Sky and BT make a perfect match in the face of sport streaming threat
The two broadcasters have announced joint subscriber packages, strengthening their position in a fragmenting market.
There has been plenty of talk of Sky and BT bringing their channels together on one single platform before. Even so, news earlier this week that the two broadcasters were to combine their considerable sport offerings in one subscriber package still came as something of a surprise.
For an introductory offer of £35 a month – or an extra £25 if you’re an existing customer – viewers can watch all of Sky and BT’s sporting output (eight channels from the former, four from the latter) if they are prepared to sign an 18 month contract.
The pact is a signpost of shifting patterns in the subscription economy ahead of the next round of negotiations over Premier League TV rights next year. Sky and BT are having to join forces because otherwise they risk being marginalised by alternative methods of distribution, most notably the looming threat of Amazon Prime.
