ESPN will be showing the English Premier Footbal League matches and not Setanta. ESPN has bought the rights to show 46 games in next season’s English Premier League that were to have been shown by struggling broadcaster Setanta.Disney-owned ESPN has won the two packages of games shown on Saturday teatimes and Monday evenings. Both will be sold to customers through BSkyB.
It has also won the 23 games per season Setanta was due to show from 2010-13.
The league took the broadcasting rights back from Setanta on Friday after it missed a payment deadline. It is not clear how much ESPN paid for the rights.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) has taken back its UK rights for 2009/10 “and beyond” from Setanta after the Irish broadcaster missed a £3m payment. The SPL said it was now “actively engaging in the process of selling our domestic broadcasting rights”.