BT Vision plots TV campaign to promote Sky Sports deal
BT is unveiling a £30m aggressive marketing push to promote its recent deal with BSkyB to offer Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 on its BT Vision platform.
Almost half a million BT Vision subscribers will get the chance to watch Premier League football at a knockdown price as part of the deal, which follows an Ofcom ruling forcing Sky to cut the price it charges rivals to show its premium sports channels.
The deal will be promoted in a television ad fronted by football players Michael Owen, Shay Given, Wes Brown and Gareth Bale, that will air from today (1 July). BT advert regular Adam, played by Kris Marshal, will also appear.
The ad follows Adam from his flat, down the lift and into the carpark as the sound of a football crowd gets louder and louder. He heads toward a square of bright light ahead and as he keeps walking toward the light, he finds himself in a football tunnel, joined by Michael Owen, Shay Given, Gareth Bale and Wes Brown lining up to go out on the pitch. The ad culminates with Adam running out on to the pitch.
A below-the-line campaign will support the ad.The campaign includes; TV, Press, Online, Radio by AMV and Maxus, Outdoor by AMV and Posterscope, DM by Ogilvy
BT Retail marketing director Matthew Dearden says the deal will boost the portfolio of channels already offered on BT Vision and will help it increase awareness of its TV offering.
“Customers are already enjoying the best of on-demand TV as well as having a wide offering of channels on BT Vision. Sport has proven to be a popular part of our offering in the past and it would be great to see that grow,” he says.
“We are proud and excited to bring our customers the best in UK sports viewing in time for the new football season, including Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2 and ESPN. By using footballers such as Michael Owen in this campaign we are tapping into the passion that fans feel for their sport, and showcasing the quality of the BT Vision sport offering.Entry prices as low as £6.99 will welcome in a huge number of extra customers who’d love to enjoy these channels, but thought they were too expensive.”
Previously, BT Vision offered the now-defunct Setanta Sports channels to its customers for free. Setanta aired about half the televised Premier League football matches and 60 live Scottish Premier League games each season.
BT today says it is heralding a new era of competition in pay-TV by launching the UK’s best value deal for Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 for just £16.99 a month.
BT Vision customers can add the channels for the simple monthly price on a month-by-month contract. If they only want to add either one of Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2 they can do so for only £11.99.
Customers who are happy to commit to a bundle of broadband and calls for 24 months, can get an even better deal with the BT ‘total sports package’, starting at just £6.99 for Sky Sports 1, ESPN and ‘on demand’sport from BT Vision or £11.99 for Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2, ESPN and ‘ondemand’sport.
