Sky and BT are both big household names, but are rarely found in the same household. That’s about to change. In a move that’s decent for all parties and excellent for consumers, the two British media giants have reached an agreement which will see each others’ content spread across their respective platforms from 2019.
What that means in practical terms is that the full Now TV service will be integrated into BT TV’s set-top box, where BT will sell subscriptions directly to its customers. At the same time, all BT Sport channels will be sold directly to Sky satellite customers. As a Derby County fan who has had his work cut out finding a pub showing the mighty Rams due to licensing issues in the past, this is great news to start the day with – although 2019 may be a little optimistic for our triumphant return to the Premier League.
“This is an important day for BT and for our customers, who will be able to enjoy a whole range of Sky’s sport and entertainment programming on their BT TV boxes,” said Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT in a statement. “This is the next logical step for our TV and content strategy. Having built up an outstanding portfolio of exclusive sports rights and a loyal base of customers, we feel that now is the right time to broaden the ways in which we distribute BT Sport.”
Jeremy Darroch, the group CEO of Sky was equally chipper. “This is great news for Sky customers who will be able to access all matches on Sky and BT channels from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Europa League directly with a single Sky TV subscription and with the great customer service that we provide,” he said.
2019 may seem a long way off, but given these negotiations have been on and off for a number of years, it’s good to see there’s finally an end in sight.
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