Sky and BT sign deal to share each others channels

[davieG]

Sky and BT have have signed a deal to sell their channels on each other's platforms.

Under the deal, BT will now supply its sports channels - which show UEFA Champions League and Premier League football - to Sky.

In addition, BT will be able to sell Sky's Now TV service - which includes Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and the Sky Atlantic channel - to its customers.

The new services will be available to customers from early 2019.

BT has spent more than £3.5bn on Champions League and Premier League football rights since 2012 in an attempt to compete with Sky.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT, said: "This is an important day for BT and for our customers, who will be able to enjoy a whole range of Sky's sport and entertainment programming on their BT TV boxes.

"This is the next logical step for our TV and content strategy. We feel that now is the right time to broaden the ways in which we distribute BT Sport.

Sky boss Jeremy Darroch said: "This is great news for Sky customers who will be able to access all matches on Sky and BT channels from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Europa League directly with a single Sky TV subscription and with the great customer service that we provide."

Richard Broughton, research director at media analysts Ampere, said the deal was "certainly very unusual".

"It is a consequence of increasing sports rights," he said.

"The new rights are up for renewal very soon and this is a pre-emptive shot from both companies to limit their exposure to damage should they not get key rights and also allow them to be a little less aggressive in their bidding.

He added that online giants such as Facebook and Amazon were the "unknown factor" in what they might go for.

[Nick]

25 minutes ago, davieG said:

Sky and BT have have signed a deal to sell their channels on each other's platforms.

Under the deal, BT will now supply its sports channels - which show UEFA Champions League and Premier League football - to Sky.

In addition, BT will be able to sell Sky's Now TV service - which includes Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and the Sky Atlantic channel - to its customers.

The new services will be available to customers from early 2019.

BT has spent more than £3.5bn on Champions League and Premier League football rights since 2012 in an attempt to compete with Sky.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT, said: "This is an important day for BT and for our customers, who will be able to enjoy a whole range of Sky's sport and entertainment programming on their BT TV boxes.

"This is the next logical step for our TV and content strategy. We feel that now is the right time to broaden the ways in which we distribute BT Sport.

Sky boss Jeremy Darroch said: "This is great news for Sky customers who will be able to access all matches on Sky and BT channels from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Europa League directly with a single Sky TV subscription and with the great customer service that we provide."

Richard Broughton, research director at media analysts Ampere, said the deal was "certainly very unusual".

"It is a consequence of increasing sports rights," he said.

"The new rights are up for renewal very soon and this is a pre-emptive shot from both companies to limit their exposure to damage should they not get key rights and also allow them to be a little less aggressive in their bidding.

He added that online giants such as Facebook and Amazon were the "unknown factor" in what they might go for.

About time.

 

2019 though? For crying out loud.

 

BT sport have Prem Rugby, Moto GP and the Ashes... Sky have all the best content but Sport wise is going downhill quickly as even their F1 coverage is now surpassed by what Channel 4 are producing... This can't come soon enough as I'm not paying Sky an extra 25 notes a month for BT Sport HD.

[davieG]

22 minutes ago, Swan Lesta said:

About time.

 

2019 though? For crying out loud.

 

BT sport have Prem Rugby, Moto GP and the Ashes... Sky have all the best content but Sport wise is going downhill quickly as even their F1 coverage is now surpassed by what Channel 4 are producing... This can't come soon enough as I'm not paying Sky an extra 25 notes a month for BT Sport HD.

No you'll probably need to pay Amazon or Facebook as well to get the coverage you want.

[Nick]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

No you'll probably need to pay Amazon or Facebook as well to get the coverage you want.

 

Yeah gonna depend on the next round of TV rights bids...

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Swan Lesta said:

 

Yeah gonna depend on the next round of TV rights bids...

Nightmare scenario - PL split between Sky, BT, Amazon and Facebook.

[ealingfox]

Surely Sky have had BTs pants down there? The proper BT TV channels go on Sky but BT only get Now TV? I've only tried Now TV twice and admittedly it was a couple of years back now but it was absolute garbage.

Edited 15 December 2017 by ealingfox

[goose2010]

I know for fact that Amazon are going to tender for the lot.  This to me shows that BT and Sky are running a little scared.

[Nick]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

Nightmare scenario - PL split between Sky, BT, Amazon and Facebook.

Give it another season and they'll be bidding for rights to games for individual clubs and season passes as I'm not sure it sustainable... pubs will do well out of it though in the short term as most can't legally afford four separate subscriptions.

[Simi]

So what's the difference here? Will BT Sport channels justt be included as part of Sky Sports package? Or will we still need to pay an extra subscription for BT Sport channels on Sky?

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Simi said:

So what's the difference here? Will BT Sport channels justt be included as part of Sky Sports package? Or will we still need to pay an extra subscription for BT Sport channels on Sky?

I doubt you'll get anything extra for free.

[Nick]

Just now, davieG said:

I doubt you'll get anything extra for free.

They seemed to stress it'll be a single subscription... 

 

Whilst the subscription may rise - one can always haggle... I pay 70 quid a month for all SKY HD Channels, landline and broadband all in which isn't too bad...

[Simi]

10 minutes ago, davieG said:

I doubt you'll get anything extra for free.

That's what I assumed, so I can't really see the benefit for any existing Sky customers as you can have BT Sport anyway. Might be a little cheaper, but by 2019 they'll have lost most of the decent stuff anyway.

[yorkie1999]

So the reality is, before bt sport came along, prem games were only on sky and you paid your sky subscription to watch them, now they're on both, for which the customer has to pay 2 subscriptions to watch games. In the future you'll only pay sky to watch prem games, because they've done a deal to show bt sport matches, and i'm guessing you'll have pay 25 quid more. Seems to me we'll be paying more for something we already had in the first place.

[urban.spaceman]

I'd prefer to stream.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

Yeah this has everything to do with the new rights package coming up - as someone mentioned, they fear Amazon and Facebook, so it makes sense to team up and protect their model given the money they have invested so far. 

[Strokes]

On 15/12/2017 at 10:04, Swan Lesta said:

They seemed to stress it'll be a single subscription... 

 

Whilst the subscription may rise - one can always haggle... I pay 70 quid a month for all SKY HD Channels, landline and broadband all in which isn't too bad...

Mate, I’m not lying to you, I had them on the phone offering me the full package for £35 on Thursday. I’ve knocked the lady back and told her to come up with a better offer, she hasn’t called back yet.

 

[GaelicFox]

One massive loser in this and it isn’t football related 

 

Eddie Hearn has lost control of the exclusive  Sky PPV , box office platform for boxing 

 

BT sports and frank warren are now allowed to have a PPV box office platform on Sky now with direct adverts and access from the sky box office hub on the Sky box system !!!

 

game changer 

 

I believe Frank Warren BT and HBO are looking to jump in and grab Anthony Joshua when his contract expires , Frank has already been hinting this