Froch/Kessler Undercard, Still All Quiet....

I think the others ******,hatton,Maloney,mick,coldwell,fearon etc would easily put together 14 good class shows if you look at the stables combined

 

Setanta and ESPN easily struck deals with the established platforms you mentioned as they weren't seen as a threat. The details of it are still being sorted out and there's already hostility in terms of Sky advertising BT on their channels, for instance. These things always come to a compromise but it's going to be a bitter compromise this time.

BT see the television angle as their means of clawing back the tv/internet/phone bundles that Sky and Virgin have waded ahead on. It stands to reason really as all other providers use BT's infrastructure in the first place, so now BT want a piece of their own pie so to speak. If you get BT through an alternate platform then there will be a subscription charge but if you have it as part of one of the aforementioned bundles then the charge is discounted. Not sure on pricing.

It's a catch 22 really from the tv sports fan's point of view. More fragmenation of the sports rights market means we end up paying more to be able to see these sports broken up over different networks. In a purely boxing sense though it is needed right now. We are seeing f*ck all at the moment anyway and fighters' careers are dying because of inactivity; a result of the blinkered business decisions made by those who should've known better.

 

I don't think so.

 

In the US theres a ton of different sports networks and channels. ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, CBS Sports etc and they all other 5+ sports channels. But I get them all as part of a sports package for $12 a month.

 

Yeah could get confusing back here in terms of tv/internet/phone if you're a sports nut. I have my internet and phone with BT and tv with Sky. Think I read something yesterday about if you have BT Infinity you might get a deal on BT Sport but not sure about it. A guy usually in the know was saying we should definitely get some boxing on there but the scale and form of it is still up in the air. But they need it with the likes of cricket and men's tennis tied up with Sky; BT signed women's tennis but nobody gives a toss about that.

They are gonna have their work cut out launching everything else for starters anyway though. Some extra fights on our screens will be welcome but from a footballing point of view this is the first time Sky have lost any of their first choice Premier League matches. So BT is gonna be more worthwhile from a footy point of view than Setanta and ESPN were. I'm assuming all BT Sport's output will be available through the Sky platform otherwise it really will be a headache.

 

Problem for BT is which UK promoter would they sign up for domestic shows. Sky have been the only network to ever work with multiple promoters and it would be a shock to see that happen with BT. There also not going to settle for Friday Fight Night level cards. They need to get subscribers and you don't get that with Billy Joe Saunders v John Ryder you get it with Nathan Cleverly v Bernard Hopkins.

Frank is capable of 6 shows per year at the moment. Hattons, Hennesey & Maloney could probably do 4 each.

At the moment I remain pessimistic about BT's challenge to Sky. Really what is different to ESPN & Setanta?

In terms of Boxing, if BT actually come in an pump money into boxing, build fighters, build a promoters stable to challenge Matchroom then that will be great. If they just finance Frank to promote average cards, whats the point?

 

And Simon Green the Director of BT Sport was Chief Exec of Boxnation so has strong links with F*ank. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.

 

do you still stand by this statement?

 

He has since proven himself to be a top 10 middleweight. I rank him at No.4 in the division. At the time where I said that, he was not a top 10 middleweight.