Rugby fans in the South West will be watching their favourite teams on a new channel from next season following a massive rebrand of a UK broadcaster. It has been confirmed that BT Sport - which holds the broadcast rights for Premiership Rugby matches - will become TNT Sports in July.
The new channel will combine BT Sport and Eurosport UK and will look to bring together the "most extensive line-ups of live sport" for UK and Irish viewers, which includes, amongst others, the likes of the Premier League, Premiership Rugby, UFC, boxing and the Olympic Games. The joint venture is between BT Group and Warner Bros Discovery, with the two corporations stating that the new channel will have a "dedicated brand" for the UK and Ireland.
The move follows a merger that took place between BT Sport and Warner Bros Discovery last year, and it means the rights for Premier League and Champions League football, Grand Slam tennis, Premiership Rugby and the Olympic Games will all air on the new channel.
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It is also stated that Eurosport will be rolled out as part of the new brand at "some point in the future". Some reports believe this could be until after the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
A statement on BT's website said: "From July 2023, TNT Sports will continue the spirit of what BT Sport has built over the past decade.
"This new brand will be brought to life for the first time later this year shortly before the start of the 2023/2024 football season. Until then, fans will continue to enjoy BT Sport on all of its channels and platforms as they do today.
"On forming last year, the Joint Venture announced plans to combine BT Sport and Eurosport UK, bringing together one of the most extensive line-ups of live sports coverage for fans in the UK and Ireland - including the Olympic Games, the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, Boxing, WWE, tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours and the winter sports season. Eurosport (UK and Ireland only) will become part of this new brand at some time in the future.
"BT Sport subscribers already enjoy complimentary access to discovery+ which includes Eurosport’s streaming offer and wide range of entertainment programming.
"TNT Sports will have a dedicated brand for the UK and Ireland that reflects the fan-first approach for which BT Sport has become renowned.
"The name already has an association with premium live sport in other countries as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s family of brands. This includes being home to top-level domestic and European football in a number of countries in Latin America, while live sport has been a staple on the TNT network in the U.S, including the NBA, NHL and NCAA.
"The BT and Warner Bros. Discovery Joint Venture was formed on September 1, 2022."
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