Setanta Sports has hired its first UK marketing director as the premium channel prepares to launch a £15 million marketing drive. AOL UK’s former director of brand marketing Timothy Ryan has been charged with taking Setanta’s subscriber levels from the present 250,000 to breakeven at one million.
Setanta this week added coverage of the FA Cup to its football portfolio, which already includes the Scottish Premier League, and from next season two out of the six live packages from the English Premiership. It is also appealing to golf fans through the US PGA tour.
Ryan’s challenge will be to persuade subscribers that previously took the Prem Plus pay-per-view option, which will cease at the end of the season, to take out a Setanta subscription instead.