On 27 April, Setanta Sports announced that it would end its cooperation with the league at the end of the current season. This means that in the 2023/2024 season, the Ukrainian Premier League matches will be broadcast by another media service.
Yevhen Dykyi. Photo: V. RasnerYevhen Dykyi, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Premier League, spoke about the current situation with the competition's TV broadcaster.
"Yes, indeed, the UPL has received a message from Setanta that the company has decided not to extend the agreement with the league to broadcast the league's matches starting next season. This is a three-year offer that was announced in the summer, before the start of the 2022/23 season. Given that the official broadcaster did not actually get the opportunity to operate the full list of league matches, the offer has expired. However, it should be noted that, despite all the conditions, the current season's matches will be broadcast in full, in accordance with the league's agreements with the official broadcaster.
Having withdrawn its three-year offer, Setanta assured the Ukrainian Premier League that it remains open to cooperation with the league and is ready for new negotiations on broadcasting UPL matches, taking into account the current situation. Therefore, the issue of broadcasting the next season's UPL matches will be resolved in the near future, after the clubs have considered all available options and made appropriate decisions. We hope that we will be able to find the best solution for the development and future of Ukrainian football.
First and foremost, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Setanta Sports for coming to the aid of Ukrainian football at the most difficult time in our history. Preliminary talks with potential broadcasters of the Ukrainian Premier League began long before the full-scale invasion, but Setanta was one of those broadcasters who were not deterred by the huge risks or complete uncertainty about the Ukrainian football championship," said Yevhen Dykyi.
