http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...sky-sports-mix

Just wordered if there's any update on the launch date? I thought it might be before The Open but it has all gone quiet. Noticed that the first day of the Open is also on Sky1.

It'll be launched late in the summer probably before the Premier League starts or before August 31st.

Your kidding right?
Having spent what they did for exckusive rights.
Also BBC have two hours FTA highlights, might be a slap in the face to the BBC if R&A allowed Sky to show FTA.

BBC helped bring Golf into many homes. A shame costs have meant this sport has left live FTA television.

I don't think sky paid much for the golf. Not sure if anybody has the figure but rember the rights cost buttons. The BBC just didn't want the production costs they would rather spend the money on tallent. Plus they have all those royal events and a tennis tournament to cover.

Sky are just trying to avoid putting the sport to far behind the pay wall with the first days cocerage. It won't last and the sport will diminish like most behind the pay wall.

Where do we think it will go on the epg?

I would have thought sky 1, sky atlantic, sky sports mix if possible?

I presume this channel could be used for overflow red button sport too?

As I understand the last BBC contract was £7m a year for four days content.
Sky are offering £1m a year.

The current BBC Wimbledon deal is £40m over 13 days, although by the last four days, with so many events comcluding might suggest 11 days to offer a comparison.
Wimbledon approx £4m a day
The Open £2m a day. Though the BBC would not have doubled its contract, the most would I imagine would have been £9m, or £2.25m a day.

Has it overvalued Wimbledon? Or with Sky offering £15m, was it under cutting the value of The Open.
Though I suspect a lot less, have not added Women's Open.
Wimbledon offers both Women and Male events. Can be argued that 8 days golf could be £1.5m a day. Doesn't a typical prime time drama cost about £1m an hour? Oh how cheap Sport may actually have been.

Sky 1 isn't a premium channel, but neither is it FTA.

I assumed that it would go into the sports section of the EPG.

Nothing formally announced but as you say reports suggest Sky paying £15m per year under their new contract from next year.

However for this year only, when BBC asked to terminate their contract early - Sky agreed to show this year's event but only for the same amount BBC had been contracted to pay - ie £7m.

Women's Open rights are a completely separate contract - rights are the property of the LGU, not the R&A. No figures reported for rights value but will be peanuts in comparison - probably a few hundred thousand per year.

Think you might find the football starts earlier than the 31 st August btw

Re: The Open- the BBC were prepared to pay £10 million a year (a sizable increase from £7 million) but Sky outbid them with £15 million a year. The BBC were up for a similar arrangement to The Masters where Sky show all 4 days and the BBC the final 2 but the R&A went with Sky. So to be fair to the BBC they did bid strongly. I do wonder where all this money saved goes from the loss of these sports contracts.

As for Sky Sports Mix I did read somewhere that there are issues with certain sports because the rights contracts were for them to be shown exclusively on the Sky Sports tier. I suspect it'll be mid August before we see the channel which is what was originally announced.

I know that.

Sky Sports 5. They lost the European football to BT.

Eh??????

You do know they are allowed to show any sport they want on that channel, right?

https://www.virginmedia.ie/finalwhistle

it appears its Aug 24th 2016 for sky sport mix

Sky Sports Mix launches on Wed 24 Aug and the schedules for the first 3 days are now on the SPI website (not publicly available).

The live sport on Sky Sports Mix during those 3 days is as follows:

Wed 24 Aug:
1.30pm - Live ODI cricket: England v Pakistan

Thur 25 Aug:
10.30am - Live European Tour golf: Made in Denmark (1st session)
2.30pm - Live European Tour golf: Made in Denmark (2nd session)

Fri 26 Aug:
10.30am - Live European Tour golf: Made in Denmark (1st session)
2.30pm - Live European Tour golf: Made in Denmark (2nd session)
7.00pm - Live EFL: Burton v Derby

The channel runs for 24 hours per day so there is also a whole host of highlights and filler programming - including ODI highlights and EFL Cup highlights.

Anyone know if it will be in HD?

Yes there are both SD and HD versions, both will be on Sky and Virgin Media

Is this included in the Now TV entertainment pack ?

If this will be in HD then I have no idea why they didn't just show the live sport on Sky1. It would have achieved the same thing whilst giving that channel a boost.*

*And the sport would then be given a prominent channel number.

I suspect it's so they can say in a marketing campaign "we've given you more at no extra charge" or when they rise their prices "We're raising our prices but look what extra you're getting".

yes with any now tv pass

But isn't it just a simulcast of the Sports channels contnet, so what extra do Sports subscribers get and I'm sure they'll also be seeing a hefty increase.

If the channel doesn't go on Freeview then I don't understand the point. The amount who already have Sky without Sports package but yet might be tempted to get Sports package must be minimal.

I'm chuckling at the gloss that has been added to Sky Sports News graphics.

1. Get the SKY and VIRGIN subscribers who don't currently subscribe to be tempted to subscribe to the full package by offering a taster. A well used marketing technique.

2. Tempt people to sign up to SKY rather than BT. If you sign up to BT TV you automatically get free sport so this levels the playing field somewhat.

3. Squeeze some extra ad revenue from existing content.

4. They have Sky Sport Mix in other countries and it seems to have worked well.

The only collateral damage is that it might piss off those who already pay a fortune to subscribe to Sky Sports. But new innovations such as 4K and taking more rights off terrestrial TV (like F1 and golf) will keep them coming back.

I think Sky Sports Mix is due to show 10 PL games this season. Which would make sense in that under the new rights deal they are showing an extra 10 matches anyway.

Personally I don't need any extra reasons not to subscribe to Sky Sports but won't turn my nose up at a bit of free content.