In something of a shock move, BT has announced that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Discovery to create a new sports joint venture. All signs had been pointing to BT nearing a deal to offload BT Sport to DAZN in a deal worth an estimated $800m but the UK-based telco has decided against […]
UK telco BT has launched a range of new ‘flexible’ TV packages in a bid to disrupt the country’s pay TV market and keep pace with the rising tide of streamers. Launching on February 21, the company will offer 24-month flexible TV packages, which are designed to allow customers to upgrade, downgrade and add bolt-ons […]
UK telco BT is courting the Mouse House around plans to bring fledgling streaming platform Disney+ to its TV service. According to The Sunday Times, the business is in talks to launch Disney+ on BT TV, which already offers customers Netflix and Amazon. A senior figure with knowledge of the deal tells TBI that a […]
BT has struck a new content deal with Vice Media to bring the youth-oriented group’s TV content to BT TV customers. Vice’s lifestyle channel Vice on TV will air on BT’s platform and content will also be made available on-demand via the BT player and the BT TV app. Vice on TV, which changed its […]
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed BT’s content and business development director Tony Singh as its new chief commercial officer. Singh, who takes up his role in April, will oversee all revenue generation and its key commercial relationships, as well as customer-facing activities. He replaces Sanjay Patel, who will focus solely on […]
Eleven Sports’ distribution headaches have served as a pressing “wake-up call” to sports providers looking to break into the UK’s saturated market. The embattled sports SVOD is on the brink of closure just four months after launching in the UK and Ireland, due in large part to what TBI understands was a “miscalculated” risk that […]
BT Group chief executive Gavin Patterson is due to step down later this year with the company claiming new leadership is needed following recent poor results. BT said it expects to have a new CEO in place during the second half of the year with Patterson set to continue in the role until a replacement […]
BT is giving the public a chance to watch the first episode of AMC’s thriller The Terror for free, live on YouTube next week. The first episode of BT TV’s The Terror will be available for 24 hours from 00.01am on April 24, for anyone in the UK, with a double episode also available for […]
This week, BT boss Gavin Patterson (above) pledged that he would not invest in original dramas and focus on sport, which, contrary to received wisdom, may be a very good idea on his part. Going against the grain is a brave move, especially when drama is widely seen to be driving viewership for a range […]
BT will not go down the route followed by Telefonica and some other telecom players and invest in original drama, preferring to maintain its existing exclusive focus on sport, according to CEO Gavin Patterson. Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, Patterson (pictured) characterised sport as a market-specific type of content and said that […]
