ESPN to Consider Standalone Sports Network for UK

Britons are about to experience a taste of ESPN, if the network has its way. According to Daily Variety, plans are in the works for the Disney-owned network to launch a standalone channel in the U.K.

The move comes a day after ESPN paid over $408 million to the English Premier League for the right to air 46 of the leagues 2009-10 season and 23 matches from the following season, outbidding Irish pay cable network Setanta, which failed to arrange a payment schedule.

If negotiations are successful, the new ESPN service will be available via Britain's BSkyB network. The service will also be available via Virgin Media and BT Television--just in time for late summer, when the soccer season gets underway.

ESPN already has two pay cable networks in Britain: ESPN Classic, which airs English sports events such as cricket and soccer, and ESPN America, which airs broadcasts of American football, ice hockey, baseball and basketball games.

But just in case the new network doesn't get off the ground, ESPN is mulling another option: re-branding EPSN America.

In any case, the service will not be available directly to consumers. Having learned from Setanta's decision to file the British equivalent of Chapter 11, the network will market the service using BSkyB and Virgin Media's own infrastructure.