Eurosport

BT Sport and Warner Bros Discovery have agreed to combine their UK sports broadcasting operations. SportsPro takes a closer look at the deal and speaks to ...

Sky’s exclusive deal with Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO has provided a steady supply of premium content for its entertainment channels and the Now TV streaming platform. It’s going to be important for us to develop because the proposition has to be the best of what both BT Sport and Eurosport do.” The joint venture already has a wide range of rights and the focus is likely to be on integration and maximising the portfolio rather than aggressively pursuing new properties. But the biggest threat to Sky from Warner Bros Discovery may not be sport in isolation. All involved say the new organisation will be just as innovative, but the focus will be on how technology can deliver the content more effectively rather than for technology’s sake. And it allows Warner Bros Discovery to strengthen its own position in sports as Eurosport represents a small share of viewing in the UK.” Its application helped normalise the idea of streaming in the UK and it has since experimented with virtual reality (VR), social viewing, and interactive timelines. BT might not be involved in a few years and although Eurosport is well known across the continent, it isn’t associated with premium content in the UK market. One thing that has been confirmed is that the ESPN brand will be phased out. For Discovery, the motivation is simple – it believes sport can drive subscriptions to its Discovery+ streaming service and BT Sport has the customers and rights portfolio to strengthen its overall entertainment proposition. Both companies have a 50 per cent stake in the joint venture but Discovery would appear to be the senior partner. Meanwhile, shareholders were increasingly sceptical of the value of investing in content when BT needed capital for its rollout of full fibre and 5G infrastructure.