BT Sport TV Content to Remain FREE for Broadband ISP Customers

BT’s consumer ISP division has confirmed that their new and re-contracting broadband subscribers will continue to benefit from free access to BTSport TV content for a second season and the operator also revealed that around 5 million UK homes now view the service (3 million come direct from BT and the rest via wholesale partners).

The service officially launched last August 2013 (here) and some have since speculated over whether or not it would continue to remain free past its first year of operation. Indeed commercial TV sporting rights can cost hundreds of millions per year to air and offering that for free is a risky business. But those concerns have now been put to rest, at least for another year.

At the same time BT also confirmed today that its set-top-box based IPTV service (BT TV) has finally passed the 1 million customers milestone, with the majority of those homes taking BT Sport.

John Petter, BT’s Consumer CEO, said:

“Fans have been the winners with BT Sport. Millions of homes have enjoyed the very best sporting action for free. We said we would shake up the market and we have done just that. The great news for fans is that BT Sport will remain free with BT Broadband for another season, during which we will broadcast live action from the new European rugby tournaments. There has never been a better time to switch to BT Broadband so I would encourage sports fans to sign up.”

It’s worth pointing out that non-BT Broadband customers can also watch the channels if they have a Sky satellite box. The service is currently £12 a month in Standard Definition and £15 a month for HD, while Virgin Media customers can access the channels for the same price or as part of their package if they take Virgin’s XL bundle.

Customers who want BT Broadband will generally also need to take BT’s line rental service too, which costs £15.99 a month or £141 when paid annually (equivalent to £11.75 a month). Meanwhile the entry-level broadband service costs from £6.50 per month (special offer for first 12 months then £13 thereafter), although that only gives you a 10GB usage allowance and for a few pounds more you’d be better off with their “Truly Unlimited” bundles.