BT Sport

The battle for live TV sports begins

Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant playing against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (Credit: NDTV)

Recent events in the sports rights industry will both reinvigorate and reset the battle for live TV sport in the UK and beyond. 

The 50:50 joint venture between BT and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), agreed in May, will have ramifications for all the major rights holders. These include the dominant live sports broadcaster, Sky, which continues to have its own sports partnerships with WBD. 

BT’s deal with WBD also has implications for Amazon and other digital platform behemoths that are poised to increase their live sports content. 

Winners, losers and own goals: Live sport in lockdown

At an RTS event in September, some of the leading figures in sports broadcasting recalled the moment when the Covid-19 lockdown brought down the curtain on live sport in the UK.

“It was a moment that had been coming,” said Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster, looking back to the March lockdown. “Our Italian colleagues were ahead of us in terms of the virus and their sport. It was only a matter of time.

Winners, Losers and Own Goals - Live Sport in Lockdown

How do you manage an entirely live sports TV channel – without any live sports taking place? With no sport and no fans, this panel will investigate how the ever-resilient TV industry adapted to fill entire daily schedules which suddenly became empty overnight.

We will hear from major sporting brands in the UK to find out their initial and then longer-term approach. The panel will talk about the innovative ways broadcasters, programme makers and the wider sports industry adapted to the challenging circumstances – and the value new and existing technology delivered.

IBC 2019 examines the rise of 8K

IBC keynote speaker Andy Serkis performing in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Credit: 20th Century Fox)

Ask attendees of this year’s IBC about what caught their eye at the giant Amsterdam tech fest, and only a few will cite new product launches.

Instead, they’ll talk about the technology trends that were evident at the trade show, and about how they left the event with a far better understanding of the future direction of travel in the complex and ever-evolving world of broadcast technology.

BT announces live UEFA Champions League coverage in virtual reality

BT has revealed plans to broadcast the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals for free on YouTube, the BT website, BT Sport channels and the BT app for 2017.

The UEFA Champions League final will be broadcast for the first time in 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos on BT Sport and 4K UHD on YouTube, with multiple 360 degree streams on Youtube and the new BT Sport VR App, which allows viewers to choose their own camera viewpoint as well as commentary and graphics.