BT SPORT could be set to disappear from football broadcasting after more than a DECADE.
BT is in advanced talks to sell its 50 per cent stake in UK broadcaster TNT Sports to US joint venture partner Warner Bros Discovery, according to the Financial Times.
It would end BT’s involvement in sports broadcasting after more than ten years, having entered the market in 2012.
Warner Bros Discovery are said to have an option to buy out BT before the end of next year.
Striking a deal will give the US media giant better control over the future of the sporting channels – which key for its business in Europe.
BT and WBD declined to comment to FT.
TNT channels — which have the rights to some exclusive football games — have been identified as non-core by BT chief executive Allison Kirkby.
Kirkby has instead looked to refocus the company on its traditional mobile and broadband offering.
TNT Sports was created after BT merged its sports division with Warner Bros Discovery’s Eurosport UK business in 2022.
The company has a four-year contract to air 52 live Prem matches per season until 2029 and a four-year deal to show the from 2025.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) are rebranding streaming service Max – already live in a number of European countries – back to HBO Max this summer.
And it will also set to launch in the UK and Ireland by 2026.
The HBO Max streaming service is due to incorporate content and live streams currently on Discovery+, including TNT Sports.
