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72-681: Premier Sports is a group of pay sports television channels owned by SSBL Limited that are available in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland . Premier Sports holds exclusive live rights to La Liga , Scottish League Cup , Elite Ice Hockey League , NHL and NASCAR . Premier Sports has shared rights to the United Rugby Championship in the Britain and exclusive live rights to 53 Premier League games in

144-469: A trial period , often one to three months, though there have been rare instances of free trials for pay services that last up to one year for newer subscribers to that provider's television service. Pay television has become popular with cable and satellite television . Pay television services often, at least two to three times per year, provide free previews of their services, in order to court potential subscribers by allowing this wider audience to sample

216-707: A Premier Sports 2 channel on the Sky and Virgin platforms after signing a contract with PRO14 Rugby to broadcast every game across the UK for at least the next three years. The HD channel was relabelled Premier Sports 1 on 18 July and launched on Virgin Media, replacing the SD version, which simultaneously was relabelled Premier Sports 2. New logos were adopted for both Premier Sports and its sister channel FreeSports . On 31 August 2017, Premier Sports launched their sister channel FreeSports ,

288-406: A crude decrypting of the over-the-air television signal and a decoding box, but never caught on for use at that time. It took another four decades when cable broadcasters started using pay-per-view on a widespread basis. "Free" variants are free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV); however, FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to

360-632: A focus on their parent companies' libraries, with HBO Now replaced by HBO Max (now Max) in 2020 (which adds content from other Warner Bros. properties and third-parties, and would also be included with existing HBO subscriptions via television providers), and Showtime formally merging with Paramount+ in 2023. Canadian premium service The Movie Network similarly merged with the CraveTV service owned by parent company Bell Media in 2018. Pay-per-view (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay television services in that customers must pay to have

432-533: A free-to-air sports channel dedicated to providing live sport to the Great British public. It was available on all major platforms available in 18 million UK homes. FreeSports aimed to air a majority of live programming, with over 1000 events a year for an average of 10 hours per day featuring numerous sports, including MMA , kickboxing , association football , ice hockey , tennis , rugby league , basketball , boxing , and cricket . On 19 January 2024, it

504-461: A limited number of hours during midweek, when Premier Sports closed as they used a single satellite stream. The channels were free-to-air to both domestic and commercial customers from launch, but became a pay subscription channel on 5 August 2010. However, the channel is sold independently by Premier Sports, rather than through Sky. On 30 June 2010, the video bit rate was increased from 2.8 Mbit/s to 4.2 Mbit/s. Initially, Premier Sports

576-513: A lower subscription fee. These are called "mini-pay" channels (a term also used for smaller scale commercial-free pay television services) and are often sold as a part of a package with numerous similarly priced channels. Usually, however, the regular pricing for premium channels ranges from just under $ 10 to near $ 25 per month per suite, with lower prices available via bundling options with cable or satellite providers, or special limited offers which are available during free preview periods or before

648-417: A main flagship channel is accompanied by secondary services with distinct schedules focusing on specific genres and audiences (such as multiplexes focusing more on "classic" films, or family-oriented programming), time shifting , or brand licensing deals (such as channels focusing specifically on Disney films , or content from U.S. pay television brands if they do not specifically run their own network in

720-535: A mix of original series, films, and specials. The shift towards SVOD has resulted in increasing competition within the sector, with media conglomerates having launched their own services (such as Disney+ , Paramount+ , Peacock , and Disney's acquisition of the majority of Hulu ) to compete, and existing premium networks such as HBO ( HBO Now ) and Showtime launching direct-to-consumer versions of their existing services to appeal to cord cutters . HBO and Showtime later absorbed their DTC offerings into wider services with

792-463: A month to view the full BoxNation coverage regardless if they were already subscribed via Sky or Virgin Media. In January 2013, The Independent reported that BT was likely to acquire the channel and incorporate its content into their planned sports channels. Simon Green, the head of BT Sport , was a former Chief Executive at BoxNation and was then a non-executive director at BoxNation . In 2017, BT TV customers gained access to BoxNation as part of

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864-451: A pay television bouquet – in other words, an offer of pay-TV channels – or can be purchased for a one-time cost. FTA and FTV systems may still have selective access. ABC Australia is one example, as much of its programming content is free-to-air except for National Rugby League (NRL) games, which are encrypted. BoxNation BoxNation was a British dedicated boxing subscription television channel, operated by Viaplay. The brand

936-693: A restriction as a few providers optionally sell that service without requiring a Showtime subscription. Unlike other cable networks, premium services are almost always subscribed to a la carte , meaning that one can, for example, subscribe to HBO without subscribing to Showtime (in Canada, there are slight modifications, as most providers include U.S. superstations – such as WAPA-TV – with their main premium package by default). However, subscribing to an "individual" service automatically includes access to all of that service's available multiplex channels and, in some cases, access to content via video-on-demand (in

1008-425: A seasonal package. They are typically the most expensive type of pay services, generally running in the range of $ 35 to $ 50 per month. Some pay services also offer pornographic films ; Cinemax was well known for carrying a late-night block of softcore films and series known as "Max After Dark"—a reputation that led to the network often being nicknamed "Skinemax" by viewers. Cinemax phased out this programming in

1080-540: A short time during the 1980s, and unlike other general-interest pay services accepted outside advertising for broadcast during its sports telecasts), Preview , SelecTV and ON TV in the late 1970s, but those services disappeared as competition from cable television expanded during the 1980s. In Australia , Foxtel , Optus Television and TransACT are the major pay television distributors, all of which provide cable services in some metropolitan areas , with Foxtel providing satellite service for all other areas where cable

1152-401: A specific market). Typically, these services are bundled together with the main channel at no additional charge, and cannot be purchased separately. Depending on local regulations, pay television services generally have more lenient content standards because of their relatively narrower distribution, and not being subject to pressure from sponsors to tone down content. As a result, programming

1224-465: A tape delay every Wednesday night at 7pm. On 8 May 2012, it was announced the BoxNation would co-promote and air the all-British heavyweight clash between David Haye and Derek Chisora . The fight took place at The Boleyn Ground , more commonly known as Upton Park on 14 July 2012. Billed as Haye v Chisora: Licensed to Thrill, the fight received criticism from several quarters and was licensed by

1296-485: Is Canal+ and its scrambled services, which operated in France from 1984 to the 2011 closedown of analogue television, Spain from 1990 to 2005 and Poland from 1995 to 2001. Some U.S. television stations launched pay services (known simply as "subscription television" services) such as SuperTV , Wometco Home Theater , PRISM (which principally operated as a cable service, only being simultaneously carried over-the-air for

1368-548: Is licensed from George Warren's Queensbury Commercial. BoxNation was launched by Frank Warren Promotions as a free-to-air channel on Sky . It was soft launched on 14 July 2011, airing two hours of classic boxing fights. The channel fully launched on 30 September 2011, broadcasting live fights, magazine programmes, and footage of classic fights from boxing legends including Muhammad Ali , Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson . The channel screened its first live fight on 30 September 2011 as Liam Walsh stopped Paul Appleby in

1440-483: Is made up of CEO O'Rourke, General Manager Richard Sweeney and Operations Director Richard Webb. In April 2013, Premier Sports and Premier Sports Extra began to share their satellite stream with Setanta Sports 1 ; the arrangement continued after Premier Sports Extra closed on 13 June 2013. Only Premier Sports' branding appears on the channel, with the exception of Setanta's coverage of the Premier League , which

1512-707: Is not available. Austar formerly operated as a satellite pay service, until it merged with Foxtel and SelecTV . The major distributors of pay television in New Zealand are Sky Network Television on satellite and Vodafone on cable. In the 2010s, over-the-top subscription video on demand (SVOD) services distributed via internet video emerged as a major competitor to traditional pay television, with services such as Amazon Video , Hulu , and Netflix gaining prominence. Similarly to pay television services, their libraries include acquired content (which can not only include films, but acquired television series as well), and

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1584-582: Is on satellite, as the former wanted to be bundled into one of the latter's basic TV packages. On 25 October 2013, the channel launched on Virgin Media as a free channel, the day before the start of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup ; It became a subscription channel on 1 March 2014. On 22 August 2014, Premier Sports, along with BoxNation , launched on TalkTalk; it was removed on 9 August 2016. In August 2012, Premier Sports launched an online subscription streaming service, run in conjunction with Ustream . The 2 Mbit/s stream broadcast all events and programming on

1656-717: Is typically aired with limited to no edits for time or, where applicable, mature content such as graphic violence , profanity , nudity , and sexual activity . As premium television services are commonly devoid of traditional commercial advertising, breaks between programming typically include promotions for upcoming programs , and interstitial segments (such as behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and other feature segments). Some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks. In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to

1728-472: The 2011–12 season . On 5 July 2012, Premier Sport's announced on their Facebook page that NHL would continue for a further 4 years on the channel with appropriately 400 games per season being broadcast and complemented by daily coverage of Hockey Tonight. This deal was later extended until 2021. The channel also broadcasts weekly games of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as well as games from

1800-570: The 2015 Copa América that ran between 11 June and 4 July. Premier Sports shows UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League qualifiers that include British teams, including Shkëndija versus Aberdeen in July 2015. In June 2018, it was announced Premier Sports had won rights to start broadcasting English Premier League games on the Saturday 3 p.m. slot exclusively to viewers in Ireland from

1872-802: The 2017 event. Premier Sports also provides full coverage of the Four Nations championship. Premier Sports showed all Toronto Wolfpack games in League 1 in 2017 and all Toronto games in the Championship during 2018. In October 2021, the channel agreed a two-year deal with the Rugby Football League for coverage of matches from the RFL Championship and the Challenge Cup . The Championship games will include

1944-538: The 2018 BDO World Trophy , which took place at Preston Guild Hall in Preston. Later in the year, 2 England Darts events were shown. Premier Sports has from time to time aired football from the League of Ireland . Since 2011 the channel has broadcast footballing action from South America. The Copa Libertadores was televised exclusively on the channel, with thirty-five live games, plus a weekly highlights package until 2016. Premier Sports also aired thirty matches from

2016-726: The Copa Sudamericana (until 2016), seventy-four matches from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and Campeonato Paulista as well as seventy-six matches from the Argentine Primera División . In January 2012, it was announced that Celtic TV and Rangers TV would each air as a three-hour block on Monday evenings. Coverage included full replays of the weekends matches that were not aired live on Sky Sports or ESPN, pre and post-match analysis and classic archive footage. The channel had

2088-660: The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Premier Sports also broadcasts live coverage of the Ice Hockey World Championships . Premier Sports broadcasts all 38 weeks of racing from the NASCAR Cup Series . In a one-off deal, Kimi Räikkönen 's NASCAR Truck Series debut was broadcast live and free-to-view. During the final week of the 2011 NASCAR season, in addition to the main NASCAR Cup Series race, Premier Sports showed

2160-741: The Scottish Cup . The exclusive live rights include the first 2 picks from rounds 4, last 16 and quarter-finals and first pick of a semi-final. There are also options to show matches in rounds 1-3 and the final and other semi-final non-exclusively with the BBC. Also in November 2018, Premier Sports netted the UK and Ireland rights to the Scottish League Cup , currently known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, for

2232-466: The Summer Bash and the play-off games. On 2 October 2020, Premier Sports announced a new partnership with Impact Wrestling that will see future Impact pay-per-views and special events broadcast on the channel, starting with Victory Road on delay on 6 October 2020. The partnership also sees Impact's weekly programme Impact! broadcast every Wednesday on FreeSports . On 9 November 2012, it

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2304-571: The Top 14 for two seasons. On 9 December 2022, Viaplay Sports started showing European Professional Club Rugby 's second-tier competition, the EPCR Challenge Cup . The two-season contract was Viaplay's first major rights acquisition since it took over Premier Sports earlier in 2022. The channel broadcast live coverage of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup , alongside the BBC's coverage of England games. The channel also covered live coverage of

2376-610: The Wimbledon tennis tournament. Specialty pay sports channels also exist—often focusing on international sports considered niche to domestic audiences (such as, in the United States, cricket ), and are typically sold at a higher expense than traditional premium services. Out-of-market sports packages in North America are multi-channel pay services carrying professional or collegiate sporting events which are sold in

2448-610: The World Series of Boxing starting from December. In February 2011, Premier Sports announced they would air all ShoBox: The New Generation events in 2011 and access Gary Shaw's archive of world title fights from the past five years. Premier Sports will also air eight Top Rank events in 2011–2012. On 14 August 2011, the channel signed a deal with Spencer Fearon 's Hard Knocks Boxing Promotions that saw six events from York Hall broadcast live, starting on 7 October 2011. From 30 May 2018, Premier Sports aired all 5 days of action for

2520-563: The business cycle , some broadcasters try to balance them with more stable income from subscriptions. Some providers offer services owned by the same company in a single package. For example, American satellite provider DirecTV offers the Encore channels along with the Starz multiplex (both owned by Lionsgate 's Starz Inc. ) in its "Starz Super Pack"; and The Movie Channel , Flix and SundanceTV (the latter of which continues to be sold in

2592-586: The 2010s, citing that it did not align with its current focus on action programming, and that internet porn and the amount of sexual content in other mainstream premium series (such as Game of Thrones ) made a specific block for such content redundant. Specialized channels dedicated to pornographic films also exist, that carry either softcore adult programs (such as Playboy TV ), or more hardcore content (such as The Erotic Network and Hustler TV ). Pay television channels come in different price ranges. Many channels carrying advertising combine this income with

2664-479: The BT Sport package. This ended in November 2022. In April 2018, BoxNation extended their exclusive output deal with Bob Arum 's Top Rank , meaning that the channel would broadcast the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko and Terence Crawford to British fight fans. In December 2019, Boxing Channel Media which had operated the channel from launch was liquidated at the request of its creditors. Premier Sports acquired

2736-745: The Championships, All televised National Football League and National Hurling League , the Irish-hosted versions of the International Rules Series between Australia and Ireland , and also the rights to show archived classic Gaelic football and hurling matches in Great Britain. Premier Sports broadcast at least 15 NHL games a week. On 12 October 2011, Premier Sports announced that they would broadcast up to 10 live National Hockey League games per week from

2808-472: The DirecTV package despite Showtime Networks no longer owning Sundance, that channel is now owned by AMC Networks ) along with Showtime in its "Showtime Unlimited" package; Cinemax and its multiplex networks, in turn, are almost always packaged with HBO (both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery ). Though selling premium services that are related by ownership as a package is common, that may not always be

2880-566: The LaLigaTV channel, which would become available to all existing Premier Sports subscribers on the Premier Player from October, and on Sky by January 2020. One match per round would be broadcast live on sister free-to-air channel FreeSports. Premier Sports currently has exclusive British TV rights to approximately 75% Gaelic Athletic Association games broadcast live Gaelic games , including all matches from packs 2,3,4,7,8 & 9 from

2952-634: The Luxembourg Boxing Federation after the British Boxing Board of Control refused to authorise the fight. This is due, in part, to the press conference clash between Haye and Chisora in February in the aftermath of Chisora's defeat to Vitali Klitschko . During the course of the fight weekend, Chisora also slapped his opponent in the face at the weigh-in and spat water in the face of Vitali's brother, Wladimir , in

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3024-733: The Polish PGE Ekstraliga. Premier Sports airs France's autumn internationals since 2016, and Italy's from 2018. On 30 April 2018, Premier Sports announced they had signed a landmark partnership with PRO14 Rugby to broadcast every game from the Guinness PRO14 live in high-definition across the UK and ROI for the next three years. The agreement starting from the 2018–19 season will see all 152 games per season broadcast live, with no less than 21 games (one per round) shown live free-to-air on FreeSports . On May 26, 2021, Premier Sports announced they will begin broadcasting

3096-745: The Republic of Ireland. They also hold shared rights to the Scottish Cup with BBC Scotland . Premier Sports was formed in 2009 by the Irish businessman Michael O'Rourke, a joint CEO and part owner of Setanta Sports and former director of Premium Sports. The channel initially focused on broadcasting sporting events that had not been available in Great Britain since the collapse of Setanta Sports GB on 22 June 2009, and were not picked up by rival sports broadcasters ESPN and Sky Sports , but are available through Setanta in Ireland. The channel's management

3168-522: The TV channel. In April 2013, Premier Sports launched their own online player to replace the Ustream service. The service is available on multiple platforms including iOS and Android . As well as live streaming, the service also features seven day catch-up and optional season long on-demand content. Some sports are also available to view worldwide. On 30 April 2018, Premier Sports announced they would launch

3240-496: The UK & Ireland, showing 4 live matches per round from matchday 25 until the end of the 2018/2019 season. Premier Sports also broadcast weekly highlights, previews and magazine shows. Leading on from this, in September, Premier Sports confirmed that they had become exclusive UK rights-holders to La Liga, starting with matchday 4 of the 2019–20 season until the end of the 2021–22 season. They added that most matches would be put on

3312-511: The UK and would rebrand the channels back to Premier Sports. Premier Sports operates on satellite provider Sky . MSK and MSK Extra were added to Sky on 25 September 2009 and relabelled Premier Sports and Premier Sports Extra on 29 July 2010. On 13 June 2013, Premier Sports Extra closed with its Sky EPG slot believed to have been sold to the Muslim World Network, which launched on the same day. Premier Sports Extra only operated for

3384-491: The Viaplay Sports name on 1 November 2022. Viaplay Sports operate out of Stockholm , Sweden. Initially, the same feeds were used for the UK and Ireland with Premier Sports branding used for Premier League coverage which is blocked in the UK. On 28 November the channels split, with the Irish feeds reverting to full Premier Sports branding. In November 2023, it was announced that Premier Sports had bought Viaplay out in

3456-737: The aforementioned leniency in content standards, they too can contain content that is more mature than those of other cable channels or television networks . These series also tend to be high-budget and aim for critical success in order to attract subscribers: notable premium series, such as HBO 's Curb Your Enthusiasm , Game of Thrones , Sex and the City , and The Sopranos , and Showtime 's Dexter , Homeland , and Weeds , have achieved critical acclaim and have won various television awards. Some premium channels also broadcast television specials , which most commonly consist of concerts and concert films , documentaries , stand-up comedy , and in

3528-423: The brand licence and channels space. In July 2022, Viaplay announced the acquisition of Premier Sports and signalled its intention to rebrand the channels. BoxNation became unavailable to BT Sport subscribers on 17 November 2022. A letter received by Virgin Media customers stated BoxNation would close on all platforms on 14 December 2022. The channel was removed from Sky on 14 December and ceased broadcasting

3600-419: The broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-time payment for a single or time-limited viewing. Programs offered via pay-per-view are most often movies or sporting events, but may also include other events, such as concerts and even softcore adult programs. In the U.S., the initial concept and technology for pay-per-view for broadcast television was first developed in the early 1950s, including

3672-428: The common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters. As such, programs often air using either conventional scheduling or have airtimes in five-minute increments (for example, 7:05 a.m. or 4:40 p.m.); since such channels broadcast content without in-program break interruptions, this sometimes leads to extended or abbreviated breaks between programs, depending on when

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3744-527: The final races in the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series live, commercial free and free-to-view. On 6 February 2018, Premier Sports announced on their Twitter page that they would continue to broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series for five more years. In 2018 Premier Sports, and its sister channel Freesports, broadcast live and also highlights of the speedway leagues Sweden's Elitserien and

3816-425: The following day. BoxNation's programming was presented by experienced broadcasters Richard Keys , Jim Rosenthal , Paul Dempsey , John Rawling and Steve Bunce . On 15 January 2016 two new hosts, well known English presenter and sports personality Charlie Webster and Olympic Boxing Bronze medallist and Strictly Come Dancing star Anthony Ogogo launched a new weekly programme called Charlie's Web, looking at

3888-647: The form of a conventional VOD television service, and in some cases, a companion on-demand streaming service as well). Most pay television providers also offer a selection of premium services (for example, the HBO, Showtime and Starz packages) in one bundle at a greatly reduced price than it would cost to purchase each service separately, as an inducement for subscribers to remain with their service provider or for others to induce subscribers into using their service. Similarly, many television providers offer general interest or movie-based premium channels at no additional charge for

3960-454: The launch of a network's prestige series. However, some other channels, such as sports and adult networks may ask for monthly pricing that may go as high as near $ 50 a month. There are also premium television services which are priced significantly higher than the mini-pay channels, but they compensate for their higher price by carrying little or no advertising and also providing a higher quality program output. As advertising sales are sensitive to

4032-467: The majority of pay television services rely almost solely on monthly subscription fees paid by individual customers. As a result, pay television outlets are most concerned with offering content that can justify the cost of the service, which helps to attract new subscribers, and retain existing subscribers. Many pay television services consist of multiple individual channels, referred to as " multiplex " services (in reference to multiplex cinemas ), where

4104-641: The next five years and will exclusively broadcast between 12 and 16 live Betfred Cup (the Scottish League Cup) matches and highlights per season, starting with the 2020–2021 season. In January 2019, Premier Sports had secured rights to the Dutch Eredivisie and the Chinese Super League after Eleven Sports cancelled the competition rights. In February 2019, it was announced that Premier Sports had secured La Liga rights in

4176-494: The original term of license agreements with a distributor may also be broadcast as "sub-runs", in which a service holds rights to film long after the conclusion of a distribution agreement (under this arrangement, the pay service that originally licensed the rights to a particular film title, or one other than that which had held rights, may hold the broadcast rights through a library content deal). Many general interest premium channels also produce original television series . Due to

4248-677: The parent channel, Premier Sports Asia only airs rugby union matches. In 2014, Premier Sports began live coverage of the Belgian Pro League , with three matches from each round of fixtures. Premier Sports also broadcasts a selection of friendly matches during the football season, e.g. New York Red Bulls against Arsenal in 2014 or all International Champions Cup matches not involving Manchester United or Liverpool . In May 2015, Premier Sports announced it had won exclusive multi-year rights to all 26 games of Copa América (including Copa América Centenario in 2016), starting from

4320-597: The past, theatrical plays . Sports programming is also featured on some premium services; HBO was historically known for its broadcasts of boxing , while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events. Some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years, and from 1975 to 1999 aired

4392-521: The previous program concludes and when the start time of the next program is. The only universal variation to this is prime time , where the main channel in each pay service's suite usually schedules films to start on the hour. Films comprise much of the content seen on most pay television services, particularly those with a general entertainment format and those that focus exclusively on films . Services often obtain rights to films through exclusive agreements with film distributors . Films acquired during

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4464-633: The rights to broadcast the Northern Ireland national football team 's home friendlies until 2018. Pay television The term is most synonymous with premium entertainment services focused on films or general entertainment programming such as, in the United States, Cinemax , HBO , MGM+ , Showtime , and Starz , but such services can also include those devoted to sports , as well as adult entertainment . In contrast to most other multichannel television broadcasters, which depend on advertising and carriage fees as their sources of revenue,

4536-582: The service for a period of days or weeks; these are typically scheduled to showcase major special event programming, such as the pay cable premiere of a blockbuster feature film, the premiere (either a series or season premiere ) of a widely anticipated or critically acclaimed original series or occasionally, a high-profile special (such as a concert). Subscription services transmitted via analogue terrestrial television have also existed, to varying degrees of success. The most known example of such service in Europe

4608-465: The situation: for example, in the United States, Cinemax and Encore are optionally sold separately from or in a single package with their respective parent networks HBO and Starz, depending on the service provider. The Movie Channel and Flix meanwhile, are usually sold together with Showtime (all three channels are owned by Paramount Global ); though subscribers are required to purchase Showtime in order to receive Flix, The Movie Channel does not have such

4680-520: The start of the 2019-20 season , taking over from Sky Sports . Eoin McDevitt hosts coverage alongside studio pundits, Damien Delaney , Richard Dunne , Kenny Cunningham and David Moyes . The lead commentator is Des Curran, Clive Tyldesley or Will Downing with Gary Breen or Brian Kerr the co-commentators. In November 2018, Premier Sports announced a 6-year deal with the SFA starting in 2019 to air

4752-464: The tenth round at York Hall in Bethnal Green . BoxNation was later launched on Virgin Media on 1 December 2011. It also became a monthly subscription channel on this day. In 2012 BoxNation launched an iOS app for iPhone and iPad users as well as launching an online service via LiveSport.tv, In 2013 BoxNation made the app available to Android phone users. App users were charged £10

4824-413: The weekly show "Boxing Hour" every Monday night. Bunce had formerly hosted a show with the same name and format on Setanta Sports where it gained popularity and acclaim amongst boxing fans leading to the launch of the "Bring Back Bunce" campaign after the collapse of Setanta Sports in Great Britain. In October 2013, BoxNation announced that they would show the entire Golden Boy on Fox Sports 1 series on

4896-427: The world of social media in boxing. BoxNation featured live cards with domestic and international fights, classic match footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters. The channel broadcast over 70 live world title fights featuring Floyd Mayweather Jnr, Vitali Klitschko, Nathan Cleverly, Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, Dereck Chisora, and Bernard Hopkins amongst many others Steve Bunce also hosted

4968-617: Was announced that Premier Sports would broadcast 260 hours of Indoor Bowls in 2013. The deal includes coverage of the World Bowls Tour International Open, PBA Masters, National Under-25s, EIBA Singles Finals, England Internationals, World Pairs and Premier Threes events. From September 2010, Premier Sports began to air a number of live boxing events, featuring the likes of Lucian Bute , Érik Morales , Shane Mosley and Felix Sturm . On 8 December 2010, Premier Sports announced an exclusive UK deal with AIBI for

5040-504: Was announced that the channel would close on 25 January. Premier Sports Asia was launched on 22 October 2020 as an over-the-top (OTT) streaming channel for select Asian regions. The channel is also available as a traditional linear channel (branded as Premier Sports) replacing the RugbyPass TV channel for select Asian countries in late 2021. It takes over some of the rights to air competitions previously held by RugbyPass TV. Unlike

5112-482: Was blocked on Premier Sports. It was revealed in July 2022 that in 2021 the company had 222,000 paying subscribers and revenues of £26.4 million in 2021. In July 2022, Viaplay Group announced the acquisition of Premier Sports in the UK and its intention to rebrand the channels under its own brand. This did not affect its operations Ireland where the company continued to be owned by SSBL Ltd and continued to branded as Premier Sports Viaplay rebranded Premier Sports under

5184-478: Was only available in Great Britain , but became available in Northern Ireland on 3 November 2011. Premier Sports Extra was still limited to Great Britain until its closure. For many years, Premier Sports was not available on Virgin Media , although negotiations were held in early 2012. Talks broke down when the company declined Virgin Media's offer to distribute the channel as a standalone add-on, as it

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