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ESPN

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

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If you’re a sports fanatic and want to watch a variety of different sports, including football, rugby, hockey and boxing, then ESPN is the sports channel for you… (Written 2/9/09).

ESPN won the rights to show 46 matches from the 2009/2010 Barclays Premier League, after Setanta Sports went into administration in June 2009. ESPN is offering these matches through a number of digital TV suppliers; however you will need to pay a monthly subscription. So should you sign up to ESPN?

What is ESPN?

ESPN (Entertainment Sports Programming Network) is an American sports broadcaster, owned by the Disney Company. The UK ESPN channel launched on the 3 August this year and shows both English and Scottish Premier league matches, as well as fixtures, games and highlights from a whole range of other sports, such as boxing, touring car and hockey.

The ESPN channel offers:

Also shows action from the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), MLS (Major League soccer), German Touring Car Masters, AFL (Australian Football League), NHL (National Hockey League), French rugby, NCAA College Football and NCAA College Basketball.

How do I get ESPN?

ESPN is available via both cable and satellite digital TV providers, and you can watch online using the SkyPlayer. Deals are also available for Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Top Up TV and Tiscali TV customers.

Although Setanta used to be available through a subscription for Freeview customers, ESPN isn’t currently selling direct Freeview subscriptions.

How much does ESPN cost?

ESPN prices vary, depending on who supplies your digital TV and which of their packages you subscribe to. Costs range from free to £12 a month. Below is a breakdown of the costs:

  • Sky - Existing Sky Sports customers can sign up to ESPN for an extra £9 a month. If you are a Sky customer but do not have Sky Sports already, ESPN will cost £12 a month.
  • Virgin Media - Virgin Media TV customers on both the M and L size packages can get ESPN for an additional £8 a month if they already pay extra for the Sky Sports channels, or £10 if they don’t have Sky Sports. Customers on the XL size package will receive both ESPN channels (standard definition and high definition) for free.
  • BT Vision - Customers who previously subscribed to Setanta Sports 1 as part of a BT Vision Value Pack (either Bronze, Silver or Gold) will get the ESPN channel for free as long as they continue to subscribe to a Value Pack. For new BT Vision customers, ESPN is available free if you take a new 12-month contract on a Value Pack (from £7.34 per month for the first 3 months, then £14.68) or a Single Packs from £4.89. Customers must pay by monthly direct debit and there is a charge of £9.78 for a viewing card.
  • Tiscali TV - Customers with Tiscali TV can get ESPN for just 1p for the first month if they sign up before 30 September 2009. After that ESPN costs £9.99 a month.
  • Top Up TV - A subscription to ESPN costs £9.99 a month.

Is ESPN right for me?

ESPN offers live coverage of 46 Premier League matches, 30 Scottish Premier League fixtures, the Uefa Europa League and a whole host of other sports.

If you love English football, then a subscription to ESPN is a must-have, though one drawback is that not all Premiership matches are shown on the channel. To watch all matches from the Barclays Premier League you will need a subscription to both ESPN and Sky Sports.

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Comments

why do you advertise £9 per month when sky charges £12 it does not seem very fair is sky making £3 from every sky subsciber to espn - Feb 2 2010 5:46PM
peter wedlock, hamilton