BT wins Premier League football rights

BT has won the rights to screen 38 of the best games from the 154 live Premier League matches a year for three years, starting from August 2013.

Our rights include the games broadcasters most want because they will attract the greatest interest from fans. For the first time consumers have a real choice of provider when it comes to watching great football. We have secured access to 38 live games, including the opening game of the 13/14 season.

We’ll be launching a new football-focused channel to carry the games. It will offer new interactive features when supplied over BT’s fibre network and we will look to distribute it on other platforms. We’ll be releasing full details and pricing as soon as we can.

Frequently asked questions

When can I sign up for this channel?
There will be plenty of opportunity to sign up to this channel in good time prior to the start of the 2013/14 season. In the meantime we will shortly be opening a pre-registration website for interested consumers.

Which games will you have?
We will have a total of 38 matches in each season, which include 18 ‘top picks’ – the games that most people want to watch. The ‘top picks’ will include some Saturday and midweek/bank holiday games, so we are confident that the channel will have a great selection of matches throughout the season.

I’m a Sky / Virgin Media customer and don’t want to lose the Premier League – how does this help me?
We intend to make this channel widely available on all major distribution platforms, not just BT Vision. We want to make it as easy as possible for consumers to subscribe. Further product details will be announced in due course.

How much will the channel cost / will this mean I end up paying more for Premier League football?
Our objective is to widen the enjoyment of Premier League football and make it less dependent on signing up to an expensive pay TV package. We will also offer attractive bundles including our market-leading broadband and telephone packages. All details on the channel, including pricing and offers, will be communicated in good time prior to the start of the 2013/14 season.

Will it be available in HD / 3D / red button / additional devices?
We intend to deliver of these features; specific product details will be announced in due course.

I don’t see BT as a Sports channel – what makes you think you can do this better than Sky?
We have lots of experience in TV – we have over 700,000 households using our BT Vision service and this is growing faster than both Sky and Virgin Media’s TV services. We will team up with high quality partner companies to produce this channel and are confident we can offer a great show.

Why did BT buy these rights?
We believe we can create a winning offering for the consumer, delivering a fantastic football experience. We also think we can offer attractive bundles that combine the best TV content with our market-leading broadband and telephone services at exceptional value.

I’m a pub/club/hotel owner, will I lose my Premier League service?
We aim to offer the same Premier League service for pubs/clubs/hotels as you currently get. Further product and commercial details will be announced in due course.

Will the matches be in HD and 3D?
We intend to offer HD, 3D and interactive elements. Details will follow soon.

Will it be limited to BT Infinity customers – and will the interactive element only be available on BT Infinity?
We’re aiming for wide distribution on a variety of platforms including on BT Vision.

When will you release details about prices?
We’ll release details about prices in good time prior to the launch of the 2013/14 Premier League season.

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