They'd still provide most games, as the first and second pick packages are only one game per day, per week. So Sky would still have 6-7 games if they retained the "all other picks" packages. I expect them to retain what they have now, though.

Yes that was exactly the line I picked up on in the article and it's obviously on that basis they have decided to drastically scale down the repeats of games. Bearing in mind they had already reduced full repeats (105 mins) to 90 minutes which works out at 72 mins of game-time when you remove adverts it'sa real pity.

The irony is that ESPN with one channel provided a better service to fan of European football than BT Sport have done with more than double the bandwidth,

I'd love to see Premier Sports step up their European football coverage and start by snapping up the vacant Dutch and Russian rights after they were dropped. But that will never happen alas so the European football fan in the UK continues to get a bum deal

I forgot I was in the BT Sport thread for a moment there, and thought you were talking about Saturday Night Football on Sky.

lol noooooooooooo, i dont even watch that, its silly going to fans in audience

"yeh i think giroud is ace"

ok..jamie?

"yeh giroud is good"

Well New Statesman seem to like Life's a Pitch: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/...ts-lifes-pitch

I'm still undecided on it. I like the interview segments, they're usually very well done and bring up some interesting points. The "jokes" don't really work though. Maybe I need to lighten up a bit but they aren't really that funny. It'd be better as a full time discussion and interview show in my opinion.

It is an okay show, I usually fast forward through the bits I think is called "The Headlines", where he basically just takes aim and jokes at the main stories of the day.

The Oinion Bag segment at the end, started out fun, but now I find myself not really paying any attention to it.

Plus I don't really see the point in having a musical band play a few songs, it doesn't seem that sort of show for that. They are pressed enough for time as it is.

The best bits are the one-on-one interviews, with I think the Graham Taylor one being the best so far, although Kudos for the Harry Redknapp one, and taking the Mickey out of Sky and himself, by having it done through a car window!

If anyone's interested, the reason the official figure is lower than the overnight is that the programme over-ran its scheduled time by five minutes (source): this extra bit rated low, pulling the official average (which takes the exact broadcast timing into account) below the overnight average (which does not). The officials strip out adverts (which rate lower than the programme they interrupt), so those five minutes must have been very low-rating indeed, to outweigh the effect of commercial-break strip-out and also the effect of the small amount of timeshifted viewing on the seven days after transmission, both of which would normally act to increase the official, relative to the overnight.

The official figure for Man U v Crystal Palace on 14 September came through in BARB's six-week amendment cycle: it was 485,000. The figure for Man City v Hull a fortnight earlier also seems to have been adjusted up slightly, to 303,000.


Updating last Saturday's figures, Broadcast magazine confirms the overnight average for Newcastle v Chelsea (11:30-15:00) as 429,500 (4.6%). One interesting side-note is that it beat the average of Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports News (12:00-15:00), which had 355,200 (3.0%).

How does all that affect the running average comparison with ESPN?

Many thanks for all of that.

Updated list and comparison to the same period last season:

BT Sport:
Liverpool v Stoke - 451,000
Fulham v Arsenal - 413,000
Man City v Hull - 303,000
Man Utd v Crystal Palace - 485,000
Norwich v Aston Villa - 281,000
Spurs v Chelsea - 443,000
Man City v Everton - 377,000
Newcastle v Liverpool - 496,000
Crystal Palace v Arsenal - 611,000
Newcastle v Chelsea - 429,500
Average - 429,000

ESPN:
Newcastle v Spurs - 420,000
Chelsea v Newcastle - 450,000
Man City v QPR - 296,000
Sunderland v Liverpool - 504,000
(Round 5 - No game)
Man Utd v Spurs - 551,000
West Ham v Arsenal - 477,000
Norwich v Arsenal - 409,000
Man City v Swansea - 354,000
West Ham v Man City - 383,000
Average - 427,000

So the Newcastle v Chelsea rating is bang in line with BT Sport's average so far.

However, the second poor rating in a row for ESPN in the comparative week last year (***) is enough to pull the ESPN average down by a few thousand.

This results in BT Sport's average, albeit narrowly, now exceeding ESPN's.

(***) Worth just focussing on those Man City ratings for a minute:

- Last season, as reigning PL champions, Man City provided ESPN with all of its 3 lowest ratings of the season up to this point .

- This season, Man City provide BT Sport with their 2nd and 3rd lowest ratings of the season up to this point.

Interesting - does this indicate that Man City still have a much smaller fanbase than the likes of Liverpool (let alone Man U), despite their success?

The Telegraph are reporting that BT are close to securing the Champions' League for three years - possibly on an exclusive basis. Not a done deal yet, but what impact do we think this possible move could have on driving subscriptions?

EDIT: Things are moving fast, looks like it is a done deal, with staggering sums paid. Will read further.

As a sport hater I really enjoy LAP and can I say OMG at the news of BT and the Champions league/Euefa rights from 2015.

I am truly shocked and I'm certain there will be a few Sky execs on the toilet dropping bricks at the mere thought of having to explain to Rupert how they lost the CL.

I doubted BT and their commitment to their sports channels, tonight's news shows what a idiot I was to doubt them.

Those crazy barstards at BT have only gone and secured exclusive rights for the Champions League from 2015...

Isnt that good for competition?

Champions League: BT Sport 'to announce £900m rights deal'

As I am already a BT Sport Customer I think it is excellent news for football fans, However as I still like numerous sport I think I will also have Sky Sports for quite a few years yet.

Worth taking a look at BTSP on BT Sport 1 at 09.30 - described as "not to be missed" and a "very special show" on Twitter...

I think the subscription will go up to finance this.

This is double the last bid for 3 years

Not really relevant to people who have to pay for another sports subscription on top of what they already have and FTA viewers who lose out altogether.

present on BT sport at 10
looks like announcement then

When there were proposals for FTA FAPL games (8 I think) the general consensus among Sky subscribers at the time was to scoff and say if you want top content you have to pay for it.

From what I have just read on BBC website it looks as part of the contract they have committed to UEFA to show at least as many FTA live games as ITV did. So I reckon the Tuesday night game will be shown Free on BT sports similar to what ITV do now.

Twitter Dan Roan quoting £900m contract but to keep sponsors happy FTA games will be available.
Using he BT Sports preview channel (?) but assume that does not have full national coverage, so would need a partner like ITV?

Sky must be fuming

Having seen BT and Sky's presentation of football I much prefer Sky.
It's more brash and I prefer this style which is often used in America.

The way last weeks Prem match was filmed the players looked to small, even on my 55 inch tv.

As for them getting rights this is a huge moment in rights history given their clear intension to win them but at a huge cost.

I presume by free to air they just mean that BT Sport will be free for selected matches - they aren't going to pay all this money and then not show some matches on their own channels.

I am intrigued to see what BT's shareholders will make of the free aspect - paying so much money and then making the biggest games free seems like a risky strategy? Although I guess if it was the only way to get UEFA on board (aside from 1 billion pounds) then they assessed it was worth it.

Wonder how much the subscription fees will go up by?
Will Sky's drop?