It all started with Des Lynam dressed up in a yellow Father Christmas outfit staring at a Thaila Zucchi’s knockers. Setanta arrived on the scene promising yet more football to devour, yet, as they’ve now discovered the hard way, not everyone laps up any old game just for the sake of it. You see, even down to the name of the channel, it seems that Setanta was already doomed. Fans failed to get on board and turned against them when they took England qualifying matches away to PPV.
Related: Setanta cry for help in football crossfire
If you didn’t know, Setanta is the name from an Irish myth of Cú Chulainn. At a young age, Setanta defended Ulster single-handedly against loads of armies… yet, it was also prophesied that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but that his life would be short – a veritable Achilles you might say.
In the case of the TV channel, the Achilles heel was the fact that the powers that be hadn’t read the market correctly. Speaking to people who have watched, it seems that Setanta was doing perfectly well with cricket, golf and boxing coverage and pranged their own heads by ambitiously grabbing for a slice of the footballing action. Football does not always bring wealth to those that play in the field. Ask the handful of teams who have gone into administration themselves as they strain to reach bigger, shinier prizes.
Setanta’s UK arm is no longer here, left withered by a change in the way people access their television. Setanta’s model was distinctly 20th century, relying on subscriptions to stay in the pack. Sky are doing alright, thanks to their being around long enough to gain to loyalty and, no doubt, helped by the merger with BSB all those years ago.
Mercifully, it’s not a complete end to Setanta as a whole. It will continue broadcasting to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is good news for all of us GAA fans. Neither Setanta Ireland nor Setanta International have entered administration today.
In a statement, Setanta Ireland explained: “Setanta Sports Ireland will now cover broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Please note that there are different levels of coverage available in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, and the full programme content will be advised in due course.”
This whole thing has a whiff of reaching too hard and too fast for a share of the TV gold. Football has been something of a goldrush in broadcasting terms, with ITV hedging their bets on England internationals and Manchester United’s European exploits. Regular Premier League live coverage of the most important games is still a big money spinner, but what Setanta failed to realise is that you need to strike a balance with which game you’re showing and how you show it.
Setanta always felt a little lacking in charisma, lacking in depth. As the video below shows, they didn’t know how to convey gravitas or impact. The closing moments of the channel saw the presenters blankly running through the autocue before cutting to a highlights reel.
It’s a shame that so many people will lose their jobs in the industry, but this is an important moment which other broadcasters will do well to learn the lessons of. TV is changing, with people accessing their shows and events through a variety of means. Embrace it, or be left on the scrapheap.
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