ESPN will launch to great fan-fair ion 3rd August. The new channel is set to be a major player on the UK sports broadcasting scene, following the demise of Setanta earlier in the summer.
ESPN is owned by Disney in the US and has been on a major sports rights buying spree, snapping up Setanta’s 46 exclusively live Premiership games for the new season; 30 exclusively live Scottish Premier League games, as well as top-flight Russian, German, Dutch Portugese and USA football. It also offers UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) for those so inclined.
Unlike Setanta which had its own TV platform, ESPN will only be available via other existing TV platforms.
ESPN has already announced that the channel will be available on the Sky and Virgin Media platforms, but have today confirmed that ESPN will also be available on BT Vision and Top Up TV. ESPN has yet to agree a deal with Tiscali TV, but negotiations are said to be underway.
The cost of ESPN varies according to the platform you are buying it on and the package that you bolt it on to. So here is a summary of what ESPN will cost you.
Pricing for Sky TV customers who have Sky Sports will be £9 per month and £12 per month for all other Sky TV customers. Sky TV packages start from £16.50 per month (without Sky Sports) and from £35.50 per month with Sky Sports (excluding line rental which is required).
The ESPN channel is cheaper when bought as part of a Virgin Media TV package. Customers who subscribe to Virgin Media’s XL TV pack will be able to watch ESPN and ESPN HD at no additional cost. As part of the deal, these subscribers will also receive ESPN Classic, featuring the greatest moments of UK and European sport. And Virgin Media TV customers on the M or L pack will be able to subscribe to ESPN and ESPN HD for £8 a month if they already subscribe to any combination of the Sky Sports channels, or £10 a month if not. Virgin Media’s XL TV package costs £27.50 per month (no line rental required).
On BT Vision, ESPN will be available at no additional cost for BT Vision Bronze, Silver or Gold Pack subscribers. BT Vision is only available to BT Broadband customers and the Bronze pack starts from £15.12 per month (first three months), increasing to £30.33 per month thereafter.
On Top Up TV, customers can subscribe to ESPN for £9.99 per month with no additional subscription cost for Top Up TV.
So in summary, you have three options.
Option 1 – get ESPN standalone with no other TV content. If this is what you want, your best bet is Top Up TV which will sell you ESPN for £9.99 per month.
Option 2 – get ESPN as part of a pay TV package (without Sky Sports). In this case Virgin Media offers the best route as it is available with the XL TV package for free, meaning you will get it for £27.50 per month alongside all the other XL TV content which gives you over 140 TV channels.
Option 3 – get ESPN with Sky Sports. If however, you would like ESPN alongside Sky Sports, then you have two options. Sky TV offer Sky Sports packages from £35.50 per month. So add £9 per month for ESPN, making a total of £44.50 per month. This excludes line rental, which is mandatory, taking the whole package to £55.75 per month.
Whereas Virgin Media offer Sky Sports packages from £26 per month, add £8 per month for ESPN, makes a total of £34 per month, plus a further £11 per month for line rental, making a total of £45 per month. This is more than £10 per month cheaper than the Sky alternative.
As it’s so complicated why not speak to our experts on 0800 466 1047 if you would like help to compare digital TV packages or visit us at www.simplifydigital.co.uk