Setanta Sports air U2 set at Glastonbury

After disappointing Glastonbury fans last year with a no show, U2 are now to have their headline set aired on Setanta Sports this Friday.

The move comes as a bit of a shock to most as airing a music festival is not generally something a sports channel would be into. But Setanta marketing director Brian Quinn said the event has enough cultural significance to merit broadcasting it live.

The set will broadcast live from 10pm to midnight this Friday. Quinn has also said how the move is a unique departure for a sports channel.

A spokesperson for Setanta said that the band was keen to get an Irish broadcaster to show the set live and uninterrupted for its Irish fans. The BBC will show the set live on BBC2 until 10.30 when it will then switch to BBC4.

“We are delighted that U2 have allowed us to bring this live event to an Irish audience, with these channels involved over 1.3 million Irish homes will have access to U2 at Glastonbury,” said a Setanta spokesperson.

The band’s manager, Paul McGuinness, told the Irish Times, “U2 fans across Ireland wanted to watch the Glastonbury show. We're fortunate that Setanta and the BBC have agreed to deliver uninterrupted coverage across the country.”

- Oisin Collins