Media
ESPN: "No current plans" for Setanta bid
Published Thursday, Jun 11 2009, 16:12 BST | By James Welsh
ESPN has dismissed press speculation that it is considering making a bid for Setanta, saying it has "no current plans" to acquire the ailing sports broadcaster.
The Disney-owned sports network has its ESPN America channel distributed by Setanta in Britain and lost out to Setanta when it bid for Premier League rights earlier this year. It had been seen as a potential buyer of the business, and press reports had indicated Setanta had mulled selling an equity stake to ESPN to plug its £50m funding gap.
"We currently have no plans to buy Setanta," an ESPN spokesperson said. "There are a lot of stories out there that link ESPN with a possible purchase. We wanted to set the record straight."
ESPN would not be drawn on whether it was interested in the various rights packages currently held by Setanta in the event that it went into administration.
The Disney-owned sports network has its ESPN America channel distributed by Setanta in Britain and lost out to Setanta when it bid for Premier League rights earlier this year. It had been seen as a potential buyer of the business, and press reports had indicated Setanta had mulled selling an equity stake to ESPN to plug its £50m funding gap.
"We currently have no plans to buy Setanta," an ESPN spokesperson said. "There are a lot of stories out there that link ESPN with a possible purchase. We wanted to set the record straight."
ESPN would not be drawn on whether it was interested in the various rights packages currently held by Setanta in the event that it went into administration.
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