TNT Sports (United Kingdom)
TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is a group of pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and BT Group, they first launched on 1 August 2013. The channels are based at Warner Bros. Discovery's complex in Chiswick Business Park, London, having been based at Here East, the former International Broadcast Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London until July 2023.[1] The channels are available on the EE TV, Sky and Virgin Media television platforms in the UK and Sky and Vodafone TV in the Republic of Ireland.
Country
United Kingdom, Ireland
Chiswick Park, London
Eurosport 1
Eurosport 2
TNT Sports 1
TNT Sports 2
TNT Sports 3
TNT Sports 4
TNT Sports Box Office
1 August 2013
BT Sport (2013–2023)
Watch live (1, UK only)
Watch live (2, UK only)
Watch live (3, UK only)
Watch live (4, UK only)
Watch live (Ireland only)
The networks were established in 2013 after BT Group's acquisition of rights to the Premier League. BT also acquired the operations of previous rightsholder ESPN prior to launch, integrating them with BT Sport. In 2022, BT Group announced an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to form a joint venture that would eventually merge BT Sport with its local Eurosport business. The transaction was approved in July 2022 and on 18 July 2023 BT Sport rebranded as TNT Sports, with Eurosport UK to be folded into the brand no later than early-2026.[2][3]
Availability[edit]
In the UK, TNT Sports is available in standard definition with all BT TV packages for BT Broadband customers. The 4K channel TNT Sports Ultimate is also available to BT Superfast Fibre customers for an additional fee.[20] TNT Sports operates six part-time overflow channels, originally branded as BT Sport Extra, but branded since July 2023 as TNT Sports 5–10. They are carried via the red button on Sky, and displayed as individual channels on the BT and Virgin Media EPGs.[39]TNT Sports is also available to EE mobile phone contract customers to view via TNT Sports & Discovery+ apps or to stream via Discovery Plus' website. This can be streamed on a laptop or PC which is a stark contrast to how BT Sports used to work.
On Sky, TNT Sports 1 only is currently offered for free to broadband subscribers as 'TNT Sports Lite', regardless of what subscription they have. Plusnet TV also offered the same until 1 November 2021 when their TV brand was discontinued,[45] however, TNT Sports is still available to Plusnet customers via the app service.[46] Customers who wish to view the remaining channels can subscribe to the 'TNT Sports Pack' in either standard or high definition.[47] BT also provide broadband subscribers access to the channels via the Discovery+ app.[48]
Virgin Media customers receive TNT Sports 1, 2, 3, 4, and Ultimate as part of their "Full House" bundle however, they do not receive AMC from BT.
TalkTalk TV customers subscribed to the TNT Sports Pack in order to receive the entire range of channels.
In addition, Freeview HD customers received BT Sport Showcase and Virgin Media customers received BT Sport Free. They closed on 30 June 2018.
On 4 December 2018, the SD versions of BT Sport and BT Sport ESPN stopped broadcasting on Virgin Media.
On 6 February 2019, BT Sport released the app for Xbox One.[49][50] It was later released for PlayStation 4 on 31 May 2019.[51] On 8 September 2020, BT Sport also launched on Fire TV, Android TV and Roku TV.[52] On 18th July 2023, following the rebrand to TNT Sports, the channels became available on the Discovery+ service for viewers in the UK, with the BT Sport application discontinued on all platforms from October 12th 2023.
Documentaries[edit]
BT Sport produced a series of feature-length sports documentary films under the title BT Sport Films. Among the films shown on the channel are The Beautiful Game, I Believe in Miracles and Don't Take Me Home. Documentaries that have been critically well-received include Rocky & Wrighty: From Brockley To The Big Time, about childhood friends David Rocastle and Ian Wright,[129] Shoulder To Shoulder, on the Ireland national rugby union team during The Troubles,[130] and Brothers in Football, which tells the story of Corinthian Football Club.[131]
TNT Sports is continuing to show new documentaries as well as showing repeats of BT Sport Films.
Classic sport[edit]
BT Sport's weekday daytime schedules often included sporting action from yesteryear. Football features heavily and includes league matches from the 1970s and 1980s from both the ITV Sport, including full editions of The Big Match, and the BBC's Match of the Day archives. Also featured are FA Cup matches from the 1970s to the present day and UEFA Champions League matches. Other archive sporting action included boxing matches from the ESPN and ITV Sport archives as well as MotoGP races and Australian cricket.
TNT continues to show classic sport, but without the ESPN content.[132]