IPTV
service provider ITVN, a subsidiary of Interactive Television Networks, is going through a challenging period.
CrunchGear reported that, starting in April, Setanta Sports will no longer be broadcasting on ITVN. E-mails stating that ITVN and Setanta Sports will soon be ceasing their business interactions are now circulating among subscribers.
Setanta Sports broadcasts from Ireland, and is known in the U.S. for airing events like soccer and rugby matches. Although the pull-out from ITVN may affect some viewers, die-hard fans of the stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney do have other options for watching these sport matches, CrunchGear noted in its report.
For example, viewers can access Setanta Sports programming via the company’s broadband service, Setanta Broadband, for $15 per month. Another option is to access Setanta Sports using DirecTV (
News -
Alert), Globecast WorldTV or Dish Network.
Technology difficulties are part of the problem for ITVN, and a reason why Setanta Sports is not longer considering the service provider as an outlet for its programming, CrunchGear reported. Last fall, during a soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United, server problems caused service quality reductions and cut-outs.
The fury of subscribers regarding missing this important sports match flooded into ITVN’s message boards afterward, CrunchGear said. More such dissatisfaction could ensue at the end of March when subscribers begin receiving monthly bills from ITVN and see that the Setanta Sports programming is no longer available.
ITVN is a California-based company and has generally been considered a strong player among IPTV (
News -
Alert) service providers. Industry experts Michael Martinez and Charles Prast serve as its president and CEO, respectively.
ITVN was one of the first IPTV service providers to offer a channel dedicated completely to independent and student films that fall outside the studio system, CrunchGear noted. This service, known as Indie Film Theater, was initiated by ITVN in collaboration with World Cinema Online.
Arvind Arora is a contributing editor for TMCnet.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) | X |
| IPTV delivers a digital television service to subscribers
via the Internet Protocol over a broadband connection....more |
Internet Protocol (IP) | X |
| IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
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