The Sport Thread

I've seen the BT ad on ITV4. BT Sport Europe makes sense if they are keeping 1/2 free and selling Europe as a premium add-on. Rumours too that ESPN will be clumsily re branded BT Sport ESPN.


Re: football - I take it no UK broadcaster currently has rights to Republic of Ireland friendlies. Did think Sky might be simulcast in this one as they did with the Scotland game.

Setanta has the UK rights to ROI friendlies too, their coverage is being shown on Premier Sports.

BT Sports ESPN would be utterly daft, though ESPN is due some sort of facelift at this stage - it is still using the exact same presentation it launched with in 2009.

They are the generic FIFA titles, used by the Beeb as they presumably don't have the budget to commission their own.



Apparently Premier Sports now have the rights to Ireland friendlies, Sky only have qualifiers, hence this is only on ITV. Though of course ITV would have shown it regardless as they have the rights to all England friendlies regardless of where they're played.

Just to correct myself, Premier Sports apparently aren't showing this particular friendly, because ITV have the UK rights.

Friendly was a waste of time, but the coverage was OK.

Thanks Steve Williams and reply to noggin Sky Italia use 1080i

Good news for fans of the BBC - Robbie Savage has signed an exclusive three year deal with BT Sport.

Urgh, that is unwieldy. "BT Sport America" would fit with the new channel line-up though.

Or even "BT Sport World" if they wanted to be more general.

Great to see Sky simulcast Bradley Wiggin's one hour record attempt on Pick TV. Great to watch.

Have they always? ISTR that Sky Italia were 720p for broadcast at some point. (Though their production may well still have been 1080i)

Whilst it's been Sky Italia it's always been broadcast 1080i

Nice graphics from FIFA in the Women's World Cup ruined by the BBC Sport logo to the left, it looks out of place.