Bt Sport Announces Full Line-up

BT Sport has announced full details of its new sport channels – set to launch this summer – with the channels available for free to existing BT broadband customers. 

Ian Livingston, BT chief executive said: ‘UK Sports fans have had a rough deal for too long. Many have been priced out of the market but we will change this by giving away BT Sport for free with our broadband. Sports fans are the winners today.’

‘You’ll be able to get BT Sport direct from us via our own TV service, on Sky’s digital satellite platform and also online or via a new Appletting you enjoy the channels on the move or at home on your PC, smartphone, or tablet.’

Marking the first time in more than 20 years that weekly live matches from the Barclays Premier League will be free to watch, the channel also revealed that former England striker Michael Owen will be amongst the line-up of presenters, commentators and experts to join BT Sport.

Owen, due to retire from football at the end of this season, will take up the role of co-commentator alongside Darren Fletcher – one of the most familiar voices on BBC Radio 5 Live – and Ian Darke, who has covered all 21 seasons of the Barclays Premier League as well as Champions League finals and five World Cups for various broadcasters.

In addition, Premier League referee Mark Halsey joins BT Sport in August in a new role in the commentary team working across the channels’ football coverage, while double Champions League winners Owen Hargreaves and Steve McManaman, as well as former England No1 goalkeeper David James MBE, will be on BT Sport’s team of football experts.

As previously announced, sports broadcaster Jake Humphrey will be the anchor of BT Sport’s 38 exclusively live Barclays Premier League football matches with Ray Stubbs as chief football reporter.

Accomplished journalist and sports broadcaster Des Kelly joins BT Sport to present a new sports magazine programme, ‘Life’s a Pitch’.

Award-winning broadcaster Clare Balding will present and co-produce a weekly sports magazine chat show that will feature interviews with major sporting names and discussion of big sporting issues. The show will also shine a spotlight on women’s sport. Meanwhile Tim Lovejoy will present a weekend sports magazine programme along with guest co presenters.

To compliment the channel’s exclusive coverage of up to 69 live rugby union games from the Aviva Premiership, BT Sport has signed up established broadcaster Craig Doyle, who will be joined by former England internationals Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Dawson, Ben Kay, Austin Healey and Martin Bayfield.

BT Sport has also signed a deal with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to show matches from 21 global tournaments. The greatest female tennis player of all time, Martina Navratilova, will be the channels’ tennis expert and tournament anchor, joining TV and radio personality Lynsey Hipgrave. BT has also signed up British tennis player Heather Watson to star in the TV advertising campaign.

As announced yesterday, Rio Ferdinand will join as an interviewer, programme-maker and football expert, and BT Sport has signed up several ambassadors who will feature in TV ads and marketing campaigns as well as make regular guest appearances on the new channels, including: Gareth Bale, Robin van Persie, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Marouane Fellaini, Daniel Sturridge, Thomas Vermaelen and Joe Hart.

Joining as Ambassadors from the world of Rugby Union are England and Harlequins captain Chris Robshaw, Leicester Tigers player Manu Tuilagi, and Saracens’ Owen Farrell.

Amongst other big announcements, BT Sport also revealed that it was joining forces with Red Bull Media House to bring a blend of action sports and lifestyle shows to BT Sport.

Red Bull Media House has a 25-year heritage in sports, culture and lifestyle programming, and will produce more than 100 hours of high-quality content for BT Sport.

Red Bull Media will produce four world series contest tours, including Red Bull Crashed Ice, four sport magazine series and feature films such as “The Art of Flight,” which will make its UK television premiere on BT Sport in follow-up to a highly successful 2012 theatrical release.

Also announced at the official launch, in a five-year agreement, the channel will see MotoGP join the line-up of top sports on the new BT Sport channels. Motorcycle racing’s premier Championship will be part of BT Sport alongside other great sport, including Barclays Premier League and Aviva Premiership Rugby.

Finally, BT Sport’s new advertising campaign will hit television screens for the first time on Thursday, targeted with revealing the ‘personality’ of its new channels. 

BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey will take viewers on a journey that shows a range of sporting stars in action, starting with Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie demonstrating skills on a giant stage, before capturing Aviva Premiership and Saracens star Ernst Joubert and Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini mid-flight. 

The campaign continues with British tennis star Heather Watson in action returning a series of balls, Gareth Bale taking a free kick and Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart making a spectacular save.

England rugby stars Owen Farrell, Joe Launchbury and Manu Tuilagi will usher Jake through a fierce rugby game to presenter and broadcaster Clare Balding who is chatting to footballer Rio Ferdinand. 

Jake will then encounter Arsenal captain, Thomas Vermaelen, and England and Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, who are sprinting inside giant wheels which power up a huge red ‘LIVE’ sign. 

The action concludes with Jake arriving in the BT Sport studio and a pillar of TV screens lighting up the darkness to show some dramatic action from Barclays Premier League Football and Aviva Premiership Rugby players. The glow from the screens will reveal a vast studio audience seated around the hub of the BT Sport studio. Viewers will then see an end frame: BT Sport, Great sport happens here.