ESPN Looking To Acquire Prem TV Rights

By: chris | January 14th, 2009

If you live stateside and need a bigger Prem football fix without upgrading your cable, this could be music to your ears. If you live stateside and feel like you get enough of your EPL fix during Champions League matchdays, then get ready to pony up for GolTV to even things out. ESPN is reportedly interested in not just showing the Champions League as presented by Barclay’s Premier League, but also the actual BPL (or here). You know, because they speak English too. And to show there are no hard feelings about that whole Revolutionary War thing.

Bloomberg said the most watched U.S. sports channel was considering bids for one or two of the six packages on offer, citing a person familiar with the plans, who declined to be identified because the bidding process had not started yet.

The FA Premier League sent out invitations last month to tender for the rights for 2010 to 2013.

“We are interested in all rights, including the Premier League, as long as they fit our business,” the ESPN spokesman said. “But we don’t have any comment on the Premier League despite press speculation about it.”

So the self-proclaimed Global Leader In Sports is looking to finally get into the arena of the global game. Clearly this whole “global leader” business has been a prediction all along then, much less a definitive proclamation.

No big secret there’s a ton of cash in the Prem right now – just like La Liga before them and Serie A even before that (it’s cyclical, you know). So it’s nothing more than smart business to climb on the back of a growing enterprise and go for a ride. But along with this growing enterprise is an increasing American influence. The ownership is constantly growing, with at least two of the Big Four American-owned now and no telling what’s going to happen with Arsenal in the near or distant future. Then there’s Aston Villa. Let’s call it a Big Four & Guest and say 60% are American-owned and another is currently trying to find who they are and will give the other guy a call when they’re ready for a relationship. Suffice it to say: Americans like buying up Prem teams and will increasingly do so.

You have to wonder if this isn’t just about ESPN, with the global leader being merely one small part of the increasing American influence in the Premiership as it gets more and more exposure (branding) across the pond. One can only wonder what’s next? And if you haven’t watched the news lately, this isn’t good because America ruins everything.

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Category: English Premier League, World Football

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J

Andy Gray, MoMoney? He sucks. Laughing stock to most Brits. One of those who will go on about something even when he's clearly wrong and not change his position, like John Madden. Liverpool fans hate him as well because he is clearly biased against them a majority of the time. Why? Because he played for Everton. He's a right git, he is.
kay

I hate the way ESPN televises the games. They are always trying to zoom in and you miss the action developing off the ball (runs, movement in the box). Also, nothing is worse than watching the beautiful game with ugly accents (american).
Adam

Keep the British commentators at least!
matt

come on guys they didnt ruin the nba, the breen-hubie brown broadcast team is probably the best in the sport. they don't present it as well as tnt does, of course theyve got to have stuart scott there to make it annoying but their actual game coverage isnt ruined. the problem is, if youve seen sportscenter when they pretend to know what theyre talking about when something they deem relevant happens in the sport is they completely run it into the ground as far as being annoying and not knowing jack shit about it.

here's to hoping that they don't use anyone outside of derek rae and tommy smyth (yea i know alot of people hate him, but he gives a shit and takes it seriously) on their broadcasts, and hire people that aren't out to make names for themselves but people who actually know what the fuck theyre talking about.
Shane

I think they'd have to look at what FSC/GolTV/Setanta does and respect that and not Americanize the broadcast, like:
-Starting the broadcast 2 seconds before the "kickoff" and not showing them walk out. (American channels are notorious for not airing the national anthem)
-No quick commercials when a throw in is being taken.
-No voice over MLS commentators.

They can't control the camera, but they can control everything else.
Bill

ESPN will ruin this for sure....they can't even get Minor League Soccer right. I'll take FSC and GolTV anyday, ESPN will find a way to show 10 hours of poker instead of Man Utd vs Chelsea....God help us if ESPN gets their way!
Charles

Do any of you really think that ESPN is going to show EPL when they can show baseball or college football or basketball or NFL football instead? EPL will be the redheaded stepchild of the network. Live games will only be shown if it won't conflict with other sports and even then they probably won't be on the main ESPN network. This would be bad, bad, bad for fans of the EPL. Besides Fox has already announced that FSC will be going HD by 2010. I would hate for ESPN to have exclusive rights in the US. http://www.epltalk.com/hd-comi...
bobby_digital

honestly id rather espn not get the rights... sure that would probably mean more games for me to watch, but i already catch most of them with fsc and the other channels...

but the thing im worried about is how ESPN, once it gets it claws into a sport, it turns it into sh!t.. thank god for NFL Network because ESPN has made the NFL unwatchable.. same with the NBA... they barely show any real NBA coverage as it is but what they do show is a straight snooze-fest... and baseball, no one cares about it until the playoffs anyway..

just watch ESPN get the premier leauge and they'll find a way to weave Beckham into every game/highlight/analysis/etc..
Luka Ruudberg

GOD! Help us if for some reason ESPN has the retard crew of Dellacamera and "Mr. I am the greatest to have ever played" Wynalda doing their best to make our ears bleed! If I have to listen to Julie Foudy make a single comment in regards to what "Gerrard or Fabregas should have done here." I might be forced to start watching Chapungu United games on p2p sports!
Paul

Truly double edged sword here if ESPN gets the rights

Pros:
Matches in HD
More matches for me to see

Cons:
ESPN sucks at covering things
more Tommy Smyth
MoMONEY

Thats true but im so desperate for more football here in the states.. The intricacies of football are hard to understand for newcomers and I doubt they will approach it the right way. Hell they ruined the NBA (NBC was the best) and Monday Night Football, how could they succeed with this?
jayslick

something about this isnt good...

i havent figured it out, but if it involves ESPN, i cant imagine its a good product.
MoMONEY

Please let this happen... though id prefer if they didnt have wynalda lalas fudy ruining those games as well... the way they did the euro with andy gray was decent enough...
Dave Martinez

. . . a return of Tommy Smyth and Eric Wynalda behind the booth? Hmmmmm?

lol
mele419

Setanta is garbage anyways, in my opinion.
Gage

The only reason I'm excited about this is because my stupid cable provider doesn't offer GolTV or Setanta
mele419

Yeah, the only reason I'd want ESPN to acquire the rights is so I can watch matches in HD, since I've already got FSC and GolTV.
Adam

Whatever happens, I hope we'll finally get HD matches next season
Empshel

My fear is that it may limit what I'm available to see. For example, this weekend, nine of the ten EPL matches will be on either FSC or Setanta USA. I'm afraid of ESPN getting rights to half of the matches and then only broadcasting one of them. ESPN 360 is fine, but the matches are much better on the big screen.
Ronald

this must be why espn news now broadcast EPL results in the results windows........meh.