Setanta Sports Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Giorgi Pruidze gave his answers to questions about the termination of the company's cooperation with the UPL and the future of broadcasting Ukrainian championship matches.
- First of all, we want to clarify one important point. The UPL website reported, and we quote, "The international television company Setanta Sports has become the official broadcaster of the UPL. The contract is for 3 seasons". Could you please explain whether this was an early termination of the contract or was there an option under which you had to agree to continue or not to continue cooperation after the debut season?
- The tender took place against the backdrop of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the aggressor country. Back then, in the summer, there were talks about whether the UPL would be held at all. And we were impressed by the spirit of the Ukrainian people, as the decision to hold the tournament at such a time shows their resilience and willingness to live in spite of everything. We really wanted to help resume the tournament in Ukraine, to help the UPL and the clubs create a single pool, which would be a historic decision.
According to the agreement, the terms and conditions of termination were spelled out from the very beginning. Despite the problems from the very beginning, the failure to fulfil our obligations, we decided not to terminate the agreement at the beginning of the season. The project was not profitable, but we decided to withdraw from the agreement only at the end of the season, and we will fulfil our obligations until the end of the UPL draw. In this business, it is very important to keep your word, and we have proved it by example.
- The statement mentions dissatisfaction with the fact that a single pool has not been formed. If the clubs agree to work together in an emergency mode now, can Setanta Sports go back to fulfilling the previous agreements?
- The decision has already come into force, but if we see the desire and the appropriate attitude, we are ready to continue the dialogue on the UPL broadcasting rights.
- Has the failure of cooperation with the Ukrainian championship clubs diminished Setanta Sports' desire to be present on the Ukrainian market? Will the projects, including the online platform, be curtailed?
- Despite what happened, Ukraine is one of the priority markets for Setanta Sports. Our offer is unique because we are the only sports streaming service in Ukraine. Only with us you can watch absolutely all matches of the Premier League, Bundesliga, Formula 1 races, important NBA matches and much more. We believe in our product and will continue to develop it in all directions.
- Does Setanta Sports consider the possibility of contacting clubs separately, such as Shakhtar, Oleksandriya or Veres, and other consistent pool members?
- We don't talk to individual clubs, we talk to the UPL, because we follow the established rules and we want the processes to go according to the established rules. We may have had the opportunity to talk to the clubs individually, but the goal was to create a telepool and offer equal conditions for all stakeholders.
Talking to individual participants gives less trust from others. The product should not be created in cooperation with any particular club, unity and the creation of a telepool is the key goal.
- Who is to blame for the failure of the pool? With whom was it most difficult to find a common language? Given the changes in Ukrainian legislation that have expanded the rights of clubs rather than organisations that hold competitions, has Setanta Sports held any negotiations with clubs that were not part of the pool?
- Negotiations with clubs are the league's responsibility. We negotiated with the league and had no confrontation with the clubs. As a broadcaster, we are interested in acquiring the rights to show the tournament and showing it on our channels and platform, as we do with the Premier League, the Bundesliga and other tournaments.
Artur Valerko
