BT Sport
| BT Sport | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | 1 August 2013 |
| Owned by | BT Group |
| Picture format |
576i (16:9 SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) 2160p (UHDTV) |
| Audience share |
0.18% (1) 0.12% (2) 0.11% (Europe) 0.01% (Showcase) (September 2015, BARB) |
| Slogan | You have to see it to believe it |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Broadcast area |
United Kingdom Ireland |
| Headquarters | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London |
| Replaced |
Sailing 1 Sailing 2 |
| Sister channel(s) |
BT Sport ESPN AMC from BT (UK only) |
| Website |
sport |
Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Freeview | Channel 59 (Showcase) |
| Satellite | |
| Sky |
Channel 413 (1) Channel 414 (Europe) Channel 417 (2) Channel 427 (1 HD) Channel 433 (Europe HD) Channel 457 (2 HD) |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media |
Channel 527 (1 HD) Channel 528 (2 HD) Channel 529 (Europe HD) Channel 531 (1) Channel 532 (2) Channel 533 (Europe) Channel 548 (BT Sport Freeview) |
| Virgin Media Ireland |
Channel 409 (1) Channel 410 (2) Channel 413 (Europe) Channel 439 (1 HD) Channel 440 (2 HD) Channel 443 (Europe HD) |
| IPTV | |
| BT |
Channel 408 (1) Channel 409 (Europe) Channel 410 (2) Channel 430 (1 HD) Channel 431 (Europe HD) Channel 432 (2 HD) Channel 434 (Ultra HD) Channel 450–456 (Extra 1–7) Channel 465–471 (Extra 1–7 HD) |
| Plusnet |
Channel 408 (1) Channel 409 (Europe) Channel 410 (2) Channel 430 (1 HD) Channel 431 (Europe HD) Channel 432 (2 HD) Channel 450–456 (Extra 1–7) |
| Streaming media | |
| BT Sport Player |
Watch live (1, UK only) Watch live (2, UK only) |
| Virgin TV Anywhere |
Watch live (1, UK only) Watch live (2, UK only) |
BT Sport is a group of sports television channels provided by BT Consumer; a division of BT Group in the United Kingdom and Ireland that was launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at the former International Broadcast Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.[1][2] BT Sport is available on the BT TV, Sky and Virgin Media television platforms in the UK, and also for Virgin Media Ireland in the Republic of Ireland.
BT Sport holds exclusive live UK TV rights to 38 Barclays Premier League matches per season as well as exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, National League, Serie A, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, the Primeira Liga, the FA Community Shield, the FA Trophy, MotoGP and the Aviva Premiership. BT Sport also holds shared rights to the FA Cup with the BBC, the Scottish Professional Football League with Sky Sports and BBC Alba, and the Rugby Champions and Challenge Cups with Sky Sports.
Availability
On 2 May 2013, BT Sport 1 and 2 were added to the BT TV EPG, followed by Sky the next day along with an on-screen message that the channel was coming soon. On Sky, the channels replaced BT's placeholders, Sailing 1 and 2.[3] The BT-owned terrestrial feeds of Sky Sports 1 and 2, which were also used for Top Up TV, were dropped on 1 July in favour of BT Sport 1 and 2.[4] The terrestrial feeds were only available to BT TV subscribers in non-BT Infinity enabled areas. These were removed from the platform in 2015. BT signed a wholesale deal with Virgin Media on 15 August 2013 bringing the channels free of charge to customers in the TV XL package.[5] In Ireland BT Sport is bundled with Setanta Sports subscriptions.[6][7]
An interactive service, BT Sport Extra, launched in September 2014, broadcasting additional content at selected times.[8] One video stream was available at launch which expanded to seven in August 2015. BT Sport Extra can be accessed directly from the EPG on BT TV and from the red button on Sky and Virgin Media.
On 1 August 2015, BT launched three new channels - BT Sport Europe, a dedicated channel for its coverage of European football including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, BT Sport Showcase, a free-to-air channel which will show a number of sporting events unencrypted via Freeview, and BT Sport Ultra HD, the UK's first 4K television channel which will broadcast a number of events in ultra-high-definition exclusively on BT TV.[9]
BT Sport 1 is currently offered for free for BT's broadband subscribers as 'BT Sport Lite', who may elect to view the channels via Sky, whether or not they have a Sky subscription, by having their viewing card activated. Customers who wish to view the remaining channels can subscribe to the 'BT Sport Pack' for £5 per month.[10] BT also provide broadband subscribers access to the channels via the BT Sport online player and mobile app.[11]
Sky customers in the UK who subscribe to the 'BT Sport Pack' also have exclusive access to the AMC from BT channel.
Programming
Plans for the channels launch came about when it was announced in June 2012 that the broadcast rights to the Premier League from the 2013–14 to 2015–16 season were awarded to BT and BSkyB, outbidding current broadcaster ESPN for the rights.[12] BT will show 38 live matches from the Premier League each season, including 18 first pick matches.
In October 2012 BT announced it had also agreed deals to air Serie A, Ligue 1, Brasileirão and Major League Soccer, all of which were previously broadcast on ESPN,[13] as well as Premiership Rugby.[14] In January 2013 BT announced they will also broadcast Women's Tennis Association matches from 21 tournaments.[15]
On 25 February 2013, BT announced that it had acquired ESPN's UK channels and their sports broadcasting rights, including rights to the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League, Scottish Premier League, Bundesliga and NASCAR.[16] This led to the shutting down of ESPN Classic and ESPN America in favour of the BT Sport channels.
Clare Balding hosts a weekly sports talk show The Clare Balding Show assisted by Christian Howes which from 2015 will also be broadcast on BBC Two.[17] Des Kelly presents the magazine programme Life’s a Pitch and SportsHUB on weekday evenings. SportsHUB brings viewers up to date with the latest news, debate and information from the world of sport.
On 7 May 2013, BT Sport acquired the rights to air Ultimate Fighting Championship events and taped programming in the UK and Ireland for three years, from 1 August.[18] Two days later it was announced that BT Sport had acquired an exclusive five-year deal to broadcast MotoGP races from the 2014 season, including free practices and qualifying as well as full coverage of Moto2 and Moto3.[19] BT Sport also broadcasts the FA WSL, A-League and programming from Red Bull Media House.[4][20]
On 9 May 2013, BT announced that they had acquired the exclusive UK TV rights to MotoGP along with the Moto2 and Moto3 championships.
Later in May BT Sport acquired rights to the Football Conference for two years with 25-30 live games a season, including the end-of-season play offs.
On 9 November 2013, BT announced a £897 million deal with UEFA to broadcast the Champions League and Europa League exclusively on BT Sport from the 2015–16 season for three years. The deal will end two decades of the competition being broadcast free-to-air on ITV, although BT stated that the finals of both competitions and at least one match per season involving each participating British team would still be broadcast free-to-air.[21][22]
In January 2014, it was reported that BT Sport had acquired the rights to broadcast the World Rally Championship for the 2014 season.[23][24]
On 10 February 2015, BT Sport announced they had won the rights for 42 live Premier League games for 2016-2019 (packages B and F)[25][26][27]
Football coverage
BT Sport currently has the rights to show 38 Premier League matches live a season with their packages include Saturday Lunchtime kick-offs and Mid-week fixtures. On Saturdays, Darren Fletcher and Robbie Savage start the build up to the matches from 10:00am with Fletch and Sav before handing over to Jake Humphrey with the main build-up to the fixture. Owen Hargreaves, Steve McManaman, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Robbie Savage and Ian Wright serve as pundits with commentary from Ian Darke, Darren Fletcher, Michael Owen and Glenn Hoddle. Des Kelly and Ray Stubbs act as the main touchline reporters. The rights to the Premier League is shared with Sky Sports that have 116 live games and BBC who have highlights on Match of the Day.
BT Sport have exclusive live coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League with a launch of a new channel called BT Sport Europe becoming the new home to both competitions. New presenters and pundits were signed in order to bring better coverage with Gary Lineker becoming the face of BT Sport Europe. Jake Humphrey, Lynsey Hipgrave and Matt Smith also present coverage while Steven Gerrard, Harry Redknapp, Glen Hoddle, Howard Webb, Paul Scholes, Michael Owen, Steve Mcmanaman and Owen Hargreaves also join the BT Sport Europe team as pundits.[28]
BT have rights to the Scottish Premiership with 30 live games per season. Darrell Currie presents coverage of Scottish football with Derek Rae and Chris Sutton as commentators. Stephen Craigan and Mark Guidi complete the Scottish football coverage line-up. The rights is shared with Sky Sports and BBC Alba, who also have 30 and 3 live games per season respectively with highlights of the SPFL on BBC Scotland.
FA Cup matches are also shown on BT Sport with 25 live games including one semi-final. The F.A. Cup BT Sport team of presenters and pundits is similar to the Premier League. The rights are shared with BBC, who show 16 live matches with the F.A. Cup Final shown live on both channels. BT Sport also have exclusive rights to show the National League with 30 live games per season with the Play-Offs also shown on BT Sport.
BT Sport also show live matches from Italy's Serie A, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue One and Australia's A-League. Paul Dempsey and James Richardson are hosts of foreign football coverage on BT Sport. Pundits have included Julien Laurens, Raphael Honigstein, James Horncastle and Andy Brassell.
Rugby union coverage
BT Sport has exclusive live rights to the Aviva Premiership, and shares live coverage of the Rugby Champions Cup with Sky Sports. The original Aviva Premiership coverage was until the 2016/17 season which seen BT Sport broadcast up to 69 games per season. The Aviva Premiership's viewing figures rose by 40% in TV audiences in its first season with BT Sport.[29] A new deal was signed in March 2015 to cover the Aviva Premiership until 2021 covering 80 matches a season.[30] The coverage is presented by Craig Doyle, Sarra Elgan and Martin Bayfield. Lawrence Dallaglio, Austin Healey, Matt Dawson, Brian O'Driscoll and Ben Kay act as pundits and co-commentators alongside Nick Mullins and Alastair Eykyn.
Cricket Coverage
In August 2015, it was announced that BT Sport had claimed the rights for Australia's home matches for five years starting in the Australian 2016-17 season. This means that BT will show the Ashes Clash between England and Australia in 2017-18 with the deal also including Big Bash League fixtures as well as the Women's Ashes and Women's T20 Big Bash League.[31]
Tennis coverage
In January 2013, BT Sport signed a deal with the WTA to show 21 live tournaments from the women's tennis tour. The coverage can consist of up to 800 live hours of coverage every year until 2016, each season ending with the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships. Coverage is presented by Lynsey Hipgrave with Martina Navratilova. Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, Anne Keothavong, David Mercer, Nick Mullins, Sam Smith and Alastair Eykyn are the commentators.
Motorsport coverage
BT Sport has rights to numerous British, European, American and global motorsport series both in live and highlights form.
MotoGP is BT Sport's flagship motorsports event and in addition to the main MotoGP event, BT shows the Moto2, Moto3, Red Bull Rookies and CEV Repsol championships. Craig Doyle and Abi Griffiths hosts alongside pundits Colin Edwards, James Toseland and Neil Hodgson. Commentary is provided by Keith Huewen and Julian Ryder with additional commentary from Neil Hodgson. BT also produces a highlights programme which is broadcast on ITV4 on the Monday evening following the race. Gavin Emmett, former World Feed commentator, would take up the role of BT Sport's MotoGP reporter. Iwan Thomas hosted a analysis show called Chequered Flag aired after the MotoGP race has finished.
IndyCar Series coverage on BT Sport is just world feed pictures and commentary usually from either ABC or NBC Sports. For ABC as of 2014, Allen Bestwick is the lap-by-lap commentator while former IndyCar drivers Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever serve as colour commentators. Then for NBC Sports Leigh Diffey is the lap-by-lap commentator with the other commentators being Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy
Other live series include the World Rally Championship, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and V8 Supercars where the world feed is taken directly from the host broadcaster. For World Series by Renault, BT Sport take world feed images but produce their own commentary, usually from Ben Evans and a journalist or racing driver. Highlights packages are also shown on BT Sport for series such as BRDC Formula 4 Championship, FIA European Formula Three Championship and the British Formula Three Championship.
American sports
BT Sport shows extensive coverage of American sports, including Major League Baseball, NBA, American College Sports, Major League Lacrosse, and X Games. Also ESPN-produced American sports magazines, such as College Gameday and Baseball Tonight, are shown, often live. The majority of American sports coverage is broadcast on BT Sport ESPN apart from the NBA which is usually shown on one of the main channels.
Magazine shows
- European Football Show - Reviewing all the action from club football on the continent, James Richardson is joined by a lively panel of football journalists and players to dissect the game. The panel will take on France's Ligue 1, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A every Sunday evening.
- Rugby Tonight - Wednesdays at 8pm sees Craig Doyle, Martin Bayfield and Sarra Elgan present a lively debate about rugby union. Their guests include a vast array of former players who feature right across the broadcasters rugby coverage and they all review and preview the Aviva Premiership and Frances Top 14. The show also includes a lot of high octane fun challenges.
- The Clare Balding Show - Originally airing on mid-week evenings, Clare Balding's sporting chat show now airs regularly on Thursday nights and features a sofa full of sporting athletes. In the broadcaster's bid to focus on female sport, Balding aims to feature a female guest on every show. She is joined by Christian Howes who provides a statistical look at sport and a packed in house live audience who provide questions for the guests. As of 2015 the show also airs in an edited version on BBC Two.
- MotoGP Tonight - Presented by Craig Doyle and Iwan Thomas every Tuesday night following a race weekend, all angles of MotoGP and motorbike racing is covered, along with lively chat and discussion in front of a live studio audience.
- Motorsport Tonight - Aired every Tuesday night whenever MotoGP isn't shown, Abi Griffiths is joined by guests from the world of motorsport to discuss all the big stories. Highlights are also shown of motorsport events broadcast on BT Sport.
- UFC: Beyond The Octagon - Presented by Caroline Pearce alongside Gareth A Davies
- Boxing Tonight - Presented by Paul Dempsey
- Fletch & Sav airing on Saturday Mornings between 10am-12pm with BT Sport Football Commentator Darren Fletcher & former footballer Robbie Savage hosted live from a Premier League ground.
- Football Tonight - Fridays at 10pm sees George Lamb present the definitive mix of football, music and entertainment.
Sports rights
Here is a list of the major sports rights BT Sport has announced to date.[32]
- Football
| League Name | Nationality | Broadcast Details |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League |   | 38 live games per season until 2016, Other matches Live on Sky Sports & Highlights on BBC Sport, ***2016-2019: 42 live matches per season (Packages B and F), 126 matches on Sky Sports and Highlights on BBC Sport[25][26][27] |
| FA Cup | | 25 live games per season until 2018, Share with BBC Sport who also have Live Matches & Highlights |
| National League | | 30 live games per season until 2018 |
| FA Trophy | | from 2014–15 season |
| FA Youth Cup | | (Semi Final & Final both legs) until 2017-18, Shared with ITV4 |
| FA Community Shield | | Live until 2018, Highlights on BBC Sport |
| U21 Premier League | | |
| England national under-21 football team | | All home matches in UEFA U21 Championships 2015 qualifiers |
| Scottish Professional Football League |  | 30 live games until 2017, Shared with Sky Sports & Highlights on BBC Sport |
| Scottish League Cup | | Exclusive live rights from 2016–17 season |
| Serie A |  | Up to 380 live games per season until 2017/18 |
| Bundesliga |  | 115 live games per season until 2017, Highlights on ITV4 |
| 2. Bundesliga | | |
| German Cup | | |
| German Super Cup | | |
| Ligue 1 |  | Up to 380 live games per season |
| Coupe de la Ligue | | |
| Primeira Liga |  | |
| Brasileirão |  | Up to 100 live games per season |
| Paulistão | | Up to 100 live games per season |
| Swiss Super League |   | |
| UEFA Champions League |  | Exclusive live rights until 2018, Highlights on ITV[24] |
| UEFA Europa League | | Exclusive live rights until 2018, Highlights on ITV & ITV4[24] |
| UEFA Youth League | | |
| UEFA Super Cup | | Exclusive live rights from 2015–16 season, Highlights on ITV |
| A-League |   | |
| FFA Cup | | |
| FA WSL | | 12 live games per season, Highlights on BBC Sport |
- Rugby union
| League Name | Nationality | Broadcast Details |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva Premiership | | Up to 80 live games per season until 2021 Highlights on ITV4 |
| Premiership Rugby Sevens Series | | Highlights on ITV4 |
| European Rugby Champions Cup | | Joint deal with Sky Sports starting 2014–15 |
| European Rugby Challenge Cup | | Joint deal with Sky Sports starting 2014–15 |
- Motorsport
| Series Name | Nationality | Broadcast Details |
|---|---|---|
| MotoGP |  | Live until 2018, Highlights on ITV4 |
| World Rally Championship | | Live in 2015, Shared Live Coverage on Motors TV, Highlights on ITV4 |
| IndyCar Series |  | Live in 2015 |
| V8 Supercars | | Live in 2015 |
| World Series by Renault | | Live in 2015 |
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | | Live in 2015 |
| Blancpain Endurance Series | | Live in 2014 |
| Blancpain Sprint Series | | Live in 2015 |
| International GT Open | | Live in 2015 |
| British Formula Three Championship |  | Highlights in 2014 |
| BRDC Formula 4 Championship | | Highlights in 2014 |
| European Le Mans Series | | Highlights in 2014 |
| NASCAR | | Highlights in 2014 |
| FIA European Formula Three Championship | | Highlights in 2014 |
| EuroV8 Series | | Highlights in 2014 |
| United SportsCar Championship | | |
| NHRA | |
- Other sports
| League Name | Sport | Nationality | Broadcast Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDO World Darts Championship | Darts | | Shared with BBC (exclusive evening sessions, joint final coverage.) |
| Major League Baseball | Baseball |  | |
| National Basketball Association | Basketball | | |
| Major League Lacrosse | Lacrosse | | |
| American College Sports | various sports | | |
| X Games | Multi-sport event | | |
| WTA | Tennis | | Live until 2016 |
| UFC | Mixed martial arts | | |
| Glory | Kickboxing |  | |
| Friday Night Fights | Boxing | | |
| World Series Boxing | Boxing | | |
| Caribbean Premier League | Cricket |  | |
| Revolution | Cycling | | Highlights on ITV4 |
| Australian Football League | Australian rules football | | |
| Canadian Football League | Canadian football | | |
| Euroleague Basketball | Basketball | | |
| PSA World Tour | Squash | | World Series Events, World Championship |
| European Games | Multi-sport event | | Live in 2015 |
| America's Cup World Series | Sailing | | Live in 2015–16 |
| Hockey World League | Field Hockey | | Finals Event Round Live in 2015 |
References
- ↑ "BT Sport to make iCity and the Olympic Broadcast Centre its production home" (Press release). BT Group. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "Inside BT Sport's 'inner sanctum'... the multi-million pound TV studio (with its own football pitch) that will look to give Sky a run for its money". Daily Mail. DMG Media. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ↑ "BT bags two Sky EPG slots for sports channels". Cable.co.uk. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- 1 2 "BT Sport goes free". Broadband TV News. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "BT and Virgin Media sign wholesale BT Sport deal". BT Group. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ↑ Hancock, Ciaran (22 June 2013). "Setanta to net deal with BT to offer more live Premier League games in Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ↑ "Setanta Sports adds BT Sport to its line-up". BT. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ↑ "BT Sport gives viewers more content with new ‘red button’ service". BT Group. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ↑ "UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League to be free with BT TV". BT Group. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "BT Sport FAQ". Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ↑ "BT Sport free for millions of homes" (Press release). BT Group. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "Premier League rights sold to BT and BSkyB for £3bn". BBC News. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "BT signs four more live match deals with top football leagues" (Press release). BT Group. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "BT poaches Premiership Rugby rights from ESPN, Sky". Digital Spy. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "BT Sport broadens appeal as it signs live women’s tennis with WTA agreement" (Press release). BT Group. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "BT Group acquires ESPN’s UK and Ireland television channels business" (Press release). BT Group. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ "Clare Balding Show to air on BT and BBC". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- ↑ "Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) confirms BT Sport deal". Seen It. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- ↑ "BT Sport to bring MotoGP™ to British audiences from 2014". MotoGP. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "BT Sport unveils line-up of sporting talent" (Press release). BT Group. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "Champions League: BT Sport win £897m football rights deal". BBC Sport. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ↑ "New era for the Champions League as BT Sport unveil Gerrard and Lineker as part of coverage after £900m deal to blow Sky away". Daily Mail. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ Evans, David (10 January 2014). "World Rally Championship seals BT Sport TV deal with live coverage". Autosport.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 "BT Sport wins all live UK TV rights to Champions League and Europa League". BT Sport. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- 1 2 "Sky Sports wins live Premier League rights". Sky. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- 1 2 Rumsby, Ben (10 February 2015). "Premier League TV deal: Sky Sports break bank to dominate £5.136bn contract". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- 1 2 "Sky Sports wins live Premier League rights to end of 2018-19 season". Sky Sports. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ↑ "BT Sport Europe: All you need to know as Gary Lineker joins Champions League team". BT.com.
- ↑ "Record viewing figures for Premiership Rugby".
- ↑ "BT Sport extend Aviva Premiership Deal". recombu.com. Recombu. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3208147/BT-Sport-grab-2017-18-Ashes-TV-rights-rivals-Sky-Sports-80m-coup.html
- ↑ "What American sports will BT Sport show?". BT. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
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