Following the Warner Bros purchase of BT Sport earlier in the year, this summer the brand will officially change its name to TNT Sports, but it isn’t the only thing that is changing. Now available on the old Eurosport channel numbers, TNT Sports is about to shake up the broadcasting game and build on BT’s challenge to Sky Sports in recent years.
So, what will they be able to show? The content any broadcaster has access to can dictate whether it survives, thrives, or dies. The graveyard of past sporting broadcasters is littered with companies that couldn’t quite do enough to challenge Sky’s monopoly - until BT Sport came along. Setanta even showed 42 Premier League matches between 2007 and 2009 before collapsing.
With the might of Warner Bros behind them, TNT Sports shouldn’t have those same issues. They also possess a huge range of sport in their armoury, including the biggest club tournament on the planet. BT’s deal to screen the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League will carry over to the renamed platform, while they will also retain the right to broadcast the Premier League.
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The European deal, which sees TNT Sports exclusively show all 420 matches in the UK, expires at the end of the season and there will be an almighty scrap for those rights. However, the contract to show 52 Premier League games a season runs until 2025, so TNT Sports will have a decent chunk of football on for the next few years.
The rebrand, which features under the Discovery+ umbrella, will also see Eurosport renamed by 2026, giving viewers access to a huge amount of sport. They’ve already made their first purchase in the form of Major League Cricket, a deal that has only just been struck to broadcast the debut season of the new franchise.
With a couple of England’s stars, Jason Roy and Liam Plunkett, already signed up on big contracts, many are expected to follow in subsequent years and there is a feeling that this new league could seriously disrupt English cricket. Whatever happens to it, it will be well worth keeping an eye on and is another string to the bow for the newly branded TNT Sports.
There’s also been a shake up in the key presenters who will broadcast to us. Jake Humphrey was the face of BT Sport’s big games, while Gary Lineker did the Champions League matches. However, now ready to inject a bit of freshness into the broadcasts, Laura Woods has left her role at talkSPORT and will likely be the face of TNT. That move will prove incredibly popular as she has been wonderful at talkSPORT, while Jules Breach has been lined up to replace Des Kelly as the pitchside reporter.
This lean towards female broadcasters, including the retention of Lynsey Hipgrave, has been an international one by TNT Sports to make sure their analysis remains in the 21st century and avoids ‘laddish banter’ sometimes seen amongst former male pros.
There’s also other major sports on the network, with the fight between Errol Spence Jr v Terence Crawford on TNT Sports Box Office, which replaces BT Sport Box Office - the channel that shows Frank Warren’s Queensberry fights. TNT also will continue to show rugby union, with the Premiership and European rugby still on next season.
So with a whole host of sports already confirmed, and the new football season less than a month away, it feels like an exciting time for TNT Sports. There’s new presenters and pundits on the way, and with it all coming under the same umbrella, fans and subscribers may actually get access to more sport than ever. Let’s just hope the prices don't increase as a result.
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