFC TV - in September after signing a major three-year deal with Setanta Sports.
LFC TV will be carried at no extra charge as part of the Setanta Sports Pack, a nine-channel offering, available on satellite.

LFC TV will be included at no extra cost - the recently reduced price of £9.99 a month applies to the full Setanta Sports Pack, and there is no annual contract.

The channel will also be broadcast live on www.liverpoolfc.tv as part of e-Season Ticket, the official website's premium content service.

Although LFC TV will not be available as a stand-alone channel on Freeview, fans with a Freeview subscription to Setanta will be able to watch some of the top action on Setanta Sports 1, including LFC TV-branded Champions League and Premier League matches. LFC TV will also be available on cable via Virgin Media as part of the Setanta Sports Pack – further details to be released shortly.

For the first time in the club's 115-year history, supporters will now be able to enjoy every minute of every Premiership and Champions League game from the comfort of their own homes.

And fans who subscribe to LFC TV won't miss a thing - whether it's exclusive footage of the latest star signing or the very latest news from the club's Melwood training complex.

With LFC TV positioned right at the heart of the club, the channel's flagship news programme 'LFC Now' will have every angle covered – including exclusive interviews with the manager, former stars and, of course, the current players themselves.

With LFC TV planning to broadcast selected Reserve team games live, fans will also be given a unique opportunity to cast an eye over the emerging talent knocking on the first team dressing room door.

And for a glimpse of the future, we'll report from the club's state-of-the-art Academy on the youngsters hoping to lift trophies for the Reds after the current crop of stars have hung up their boots.

While the club's future success is paramount, LFC TV will also cast a respectful eye on the dramas and triumphs of days gone by, the bedrock on which the Anfield success story has been built.

Many of the players who brought so much joy to fans on the way to earning legendary status at the club will be regular visitors to the LFC TV studios. The expert views of former heroes – trophy winners all – will form the backbone of the channel's innovative 'This is Anfield' show – a live, interactive football forum where the big issues are debated.

And it won't just be the professional pundits who have their say - 'This is Anfield' will provide a platform for the fans to have their say. It's the perfect opportunity for supporters to put forward their views and demonstrate why Liverpool followers are rightly considered by many to be the most passionate and knowledgeable in the world.

Perhaps most importantly of all, LFC TV will demonstrate just why the club's supporters remain so passionate. It's about being part of Liverpool Football Club, a world famous footballing institution with a history that has charted 115 years of triumph and trophies.

With five European Cups, seven FA Cups and a record 18 League Championships collected since the club was founded by John Houlding on March 15 1892, there's certainly plenty to talk about.


What's On LFC TV and When



All Liverpool FC matches in the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League (not live)


At least six hours of original programming content per day, five days a week, fifty two weeks per year


Daily news round-up with all the latest from Anfield and Melwood


Exclusive interviews with the manager, coaching staff and current players


Classic matches from Liverpool's illustrious past


No less than 50% of all friendlies involving the Liverpool football team on a live and exclusive basis


Live studio discussions with former Liverpool stars, supporters, celebrity fans and football experts

The channel will raid the extensive Premier League archive, replaying some of the greatest games since the competition came into being in 1992 – that's 15 seasons of Reds action and no fewer than 285 victories to choose from. We'll also be sharing some of the greatest wins with the stars who made them possible so look out for some big, big names joining us on the LFC TV sofas.

Liverpool Football Club has never just been about the Premiership however and we'll be delving into the more distant past with some of the trophy-lifting triumphs of the Seventies and Eighties. LFC TV will revisit the glory years alongside the guys who were there at the sharp end.

If its news you're after, 'LFC Now' will be available twice a night, with bulletins repeated throughout the day - ensuring viewers never miss the latest developments.

Liverpool's weekend matches will be transmitted in the first instance at midnight on Sunday, then repeated throughout the next day and at regular intervals during the following week. Midweek games will be available from midnight the same night – and again repeated over the next few days at varying times allowing fans to watch matches at their leisure and, most importantly, at a time it suits them.

Our match previews will be extensive, with the latest word from Melwood on team selection and injury news as well as exclusive pre-match interviews with the manager and his players and, of course, the low-down on the opposition.

And after the game, our post-match analysis will be all-encompassing with our resident experts casting a critical eye on the day's events alongside the views of the Liverpool camp at the game. And you can be sure that if the Man of the Match is wearing a red shirt - we'll be looking to speak to him.


LFC TV will be available at no extra cost as part of the Setanta Sports Pack. Setanta's exclusive live content includes:

Barclays Premier League (from August 2007)
Under the new FAPL rights contract, 138 games will be broadcast live with Setanta showing 46 of them.

LFC TV viewers subscribing to Setanta Sports will receive the club's brand new designated channel plus:
Setanta Sports 1
Setanta Sports 2
Setanta Golf
Racing UK
Racing World
NASN (North American Sports Network)
Celtic TV
Rangers TV

[MCCARTS]

I think It is now going to be Setanta for me, as the new channel will be launched there now

[Garrett]

Hi

Yup, the launch of LFC-tv sure does make Setanta a lot more attractive, about time we gave Sky a bit of a challenge, they are too good at pushing prices up imho ... might drop Sky Sports, just take Setanta & LFC-tv ?

[marko]

Just got setanta today;

Have it for 30 days so for 18 euros will see 3 liverpool matches,

Tuesday July 17th v werder bremen
Friday July 20th v auxere
Sat Aug 11th v villa

Have sky but had to ring setanta direct to add their package,no contract but have to ring before the 30 days are up to cancel direct debit if i dont want to continue to subscribe.They tried to add a 10 euro connection fee but dropped it when i said i wasnt interested,i told them i wasn't willing to pay 28 euro as i only wanted to try it out for the month with a view to keeping it if i liked it.

[Garrett]

Bloomin' rip off trying to charge an extra €10 to connect you ....
bad enough they are getting away with not offering us the discount they are giving people in the UK !

[marko]

Bloomin' rip off trying to charge an extra €10 to connect you ....
bad enough they are getting away with not offering us the discount they are giving people in the UK !

Yeah i know! but i think the girl i was dealing with from setanta knew by my reaction that i wasn't impressed,she asked me to hold the line and when she came back she had dropped the 10 euro connection fee just like that!

Some rip off alright :D