Media Notes

Setanta Sports said that "terrestrial broadcasters' bids for free-to-air highlights of [tomorrow's] World Cup qualifier between England and Croatia were 'not even close' to their valuation of [US$1.8M] -- or 20[%] of what they paid for one-off match coverage." In London, Oliver Brown reports the BBC remains the "likeliest to resolve the impasse" with Setanta, but it is "understood that even they bid a maximum of [US$352,561]" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 9/9).

MAKE ME A MATCH: In N.Y., Thamel & Evans noted ESPN VP/Programming & Acquisitions Dave Brown is a "college football matchmaker with an increasingly prudish clientele." Brown "helped create more than 10 attractive games this season," and he spends "about 100 days a year on the road to build relationships and make pitches." While the "current environment is working against Brown," he said that it is "no more difficult than creating games 12 or 15 years ago." Brown: "The [increasing] popularity of the sport really has helped us. Fans want to see games between big-time programs" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/6).

NOTES: Calgary-based Shaw Communications "has secured regulatory approval" to bring Big Ten Network (BTN) to Canada as a digital channel. The Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission "approved the bid from ... Shaw to add [BTN] to domestic cable and satellite TV schedules" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 9/9)....WWE will debut on MyNetworkTV with the "first ever broadcast presentation of WrestleMania" on October 2 at 8:00pm ET. The special presentation will feature the "best moments of WrestleMania XXIV in March," followed by the premiere of "WWE SmackDown!" on October 3 at 8:00pm ET (MIAMI HERALD, 9/9).