Setanta In Tapping Up Deal For Sky Sports Boss

Reports this morning suggest that Sky Sports’ deputy managing director, Trevor East, could be preparing to jump ship, heading to rival broadcaster Setanta to head their rights acquisition operations.

According to a report in this morning’s Financial Times, the sports boss, whose contract with Sky expires shortly, is undecided over whether to accept Setanta’s job offer and is currently considering his options.

His departure could strike a blow to Sky, whose contract for Premier League football coverage is due for renewal in 2006.

The FT also claims that Sky will face a tough battle for sports supremacy, with increasing pressure from the European Commission, which is keen to see the rights contested by rival broadcasters.

The Commission could insist on a limit to the number of games screened by each broadcaster, thereby limiting the opportunities for sports ‘monopolies’ to emerge.

BSkyB’s current coverage deal with the Premier League is worth £1.02 billion over three-years until the 2006-07 season, although it is unlikely that such a lucrative contract will be awarded to a single broadcaster in the future.

Setanta recently appointed Media Icon to handle TV sales for its Setanta Sports channel in the UK, including its live coverage of Scottish Premier League football, citing large numbers of new Scottish subscribers and coverage in increasing numbers of pubs and bars as justification for category exclusive advertiser deals (see Setanta Signs Icon To Offer Sponsorship Packages).

BskyB: 0207 705 3000 www.sky.com Setanta: 0207 930 8926 www.setanta.com