Post by ProfessorPatPending on Dec 1, 2003 0:36:56 GMT 1
Who knicked it off the Aldershot board, who knicked it off the Torygraph 
"Greg Dyke has warned that half of all English football clubs face financial cataclysm in the next three months, when he expects the European Commission to block BSB's £1bn purchase of exclusive rights to show live football.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Telegraph the director general of the BBC - who is a former director of Man U - said 'I think the European Commission will break up the Sky monopoly on sport. And, when they do that, if they (Sky) don't give notice, half the football clubs will go bust.'
Dyke's remarks lend support to a similar warning of a looming catastrophe for English football made by Rupert Murdoch, chairman of BSB and also News Corporation.
The BBC boss added 'When the Premier League advertised the contract to start next September, they were told by the Commission to advertise four packages as opposed to two. So they advertised four and Sky won all four.
The Commission has now made it clear that it wasn't acceptable for Sky to win all four. So Sky in return will say: Fine, if we can't have a monopoly, we can't have exclusivity, we're not paying this sort of money. Sky will say: Fine we'll buy three but we'll give you half the price.'
Dyke added that the Commission's intervention will lead to a revolution in the way that television rights will be sold. 'I think some of the big clubs will decide to sell their own [rights]. Not this time, but next time.
At some stage, pay-per-view [television] will transform football. If you're like me a MU supporter, at some stage I'm going to be able to buy a pay-per-view MU season ticket. I'll be able to watch every game, but I'll be able to watch it on my telly and I'll pay them £600 a year. It's not a matter of if, only when.'
Last month, the European competition commissioner, Mario Monti, warned that BSB's new contract to broadcast top-flight football was 'bad for competition' and 'bad for consumers'."
"Greg Dyke has warned that half of all English football clubs face financial cataclysm in the next three months, when he expects the European Commission to block BSB's £1bn purchase of exclusive rights to show live football.
Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Telegraph the director general of the BBC - who is a former director of Man U - said 'I think the European Commission will break up the Sky monopoly on sport. And, when they do that, if they (Sky) don't give notice, half the football clubs will go bust.'
Dyke's remarks lend support to a similar warning of a looming catastrophe for English football made by Rupert Murdoch, chairman of BSB and also News Corporation.
The BBC boss added 'When the Premier League advertised the contract to start next September, they were told by the Commission to advertise four packages as opposed to two. So they advertised four and Sky won all four.
The Commission has now made it clear that it wasn't acceptable for Sky to win all four. So Sky in return will say: Fine, if we can't have a monopoly, we can't have exclusivity, we're not paying this sort of money. Sky will say: Fine we'll buy three but we'll give you half the price.'
Dyke added that the Commission's intervention will lead to a revolution in the way that television rights will be sold. 'I think some of the big clubs will decide to sell their own [rights]. Not this time, but next time.
At some stage, pay-per-view [television] will transform football. If you're like me a MU supporter, at some stage I'm going to be able to buy a pay-per-view MU season ticket. I'll be able to watch every game, but I'll be able to watch it on my telly and I'll pay them £600 a year. It's not a matter of if, only when.'
Last month, the European competition commissioner, Mario Monti, warned that BSB's new contract to broadcast top-flight football was 'bad for competition' and 'bad for consumers'."