As expected, BTSport’s Pay TV service has today officially been rebranded to TNT Sports throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. The move follows last year’s deal between broadband giant BT and Warner Bros. Discovery, which resulted in a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) company between BT Sport and Eurosport UK.
In addition to the launch of a new brand, starting today discovery+ will also become the new streaming destination for TNT Sports in the UK. As part of that, the discovery+ platform will offer a new Premium plan that combines their TV sport and wider entertainment content for £29.99 per month (i.e. roughly the same price as was previously charged for a BT Sport Monthly Pass).
Existing BT Sport customers can continue to watch TNT Sports without needing to take any further action. The channels will present the same premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE.
But when taken together with Eurosport on discovery+, subscribers will also get a “front row seat to an unrivalled offer of premium rights including all this live sport plus Olympic Games Paris 2024, Grand Slam tennis tournaments (featuring the Australian Open and Roland-Garros) and cycling Grand Tours, including the Tour de France.”
Today also sees the launch of the TNTSports.co.uk website, offering fans the latest news, views, live updates and expert analysis as well as free-to-view video clips from the sports that TNT Sports presents live.
Andrew Georgiou, Board Member of the Joint Venture, said:
“We are hugely excited to launch TNT Sports across the UK and Republic of Ireland. TNT Sports goes live with a new and contemporary brand, a fabulous new and exciting line-up of talent, great value for viewers as well as flexible ways to buy and watch.
From today, fans can watch TNT Sports in the same places they enjoyed BT Sport and without any interruption to their access. In addition, with TNT Sports now on discovery+ in the UK we can begin to deliver a simple and even more compelling offer that appeals to the whole household, combining more live sport together with entertainment. We believe this is an exceptional value proposition for fans offering a compelling combination of sport and entertainment that is unique to discovery+.”
Access to TNT Sports for existing BT Sport customers via BT TV, Sky, and Virgin Media will automatically commence from today. Customers who have access to the BT Sport App can continue enjoying TNT Sports via that app “until it shuts down later this year“. Eligible customers will also be directed to a simple discovery+ authentication process and can then download the discovery+ app which will give them access to TNT Sports, Eurosport and original entertainment.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), TNT Sports Ultimate and TNT Sports Box Office HD.
From today, BT and EE customers who subscribe to TNT Sports are able to access the Premium plan on discovery+ via mobiles, tablets and connected devices including smart TVs and games consoles. Additionally, access to the Premium plan will be available soon for BT TV customers via selected BT TV set-top boxes.
Coming soon, Sky TV customers who subscribe to TNT Sports will also be able to access the Premium plan on discovery+, which will enable them to enjoy TNT Sports via the discovery+ app on Sky Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q.
Don’t like the new name, but I hardly ever used it, so meh, whatever.
So what do you use, Colin, Trevor?
@Random Precision – watching sports is not compulsory.
Makes you wonder what the BT strategy is here. Presumably finds a home for all the expensively acquired sporting rights, and partners with a big content company, but what of the long term? Will BT sell out in a year or two, and this a graceful exit strategy from the UK content market, since it’s not added much value for BT shareholders?
I would expect this to be a 2 step exit strategy. With streaming now a reality it brings into question the whole sports broadcasting model. Why would you sell the rights to a broadcaster when you could stream direct to the public and cop 100% of the revenue? I suspect when Murdoch sold Sky to Comcast he could see the way the wind was blowing and got out while he could still maximise the value in the company.
Depends how well it does. If it’s profitable for them to stay in the JV then they will do.
For those that watch wrestling, I’m sure you guys find it equally bizarre that TNT Sports has WWE but not AEW
I think 99% of people couldn’t care less about Grand Slam Tennis or Tour De France. They want the Football and American Football.
With these sports channels you are forced to pay for sports you never watch just to get the sports you do watch. Sky does it too.
I would have subscribed if I could have got just the American Football for £10-£15 per month in 4K.
Hmmm. Annual Eurosport subscription, £40. Annual TNT Sport + Eurosport subscription £360. So that’s a £320 premium or £26.66 per month just for your football and wrestling…
OK I’ve ignored the fact you get Discovery’s entertainment channels too.
As a Eurosport subscriber I’m more concerned that they might merge the 2 and force us to pay for football in order to keep the the current content…
You might be surprised to learn that actually, a lot of people couldn’t care less about football…certainly not “professional” football…and of those who do care, a good proportion don’t see the need to pay to watch it on television!
Having said that, if I could pay for the sports I was interested in knowing that I wasn’t funding the absurd money printing, controversy generating, ostentatious lifestyle machine where occasionally some football gets played badly, I probably would. As it is, I’ll keep my money!
BT hub went off last night that was down to the name change
No, it wasn’t.