Progress and slide regarding the Setanta Sports News channel
Setanta Sports News was a creation of the Virgin Media Television network and Setanta Sports. Launched in November 2007, this channel was a 24 hour sports news provider for Setanta Sports. Setanta Sports News capitalized around the success of Setanta Sports and tried to capture the sports news viewers based in UK and Ireland. A totally free channel available via satellite tv and also available on the internet, Setanta Sports News was positioned as Sky Sports News primary rival. Even when Sky Sports News became a part of Virgin Media television, Setanta Sports remained with this particular platform and continued to retain its rival position.
Approximately a year following the channel launch, it had been decided that the channel required a different look. Thus came the new look of the show using a widescreen format, headlines were run at the bottom length of the screen and many more smaller yet significant changes. The channel however continued to experiment with its looks and format structure over the year incorporating smaller changes to make it attractive to the viewers.
Setanta Sports was doing very well as a sports channel since its inception in 1990. This channel broadcasted international sports entertainment from the station based in the city of Dublin in Ireland. Formed through an understanding of the Irishmans passion for sport, this channel aimed at broadcasting all Irish sports events to its Irish expats. They have a group of individual channels that operate in the United States, Ireland, Canada, Australia and Africa and broadcast sporting events such as hurling, golf, Gaelic football, association football, American football, horse racing, boxing, rugby union and darts.
However following a successful run for more than a decade, Setanta Sports began facing financial hardships. The channel operated by Setanta Sports in Great Britain used to get broadcast just like Setanta Sports entered administration or liquidation in 2009 due to financial issues and insufficiency of funds. The ownership of Setanta Sports Channel Ireland limited changed. The channel then went on to be co-owned by Gaiety Investments and Sabloss Limited.
Because of this change in fortune, Setanta Sports News ceased broadcasting from 2009. It was also accompanied by a loss of a range of jobs. However portions of Setanta Sports continued broadcasting sports events in Ireland, Canada, USA and Australia. The only hiccup was that some content remained affected because of the closure in the operations in Great Britain.
Setanta Sports continued to be in the news for the various reports that continued to brew regarding its change in ownership and prospective buying proposals. There were several reports by news providers that spoke of Setanta Sports Ireland was being looked at with interest by music producer Dennis Desmond.
Following a ownership change both of the Setanta Channels, the one in Ireland as well as the one in the United States, are licensed from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. These broadcast rights include airing of club football from counties including Germany, France, Ireland, Brazil and Netherlands, national football games, rugby union games, rugby league games, exclusive rights for the live broadcasting of the USA PGA golf tour along with other championships such as Australian Football League, war of the darts etc.