Orange offers Setanta football on mobile phones

Orange has become the first British network to offer sports programming from pay-TV group Setanta, making its mobile TV service the only one available where football fans can watch all televised Barclays Premiership games.

Mobile phone customers willing to pay £5 a month will get access to Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports 2 and Setanta Golf from today. Orange mobile network already provides Sky's mobile TV service so anyone willing to shell out for both will have access to every televised match of the Barclays Premier League. In the auction of Premier League rights, Sky spent £1.3bn for 92 games a year while Setanta picked up 46 for £392m. Sky got the pick of the games, but Setanta - which sells its TV service for £10 a month on Freeview and Sky while many Virgin Media customers get it for free - has some big games such as next month's Chelsea game against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Irish pay-TV group, which is being bankrolled by investors including Goldman Sachs, also has the US PGA Golf and the Scottish premiership. "This partnership is all about bringing customers closer to the game they love," said Steve Wallage, head of sports partnerships at Orange. "The addition of the Setanta Sports package to our existing football portfolio was essential to ensure our customers don't miss any of this season's action - we're now the true home for 'football on your mobile'."

"No serious football fan would risk missing his team's progress this season and the deal with Orange means that need never happen," added Timothy Ryan, GB marketing director for Setanta Sports. "As well as exclusive football content from across Europe, you can also watch Setanta Golf on your mobile phone . From the PGA Tour to live action from the Premier League, there's no excuse for not being on the ball." Earlier this month, Setanta announced it had signed its one millionth "premium" TV subscriber just four months into the run of its first Barclays Premiership football season.

But its recent sports rights acquisitions have pushed break-even back by at least a year, according to Richard Brooke, director of corporate strategy. Setanta had expected to reach a million customers, paying £9.99 a month for the service over Freeview and satellite, towards the end of its first season.

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk