A commitment to back-to-back live sport on linear television and a desire to push the boundaries in terms of broadcast production are some of the tenets laid down by the nascent TNT Sports pay-television brand in the UK.
The previously named BT Sport broadcaster officially changed its name to TNT Sports today (July 18) as part of a joint venture between UK telecommunications firm BT and media giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) unveiled last September.
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TNT Sports will be available for most current BT Sport subscribers for £29.99 ($39.23 monthly), the same as the current price, and will simply take over BT Sport’s current set of rights.
During a preview event in London last week, WBD Sports Europe president Andrew Georgiou and senior vice president for content and production Scott Young outlined their plans to “reimagine” the BT Sport project into TNT Sports, a brand that will hopefully prove “relatable” to customers. The name was first unveiled in February.
Speaking to GlobalData Sport and other media, they said the end goal is to have the new brand’s main linear channels eventually back-to-back throughout the day with live sport for which rights will be snapped up, and that the accompanying streaming platform discovery+ (which will move to incorporate TNT Sports’ digital strands) will be the home for additional content and analysis around the live properties.
Programming such as the Champions League Goals Show, based on analysis and highlights of multiple games taking place simultaneously from that pan-European competition to which TNT Sports holds rights, will take place on Discovery+.
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By GlobalDataThe BT Sport Score broadcast, which has fulfilled the same role for English soccer’s top-tier Premier League, will not continue.
One of the most prized set of live rights currently held by BT Sport are those covering the domestic Premier League, which the network has shown live since 2013. The current Premier League tie-up ends at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, and the league is expected to begin the next tender process in October of this year. At least 50 extra games are potentially set to be included in the available packages for broadcasters.
TNT Sports – the name is already associated with a Warner Media brand operating across the US and Latin America – will show 52 live Premier League fixtures next season.
While not confirming WBD will bid strongly to retain its rights holding, Georgiou commented: “Our 100% ambition is to remain a premium sports broadcaster in this market – the Premier League is a key part of our portfolio … Once the different packages come up we’ll have a look at them.
“When the tender comes up we’ll engage as we do whenever top-tier sports rights are sent to the market.”
Covering the overall approach that the new brand will take, both in terms of TV production and rights acquisitions, he added: “We’re going to be a bit bold – we want to be contemporary and push boundaries.
“This is a great moment to refresh and rethink what BT Sport has offered in the past … We want to be bold compared to anything else in this market.”
Young said: “It’s been a reimagining of BT Sport into TNT Sports.
“BT Sport has been very successful, but this is a great opportunity for evolution because our audience is evolving.
“We have to keep pace with how the audience is consuming content, on which platforms. We’ve got the opportunity here to be a bit irreverent.”
He added: “Live broadcast is what drags people in – we ultimately want to keep live sport at the forefront. Our main channels will eventually run back-to-back live sports, while Discovery+ will feature additional programming.”
Other rights held by the broadcaster include a range of European soccer leagues (including those from France and Italy), mixed martial arts promotion UFC, domestic rugby union, and cricket from New Zealand, Australia, and the Caribbean. This will now be combined with Discovery+ and Eurosport content such as the Olympics and top-tier tennis.
One of the soccer leagues currently enjoying rapid growth in terms of the profile of players it is starting to attract is the Saudi Pro League, with icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema now plying their trade there.
Asked whether that is a property WBD has been looking at in terms of adding it to the international soccer portfolio, Georgiou merely said there had been no formal approach.
In terms of logistics covering the name change and the launch of TNT Sports, existing BT Sport customers will be able to watch TNT Sports without taking any further action, with the channel remaining available across all major TV platforms BT Sport could be found on.
In addition, the £29.99 monthly price will see viewers also able to access the two Eurosport linear channels (which have been available from earlier this year), as well as Discovery content.
On this subject, Georgiou said: “Consumers are now watching more than one thing [at the same time] – sport, but entertainment as well.”
Eligible customers, meanwhile, will also be able to download the Discovery+ app on laptops and mobile devices, which will provide them with access to TNT Sports, Eurosport, and “original entertainment.”
The BT Sport mobile app, however, will shut down later this year, while Eurosport UK will be folded into the overall TNT Sports offering by 2026.
In total, there will be four linear TV TNT Sports channels, six more available via digital, as well as TNT Sports Ultimate and TNT Sports Box Office HD.
