Virgin Media has announced today that ESPN's grand re-launch will be made available via the cable service on August 3rd.
Disney-owned sports network ESPN, who snatched up the rights to 46 English Premier League games in the aftermath of Setanta's demise, will bring its new "ESPN" channel to UK viewers on August 3rd, and it'll be available in both standard definition and high definition.
For customers of Virgin Media's XL TV pack, both ESPN and ESPN HD will be available at no extra cost - and ESPN classic, showing sporting moments of the past, will be bundled in free of charge, too.
Viewers on the M or L TV packs will be able to subscribe to ESPN and ESPN HD at a cost of £10 per month, or £8 per month if they already subscribe to Sky Sports.
Hoping to perhaps highlight the quality of the ESPN coverage, Virgin Media has also announced that it will air ESPN and ESPN HD free of charge to all its digital TV customers throughout the month of August. Useful for anyone wanting to tune in to ESPN's first live Barclays Premier League game - Everton vs. Arsenal on Saturday August 15th.
For the coming season, ESPN holds the rights to 46 English Premier League games, 30 Scottish Premier League games, as well as live top-division football from German, Dutch, Portuguese and Russian leagues. As expected, the channel will also air coverage of popular US sports including Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer.
The ESPN channel will also be available on rival satellite service, Sky, with subscribers charged £12 per month, or £9 per month if they subscribe to Sky Sports. ESPN HD will only be available to subscribers of Sky's HD Pack.
