BT Sport launch to be free and open to all
BT says the launch of its new BT Sport channels will be available free to all homes with Freeview, TV from BT or Sky.
Launching tomorrow (August 1st), the channels will offer football fans 38 Barclays Premier League matches per season.
Broadcast from the Olympic Park in East London, they’ll also carry exclusive Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) coverage and 800 hours of live tennis, including the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships.
The channels will get underway with a special first night live show featuring many of their presenters, experts, commentators plus special guests.
Featured talent will include Jake Humphrey, Clare Balding, Craig Doyle, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, David James, Owen Hargreaves, Matt Dawson, Lynsey Hipgrave, Gary McAllister, Martin Bayfield, Anne Keothavong, Kim Little, Scott Redding, Neil Hodgson, Darrell Currie, Darren Fletcher, Sam Smith, Rosi Sexton, John Hathaway, Christian Howes, Des Kelly, Tom Watt, Caroline DeMoraes, Ian Darke, Ray Stubbs, Austin Healey, Ben Kay, Sarra Elgan, Eniola Aluko and Helen Skelton.
BT says the show will simulcast on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 2 until the moment the two channels become independent. Viewers will then see Jake Humphrey heading to the football studio to cover the Audi Cup on BT Sport 1 and Craig Doyle in the BT Sport rugby studio covering the JP Morgan Asset Management 7s on BT Sport 2.
Announcing the ‘free to all’ launch, John Petter, managing director, BT Retail Consumer, said: “It’s finally a reality that ‘Great sport happens here’. It’s just over a year since we secured our Barclays Premier League rights and only six months since we started to build our exciting new studio in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We have some tremendously talented presenters and experts who are passionate about sport.
“The customers are the ones that matter and now they will be able to see the programmes for themselves. We‘re convinced they’re going to like what they see, and we’re absolutely committed to making BT Sport fun, innovative and a firm favourite with the fans.”
BT is offering the channels free to all broadband customers online and via smartphone and tablet apps. In addition, customers with a BT Vision+ or YouView from BT set top box and infinity broadband will be able to watch the channels on their TVs.
The company is also making the channels available for free to its broadband customers who have a Sky+ box and to Sky broadband and TV subscribers in return for a monthly fee.
No carriage deal has been agreed with broadband rival Virgin Media.
http://www.seenit.co.uk/bt-sport-lau...o-all/0729176/