Setanta Sports Canada - Champions League schedule

SPURS BACK IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOR FIRST TIME IN 38 YEARS – LIVE COVERAGE OF CLUB’S

OPENING TWO GROUP STAGE MATCHES ONLY ON SETANTA

Total of 14 matches broadcast on Setanta over first four days of Group Stage play

TORONTO (September 14, 2010) – Tottenham Hotspur continue their first UEFA Champions League campaign since the 1961-62 season when they visit German club Werder Bremen today at 2:30 p.m. ET/ 11:30 a.m. PT live on Setanta Sports.

The live coverage on Setanta of the opening week of the Group Stage continues Wednesday, September 15 at 2:45 p.m. ET/ 11:45 a.m. PT when Arsenal host Portuguese side FC Braga.

Tottenham were dealt a major blow when star striker Jermaine Defoe injured his ankle in a 3-1 win by England over Switzerland in an international match played last Tuesday. The injury will keep Defoe out for up to three months and likely mean he will miss all the Spurs Group Stage matches.

The injury to Defoe is the second major blow to the clubs line-up in the past week. Tottenham defender Michael Dawson sprained his knee in England’s 4-0 win over Bulgaria in UEFA Euro 2010 Qualifying. The injury is expected to sideline Dawson for six to eight weeks.

Setanta will broadcast more live matches from the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League than any other channel in Canada. The live coverage is complemented by same day coverage of additional matches throughout the Group Stage. The opening two days will feature additional two matches:

FC Twente v Inter Milan Tuesday, September 14 @ 6:45 p.m. ET
Benfica v H. Tel Aviv Tuesday, September 14 @ 9 p.m. ET
Zilina v Chelsea Wednesday, September 15 @ 6:45 p.m. ET
AC Milan v Auxerre Wednesday, September 15 @ 8:30 p.m. ET

When the Champions League resumes on Tuesday, September 28 Setanta will serve up a live double-header on consecutive days:

Spartak Moscow v Zilina Tuesday, September 28 @ 12:30 p.m. ET
Chelsea v Marseille Tuesday, September 28 @ 2:45 p.m. ET
Rubin Kazan v FC Barcelona Wednesday, September 29 @ 12:30 p.m. ET
Tottenham v FC Twente Wednesday, September 29 @ 2:45 p.m. ET

An additional two matches on each day will be shown on a same day delay, bringing the total number of Champions League matches to 14 show on Setanta over the first four days of coverage from the Group Stage.

English Premier League TV rights in Canada

Rogers Sportsnet, TSN2 and Setanta Canada have come to terms on a multi-year agreement that will give the three networks Canadian broadcast rights to exclusive England’s Barclays Premier League (BPL) matches over the next three seasons.

Barclays Premier League is widely regarding as one of the top soccer leagues in the world and is also one of the most-watched. Made up of 20 member clubs, the English-based league includes some of the most popular teams in the world of soccer such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and more.

TSN2 will feature the early Saturday morning matches, (7:30 a.m. ET/4:30 a.m. PT) and the Monday afternoon matches, (3 p.m. ET / 12noon PT). The remainder of the schedule will be shared between Rogers Sportsnet and Setanta Canada. Details on the Barclays Premier League broadcast schedule for the three networks will be confirmed in August.

More on this on Sunday evenings show with our regular feature: What's On Setanta with Marketing Manager, Andy Shapiera.

SETANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! – FREE PREVIEW NOVEMBER 27-29 OF SETANTA SPORTS - CANADA’S HOME OF INTERNATIONAL SPORT

One of our good friends passed this along... and we are doing the same now for you...

Three live Barclays Premier League matches including Everton versus Liverpool

TORONTO (November 24, 2009) – The spirit of holiday season giving starts this weekend with a free preview of Setanta Sports November 27-29 on participating distributors across Canada.

“This is our gift to soccer and rugby fans in Canada who are not yet part of the Setanta army of subscribers,” said Andy Shapiera, Marketing Manager, Setanta Sports (Canada). “The channel is quite simply the best in terms of live soccer and rugby coverage and we are offering it free this weekend to prove this point.”

The weekend will feature 18 hours of live or same day coverage from some of the world’s top leagues.

The live coverage this weekend includes three live matches from the world’s most popular sports league, Barclays Premier League. The match-ups are:

Portsmouth v Manchester United Saturday, November 28 @ 9:30 a.m. ET
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Saturday, November 28 @ 12:30 p.m. ET
Everton v Liverpool Sunday, November 29 @ 8:30 a.m. ET

The coverage this weekend also features live soccer action from both Ligue 1 of the French Football League and the Russian Premier League. In addition, Setanta will broadcast three matches on same day delay Saturday from the Barclays Premier League.

This weekend’s coverage leads into a December on Setanta that features 49 live events including:

· Barclays Premier League - 22 live matches in December, including three on Boxing Day
· Carling Cup – Quarter-finals (December 1 and 2)
· UEFA Champions League - final match day of the Group Stage (December 8 and 9)
· Heineken Cup rugby - early round coverage (December 11 and 13)

About Setanta Sports (www.setanta.com)

Setanta Sports operates the only dedicated International sports channel in North America. In 2008, the 24-hour, digital premium channel aired more than 1,500 live events, including European and International soccer, world-class rugby and other sports programming designed to meet the growing demands of international sports fans. In Canada, Setanta Sports is currently available to subscribers through over 20 distributors including, Rogers; Shaw; Cogeco; Bell TV; Shaw Direct, as well as in commercial settings such as sports bars and pubs nationwide.

For more information on Setanta including full programming schedules log on to setanta.com.

PREMIER LEAGUE TERMINATES CONTRACT WITH SETANTA

We've been told numerous times that the situation in Europe won't have an influence on things in Canada, but...

Uh oh.

SETANTA CANADA - WHAT HAPPENS HERE IN CANADA IF IT FALLS IN U.K.?

There has been a lot of talk recently about Setanta in the UK and the likelihood that it will go under and cut off service to viewers. The obvious thought for Canadians after hearing the news is "how will this affect me?" and "will I not get to see any more Premier League games?" The good news is that everything looks okay within Canada. After speaking Setanta Canada's Marketing Manager, Andy Shapiera, I was told that it's "status quo" for Setanta Canada. What that means is that Setanta Canada operates separately from the UK, with separate broadcast contracts and rights to broadcast games, meaning, you will still get to see the Premier League games on television here on Setanta Sports, including the deal to broadcast Champions League coverage in 2009/10 and beyond. Shapiera says that "viewers will continue to see the coverage that Setanta Canada have become known for."

Further down the road, the outcome of Setanta UK may affect what happens here in Canada, but right now, people will continue to watch their favourite squads week in week out.

Andy Shapiera, Setanta Canada's Marketing Manager, joins Full-Time: Vancouver's Soccer Show every Sunday night on the TEAM 1040. If you have questions concerning Setanta, please email us at fulltime@team1040.ca and we will try and get as many questions in to Andy as possible this Sunday, June 14th, 2009.

Setanta and Rogers Sportsnet - the new home of UEFA Champions League

Setanta and Rogers Sportsnet will be the new home of the UEFA Champions League in Canada starting in the fall of 2009.