BT Sport signs up 9,000 commercial premises in nine mons

DC14-210 May 15, 2014

BT Sport signs up 19,000 commercial premises in nine months Almost 1 in 4 pubs sign with BT as it grows the market

BT Sport has announced that more than 19,000 pubs, clubs, betting shops, hotels and other commercial premises have now signed up to its sports service.

In just nine months since the channels went on air for the first time last August independent research shows that BT Sport has captured 24 per cent of all pubs, including groups and independents, putting BT Sport neck and neck with Sky at 25 per cent.*

BT has increased the commercial market for TV sports packages - based on the number of new customers who have not previously subscribed by around 26 per cent.

BT Sport has had a strong debut season in which it has shown dozens of exciting matches from the Barclays Premier League and FA Cup, as well as hundreds of hours of live football from Scotland, Germany, Italy and France. Customers have also been able to enjoy exclusive live TV coverage of Moto GP races as well as other sporting action including UFC, NBA basketball, women's tennis and women's football.

Rugby has also been at the heart of BT Sport and fans are set to enjoy live matches from the new recently agreed European club tournaments. These will include a terrific selection of matches featuring English clubs in the European Rugby Champions Cup, as BT will have first picks and additional matches involving teams from the Aviva Premiership in the tournament.

Bruce Cuthbert, director of Commercial Customers, BT Sport, said: To sign up 19,000 customers is a fantastic achievement and underlines the appeal and the affordability of BT Sport. And to achieve a 24 per cent share of pubs in our first year is phenomenal.

A year ago we said we wanted to bring premium live sport to a wider audience including those that were unable to afford Sky's high prices, and that's exactly what we've done. To be able to grow the market by 26 per cent and to be a part of what pubs are able to offer their customers is enormously satisfying.

Our success in the commercial TV sports market adds to our achievements in the consumer area, where BT Sport is now available in around five million homes.

BT Sport is available to all commercial premises including offices, golf clubs, sporting clubs, bookmakers and Corca registered clubs with prices starting from as little as £60 per month.

BT Sport also has commercial contracts in the gaming sector, for example with the UK's largest independent bookmaker, Betfred. All three BT Sport channels are available in 1,400 Betfred bookmakers across the UK.

The BT Sport Pack includes BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 2, as well as ESPN, all available in both standard definition and high definition.

BT Sport is delivered via satellite technology, so that any business with Sky equipment just has to call BT to add BT Sport to their line-up. BT will also facilitate a third party standard installation for customers who do not already have Sky equipment on their premises, at no extra charge. There is no need to take BT broadband or BT TV as the channels are delivered via satellite.

BT's dedicated UK-based call centre can help commercial customers with all of their BT Sport queries. Customers can find out more by calling 0800 678 1957 or visiting: www.btsportbusiness.com.

Notes to editors

* Source Sweeney Pinedo in April 2014, based on weighted responses from 2,011 telephone interviews.

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