SETANTA BECOMES FIRST IRISH CHANNEL TO GO HD
Setanta Ireland has announced that it will become Ireland’s first indigenous channel to broadcast in High Definition. The Setanta HD channel will launch by Jan 2011. Initially the channel will be available on UPC’s cable platform with a launch on satellite at a later date.
Michael O’Rourke, Co-founder and CEO of Setanta Sports, said “High Definition channels have become established over the past couple of years and HD is rapidly becoming the standard in sports broadcasting. We are delighted to be the first Irish channel to make the move to HD. Sports content shows off HD at its best. In 2011 our HD viewers will be able to see their favorite football teams in the Barclays Premier League, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League. Plus the pinnacle of Setanta’s 2011 rugby coverage will be the Rugby World Cup where we will be the only Irish broadcaster to show all 48 games live in High Definition.”
Other HD content that will be shown includes French Top 14 Rugby, Serie A from Italy, Open Championship Golf and many magazine sports shows. Also, Irish national and domestic sports action will be shown in HD for the first time. O’Rourke goes on to say “We are thrilled to be able to broadcast Irish sport in HD. This will include the 2011 Allianz National League GAA Football and Hurling as well as domestic soccer action including the Setanta sports cup. It is important to thank UPC for providing us with a platform to launch the HD channel. Their support has meant that we can launch the HD channel earlier than expected and it will be a great addition to their existing HD channels.”
Robert Dunn, CEO of UPC added: "We’re delighted that Setanta will be showcasing their first HD transmission across our digital platforms and UPC customers will be the first in Ireland to experience this from 2011. This partnership underlines our commitment in using cutting edge technology to help produce and distribute outstanding content and the HD format is adding a new dimension to home entertainment for our customer base.”
The launch took place at the new Convention Centre Dublin, Wednesday September 15th. At the event Setanta also confirmed the launch of a new App for iPhone and a ‘Setanta Goals’ service for other mobile phones and blackberrys. The main feature of both services is that subscribers will receive instant alerts each time there is a goal in their team’s game. This alert will open up a video of the goal within minutes of it being scored. The alerts will cover all 380 Barclays Premier League games. The Setanta iPhone App also allows users to watch the Setanta Ireland and the Setanta Sports 1 channels live on their iPhone and it delivers the latest sports news stories from home and abroad. . The App will be available on a monthly subscription basis through iTunes. A version for Android phones will follow. The ‘Setanta Goals’ service for mobile phones and blackberrys will have goal alerts and videos as well highlights for a weekly subscription fee. Both services will be available from October.