TV Live Forum

Looks like DAZN are pretty much done with the purchase of BT Sport.

https://www.planetsport.com/boxing/news/...oy-dropped

:roll:
Hmm..
I also guess the Premier League must have a say in this deal. The secondary live UK rights are held by BT Sport, so any change of ownership could be a hurdle. And, isn't there something that says the live TV rights must be available on as many linear outlets as possible?
So closing down BT Sport, rebranding as DAZN and going via the webstream, could also hack off the Premier League as well as other sports BT hold the rights to.

It's a shame. When BT Sport started they were a really different alternative to Sky with studio presentation shows away from live games, but when it came down to cost, the guys that started it up and had the vision had left, and the current guard bottled it under shareholder pressure. I hope DAZN can bring some of the old BT Sport spark back, but I doubt they will.

Hatton Cross post_id=51378 time= user_id=1471 Wrote:I also guess the Premier League must have a say in this deal.

It appears that both the PL and Sky will have a say, at least based on the articles linked here.

valley post_id=51382 time=1635690183 user_id=971 Wrote:

Hatton Cross post_id=51378 time= user_id=1471 Wrote:I also guess the Premier League must have a say in this deal.

It appears that both the PL and Sky will have a say, at least based on the articles linked here.

Can’t see either of those things being an issue if they’re buying the linear channels too.

Anyway, wouldn’t be surprised if Jeff Stelling’s already agreed to join them.

Almost certain to be announced this week, BT couldn't hold back especially considering they're announcing half year results on Thursday.

Hatton Cross post_id=51378 time= user_id=1471 Wrote::roll:
Hmm..
I also guess the Premier League must have a say in this deal. The secondary live UK rights are held by BT Sport, so any change of ownership could be a hurdle. And, isn't there something that says the live TV rights must be available on as many linear outlets as possible?
So closing down BT Sport, rebranding as DAZN and going via the webstream, could also hack off the Premier League as well as other sports BT hold the rights to.

Nobody has said this deal involves closing down the linear channels, have they? Could well be the case that one of the reasons why DAZN want to buy them is because of their linear channels.

Sky were taken over a few years ago, that made negligible difference on screen.

Big difference though is that when Comcast bought Sky they were buying the brand outright; there was no pressing reason to ditch a long existing brand. Here there will be a continuing BT operation that will own the BT brand; BT Sport as a separate company, owned by DAZN and no longer owned by BT, will probably at the most license the brand until the start of the next FAPL season, and trade as DAZN after that. And that will obviously mean big changes to the on screen look.

Re linear, when BT Sport started I recall the FAPL did have concerns about availability. But that was 2013, this is going into 2022, and the FAPL have since sold rights to Amazon whose only wholesale presence is a temporary feed on Sky for commercial customers only. Like Amazon, DAZN will probably want to retail direct to consumer, and cut out the wholesale market, though inheriting existing contracts with Sky and other providers may dictate how fast they can go down that route. I know the existing ROI wholesale deal is up at the end of July though.

The question is how much of BT Sports customer base is attached to BT's phone and broadband customer base. I would assume for a season at least DAZN might continue to be free with BT as I certainly only have BT Sport as it's bundled with other things, and similarly only stick with BT as a broadband provider as it's bundled in with BT.

I suspect the seperation of the product could hit both DAZN's subscription base along with BT's customer base too - it's no secret they went into the sports market in order to strengthen their share of the broadband market. Ultimately Sky may benefit on both counts.

I am guessing that any sale would include a new multi year deal for BT to continue to distribute the channel to its customer base and any name change will probably be a gradual evolution, incorporating Dazn into the name before ditching the BT brand further down the line.

James Martin post_id=10139 time= user_id=1 Wrote:ITV would be an interesting suitor. Whilst the ITV Sport/Digital debacle was regrettable, the difference this time round is they'll have more A-List football matches, the Rugby Premiership, WWE... not to mention the possiblity of showing select footy games on ITV itself - I'm sure they'd relish the chance to show Champions League matches FTA again. Possibly even some European Rugby action? You'd probably draw a decent audience for something like Saracens v. Tolouse.

Of course, if you took this one step further there's always the possiblity of ITV acquiring the telephony TV side of things and ressurecting ITV Digital as a DTT/IP hybrid system. That could be very interesting.

But ITV already have the broadcasting rights to All Elite Wrestling. Would they not have to drop one for the other?

I wonder how the "DAZN / ESPN" will devolve. Had Disney bought BT Sport, they would've expanded the brand in a better way than it did in the 2009-10 season, but ho hum. Might end up rebranding as "DAZN 4"

In other, day-to-day BT Sport news, a new Sky Q red button app launched in the last week or two. It's similar to the Sky Sports red button in that it shrinks down the channel you're watching and has the list of options down the right-hand side of the screen, with a variety of backgrounds for different events.

The old OpenTV mosaic red button continues on older Sky boxes.

Assuming DAZN buy it, I assume in time all channels will migrate to a DAZN name. Depending on the deals struck, in Germany DAZN is on Sky Q boxes, but in Italy DAZN did an exclusive deal with a rival, and withdrew its channels from Sky Q this season, an issue for Sky as they have the main football rights in Italy. The German position is that their app is on Sky Q, and they have two linear HD channels also available on older Sky boxes. Subscriptions are direct with DAZN.

Presumably, with the market open and no announcement made, and BT being a plc with all that entails with regard needing to inform the market of anything significant that potentially affects the share price, a deal hasn’t quite yet been struck and the article was premature? Does seem inevitable now with the media attention that it will be DAZN now though.

Just a one line comment about the service's future in today's half year report.

We are continuing discussions regarding the future of BT Sport.