ESPN snaps up Premier League football rights

Disney-owned broadcaster ESPN has bought the rights to screen Premier League football matches after Setanta failed to find the money it owed.

However, things are unlikely to change for pubs, hoping that the games would go to a free to air broadcaster, as ESPN will only be available through Sky at an extra charge — in much the same way Setanta was.

ESPN will replace Setanta in Sky's Ultimate package for pubs wishing to have access to the full quota of live Premier League games.

The US-based broadcaster has acquired two packages of 23 games for next season including those shown at Saturday teatime and on Monday evenings. It has also acquired the rights to the single package of 23 games between 2010-2013.

The move is unlikely to be beneficial for pubs hoping that some games would go to a free to air broadcaster, as ESPN will be sold at an extra charge through Sky — just as Setanta was.

ESPN said it had "reached an agreement for its coverage to be retailed by Sky to residential and commercial customers". ESPN is also in talks about making the channel available on Virgin Media and BT Vision.

"This move demonstrates our commitment to British sports fans and our ongoing commitment to delivering football to fans around the world across a variety of media," said ESPN International managing director Russell Wolff.

Setanta still holds the rights to a package of England internationals and FA Cup matches, which could also be sold if Setanta goes into administration.