Setanta V terrestrial TV

Gordon Brown has entered the row over the England football team's TV rights expressing disappointment millions were unable to see Wednesday's game.

The Prime Minister said supporters wanted to know why many were unable to see the match live, after Setanta bought up the rights for the Croatia tie in Zagreb.

His comments come after days of controversy over how major terrestrial broadcasters were shut out from even showing highlights of the game.
As a result, the uplifting win was watched by millions less than normal, as many people were unable to see any coverage of the of the game

 
Support: Gordon Brown wants to know why many fans were unable to see the match live
Setanta had earlier in the evening shown full live coverage of England's impressive 4-1 win over Croatia.



This is all down to the FA, who sold the rights to the England games.

222,000 watched the game, if it was on terrestrial TV, it would have been in the millions.

Come on Gordon, whip some rear ends.

tbh england aren't really high on my priority list - nice if they win but don't really care either way, just hope our players do well and avoid injury. but the fact i've been unable to see any of the game is disgraceful, at least when sky had the games the bbc still showed them

Morning mate

Im sorry but football sold its soul in 1992 when a league was created by a satellite company, Sky waved money in front of club chairman’s faces and they snapped their hands off.

I realise the National game is seen as more important but in today’s cash driven football environment should I have to pay for Sky and Setanta just to watch my club side And then pay £650 quid for a season ticket when quite a few of those games are then televised?
England are obviously a different matter as the nation is supposed to unite together to support them and so they have a much more superior fan base (only just though ) who cant all get to a game, so with that in mind why couldn’t the terrestrial stations have come up with a deal or grouped together and sorted something out?
If the BBC for instance had bid for the rights then it would have been license payers money they would have used to secure a highlights package so in essence you would be paying for the right to watch just as you would with  ‘Sinatra sports’ (assuming everybody has a license that is, watch out the vans about! :  )

We don't have sentanta in ours and I think it's a crying shame that terrestial telly doesn't have any right to show highlights of the match. It's the same with sentanta's live games where Sky aren't allowed the highlights for football first. Personally I don't feel enough people are buying sentanta and that's why they're putting the rights up so high so people will have to buy sentanta.

I could watch england's match in spain for free.

Things of TV...

The best idea is to go with Virgin Media, I've got my Broadband, my Phone (landline), and all the telly inlcuding the sports channels Sky Sports 1, 2, 3.  Setanta Sports 1 & 2 and the LFC Channel and I only pay £50.00 a month for the lot.

The best idea is to go with Virgin Media, I've got my Broadband, my Phone (landline), and all the telly inlcuding the sports channels Sky Sports 1, 2, 3.  Setanta Sports 1 & 2 and the LFC Channel and I only pay £50.00 a month for the lot.

Have I seen you trying to flog Virgin Media on a stand at Great'y market Smiggs?

Have I seen you trying to flog Virgin Media on a stand at Great'y market Smiggs?

Tell you what Glenbuck, I could do that no problem !!  And no, thats not my new job 

Im not bothered what channel England are on to be honest because I probably would'nt watch it anyway but if I do watch then its only to support Stevie G.

If people are that bothered about watching England then they will jut get Setenta because it is'nt actually that expensive in comparison with some other channels they probably have.

I would much rather see Liverpool win the league on the bbc  than England win the world cup

I'm following my Maltese origins this world cup but they are'nt on any channel!

cant afford setanta
its a disgrace how BBC dont have the england games

i wanna watch the finland games as well but never has it been on apart from when they play england

Am i wrong in thinking that sky are a shareholder in Setanta, and its a quick way to extrect a tenner a month extra out of us sports fans?

Am I wrong in thinking that sky are a shareholder in Setanta, and its a quick way to extrect a tenner a month extra out of us sports fans?

It would'nt surprise me

ive got setanta for free from virgin.

apparently you can get some sort of cheat box for virgin, fitted n everything for £110     then you get everything for nothing,  although you may need to run a firmware update now and again

This fuss is only because we won!!! If we'ed lost, then Setanta would have been praised for doing us a service.

Having got Setanta, I could see the match, but it's dreadful for those who don't have it. Not everyone can afford digital TV and to put national matches on digi TV is alienating a large portion of the market.

So, absolutely, all England matches should be on terrestrial TV.

Competitive internationals should all be on terrestrial tv. In Ireland the government actually intervened after, as far as I know, the FAI did a similar deal with Sky

Similar with England, but that is only for Home International fixtures, these are shown on ITV, whereas the away fixtures, were on Sky but are now on Setanta!!

Good luck to Celtic as well IrishP