A new sports company arrived on UK shores yesterday. TNT Sports, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, replaced the unlamented BT Sport.
For the time being, viewers won’t see much change, as they will still have broadcast rights to The Premier League (part), Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues, Premiership, European Champions and Challenge cup rugby, Moto GP, cricket (part), boxing (part) WWE and UFC.
Thank goodness TNT have taken over. Many viewers complained that much of BT’s sports output was so p*** poor when they were on air. For example, their coverage of Champions’ League final between Man City and Inter Milan last month was in their opinion so amateurish and unenjoyable. Like those before them (Virgin, Setanta, ESPN), they tried to compete toe-to-toe with larger rival Sky Sports, and failed miserably. They had probably paid too much for the likes of European football and WWE, and should have worked with terrestrial broadcasters to secure shared rights to minor or niche sports to enable viewers who cannot afford to subscribe to their channels the chance to watch for free.
No wonder BT’s pulling out of sport was inevitable at a time when many viewers are cancelling sports subscriptions as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis, and the fact that other media companies are having to cut costs across the board.
Those in charge of TNT hope they have the ideal opportunity, backed up by the resources of their parent company, to change the way sport have been broadcast in the UK. However, time will tell if they are in it for the long haul.