BT and Sky ink deal to make watching sport easier and more affordable – but there’s a catch
BT and Sky have signed a signed deal that will make it easier for both sets of customers to access premium channels, including Sky Sports, BT Sport, Sky Atlantic and more.
Previously, BT subscribers were only able to access Sky Sports Main Event – and it cost £27.50 extra a month as a bolt-on, which isn’t exactly great value.
Now, though, BT users will be to access all 11 Sky Sports channels, as well as getting access to Sky Atlantic, which is best known as the home of Game of Throne, and additional Now TV content including box-sets.
BT CEO Gavin Patterson said in a statement: “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.”
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In return, Sky customers will now be able to subscribe to BT Sport channels, which show the Champions League and select Premier League games, direct through Sky. Before, Sky users had to take out an auxiliary contract through with BT to get BT Sport – hardly ideal.
“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,” added Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the deal doesn’t come into force until early-2019, so there’s still another year of limited sport access or unnecessary payment faffing to go, depending on which service you subscribe to.
However, it’s certainly a step in the right direction and could help the two TV giants claw back viewers from upstart streaming platforms like Kodi.
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