Top Up TV Brings Setanta To Scottish Freeview Homes

Pay-TV provider Top Up TV has signed Setanta Sports to its portfolio of channels, initially offering the channel to its Scottish customers, but giving the channel the potential to reach more than five million Freeview households.

Setanta, the exclusive live broadcaster of Scottish Premier League, will begin broadcasting to Top Up TV customers in the Scottish and Grampian regions in time for the first game of the season on Saturday 30th July, progressing towards a national roll-out from then.

Commenting on the new addition, Matt Seaman, sales and marketing director of Top Up TV said: “Top Up TV is delighted to be able to offer Freeview customers the chance for the first time to watch live SPL games on Setanta Sports. Watching Setanta Sports on Top Up TV couldn’t be easier, so we expect viewing figures to be high.”

Roger Hall, managing director of GB & Ireland Channels at Setanta Sports, added: “We are delighted that an estimated 400,000 homes in Scotland will now be able to access Setanta Sports 1’s live SPL matches. Many of them were previously unable to see our SPL coverage.”

However, from Autumn 2005, as national roll-out of the channel is completed, games will be broadcast only to those with a Top Up TV viewing card. The addition of Setanta follows Top Up TV’s signing of British Eurosport to fill the space left by E4’s transition to Freeview in May. The signing delivered the first dedicated sports channel to terrestrial viewers since the collapse of ITV Digital in 2002 (see Administration For ITV Digital Confirmed). Amongst the events featured on the channel are The French Open, Le Mans 24 Hours, the 2005 Tour de France and the IAAF World Athletics Championships (see Top Up Bags Eurosport To Complete Channel Line Up).

Setanta: 0207 930 8926 www.setanta.com Top Up TV: 08700 543 210 www.topup.tv