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BT Sport channels to be free to BT broadband customers, £15 for Sky

BT Sport channels to be free to BT broadband customers, £15 for Sky

When BT first announced it was bidding for some of the Premier League live football rights, many were unsure how they would be used. Now we know.

BT Sport will be comprised of a suite of channels, with BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 2 joined by the newly acquired ESPN. And, most importantly, all output will be free to BT broadband customers. It will cost £3 a month for the HD services, but that fee will be waived for a year if customers sign up before 1 August.

High-definition versions of the channels will also be available to non-BT broadband customers on Sky for £15 a month or £12 a month for just the standard definition broadcasts. There's no word yet on whether Virgin Media will be taking the BT Sport output.

A new app will be launched to bring BT Sport channels to PCs, smartphones and tablet devices, while customers wanting to watch them on a television will require a YouView and BT Vision+ set-top-box. Paid subscribers and Sky subscribers with BT broadband can also use a Sky+ or Sky+HD box.

The TV service will be delivered over broadband and BT will handle all subscriptions for its sports services, even from Sky customers.

"UK Sports fans have had a rough deal for too long. Many have been priced out of the market but we will change this by giving away BT Sport for free with our broadband. Sports fans are the winners today," said Ian Livingston, BT chief executive.

"BT Sport will complement our world class fibre network. Customers don’t have to take BT Infinity to get BT Sport but we are encouraging them to move on to fibre broadband so they can enjoy the best of both worlds."

Interested customers can pre-register their interest at btsport.com.




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