Originally Posted by mogzyboy:
“I doubt it'll be completely FTA via satellite, as it will be receivable in other countries otherwise. I suspect the affected games will be FTV, requiring some kind of viewing card to decrypt the relevant channel.
I fully expect Freesat viewers (unless via the Sky platform) to, unfortunately, get shafted.
Also, BTS isn't on one of the PSB muxes on Freeview is it? So it'll be unavailable in Freeview Lite areas. Unless, of course, they can move it onto one of the PSB muxes.”
“I doubt it'll be completely FTA via satellite, as it will be receivable in other countries otherwise. I suspect the affected games will be FTV, requiring some kind of viewing card to decrypt the relevant channel.
I fully expect Freesat viewers (unless via the Sky platform) to, unfortunately, get shafted.
Also, BTS isn't on one of the PSB muxes on Freeview is it? So it'll be unavailable in Freeview Lite areas. Unless, of course, they can move it onto one of the PSB muxes.”
Currently, the free to air matches are shown on ITV and ITV4 across all base level platforms (Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media M pack). If BT try and pull the stunt of not fully showing the matches free to air by, for example, leaving out Freesat and Virgin Media M pack viewers then this time round that will almost certainly involve formal complaints to UEFA because BT will quite clearly not be complying with the free to air requirement and MPs will no doubt become involved as well. In the current atmosphere of pro-hard pressed ordinary workers and anti-greedy large corporations, that would be a very stupid thing to do.
One of the by-products of the Astra-Eutelsat frequencies dispute that ended the other month is that the BT Sports channels are now on an Astra 2F UK spot beam transponder. Therefore, there is no excuse whatsoever for BT for not making their channels available to Freesat viewers and I would expect BT to suspend Videoguard encryption for the duration of the free to air games so that Freesat viewers can add the BT Sport channels in non-Freesat mode. An alternative would be for BT to come to an arrangement with one of the four old terrestrial broadcasters so that they simulcast the free to air matches like the way the F1 motor races work.
Originally Posted by Steveaustin316:
“I wonder, could BT regret spending so much on the CL rights when the next Premier League rights come up for grabs?”
“I wonder, could BT regret spending so much on the CL rights when the next Premier League rights come up for grabs?”
The crown jewels of football are English Premiership matches, which is what really brings in the paying punters, and BT have gone and splashed out £900 million/€1 billion which now cannot be used to maintain or expand BT's access to English Premiership games. Only time will tell whether this particular gamble by BT will eventually pay off though it has to be said that Sky might possibly end up being the long term beneficiary of this deal.




); it just seems that BT were determined to build up their sports portfolio by acquiring these rights and so they spent accordingly and within their limits. Whether they've chosen to target the right set of TV rights is another matter...