Sky and Setanta join forces on TV soccer

The two successful bidders in the Premiership television rights auction joined forces today to ensure all games can be shown in pubs and clubs.

As well as ensuring Sky’s commercial customers receive games won by Setanta without the need for a separate subscription, the pair are looking at making the Irish firm’s coverage available to residential users on the Sky platform.

The agreement comes after Setanta won two of the six packages available for live Premiership rights for a three-year period starting in 2007/2008.

Sky, which previously held all the rights, wll get to show 92 live matches, with 46 games being screened by Setanta.

Richard Freudenstein, Sky’s chief operating officer, said of the Setanta agreement: “This is good news for Sky customers, both commercial and residential.”

The two companies already have an existing tie-up under which commercial customers receive Setanta’s live coverage of the Scottish Premier League as part of their Sky subscription.