BT Sport gets UK cable deal

BT and Virgin Media have agreed a deal for the carriage of the BT Sport channels on the UK cable platform.

The deal means that BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN will be available to Virgin Media XL TV subscribers at no extra cost, in HD.

Customers on other packages will have the option to upgrade to the XL pack or to add the BT channels, including HD variants, to their existing package for an additional £15 (US$23.30) a month.

BT’s channels will also be made available as part of the Virgin TV Anywhere offering for mobiles, tablets and online.

“Virgin Media homes are kicking-off the new season with the most complete sporting line-up around in one simple subscription, from Barclays Premier League football and Aviva Premiership rugby to F1, live golf and the culmination of a great Ashes series. We’re excited to announce our deal with BT, making these fantastic new channels available at no extra cost to millions of Virgin TV viewers and in HD as standard,” said Dana Strong, Virgin Media’s COO.

The BT Sport channels were previously available via the BT Vision and YouView services, free to BT Broadband customers, and on the Sky satellite platform, retailed by BT for £15 a month to non-BT Broadband customers.