Setanta's season kicks off well

[BGonaSTICK]

Setanta has signed a deal with retailer Currys to sell its set-top boxes.

Tesco and Comet already sell the boxes, which feature a card slot so that viewers can opt for Setanta's pay service on digital terrestrial television.

The news comes following the broadcast of Setanta's first premiership game last weekend. Saturday's Liverpool v Aston Villa match was watched by 355,000 viewers - 14.2% of its 2.5 million subscribers - giving Setanta a 3.5% share in multichannel homes.

According to The Mirror, Setanta presenter Angus Scott claimed "they had waited 15 years for the moment...the first time a top-flight match had been screened live on a station other than Sky since the Premier League began," he said.

Setanta paid around £392 million for the premiership rights which included showing 46 live premiership games a year.

By contrast, Sky Sport's Sunderland's v Tottenham Hotspur match on Saturday managed 768,000 viewers and a 13.6% share, with Sunday's Chelsea v Birmingham match taking 861,000 and a 12% share, and Sky's Manchester United and Reading game pulling in 1.3 million viewers and a 13.3% share.

Source: Digital Spy