Sky Sports’ Phil Marshall looks back on 12 months of lockdown’s impact on live sports and how the broadcaster has adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. Friday 13 March 2020, the unlucky date that live sport as we knew it stopped. 365 days on, that date remains etched in my memory. For someone with […]
Tag archives: sky sports
Premier League TV schedule: March 2021
Here are the confirmed Premier League fixtures, and where to watch them, for the rest of this month. The Premier League campaign is being televised across four broadcasters this month, with Amazon Prime and the BBC picking up a game each, alongside all the games on Sky Sports and BT Sport. Below is the full […]
Sky Sports announces rugby league pop-up channel
22-26 March will see nothing but rugby league played on what is currently Sky Sports Arena Sky Sports has announced that it will launch a rugby league pop-up channel in March. Ahead of the Super League season beginning on 26 March, what is currently Sky Sports Arena will broadcast non-stop rugby league from 22 March […]
Sky Sports to broadcast India v England ODIs and T20 series
India’s home tours against South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka will also be shown over the next 12 months Sky Sports has agreed a deal to broadcast the three ODI and five T20 matches of England’s tour of India. The pay-TV provider lost out to free-to-air Channel 4 for the test series, […]
DAZN considering Premier League domestic rights bid – report
The OTT platform would have to compete with current rights holders BT Sport, Sky Sports, and Amazon Prime Video DAZN is weighing up a bid for the domestic Premier League rights for the 2022/23 until 2024/25 seasons, according to the Telegraph. The rights for the 2022-25 seasons will be up for grabs this spring, with […]
Sky Sports signs multi-year deal with England Netball
The Vitality Netball Superleague will be shown free-to-air on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel Sky Sports has renewed its multi-year broadcast deal with England Netball. The agreement sees the Vitality Netball Superleague broadcast across Sky Sports and England Netball’s platforms, including free-to-air on their YouTube channels. Sky will also make highlights available for those who miss […]
COMMENT: Is your business ready for ‘The Great Compression’ of 2021?
Jean-Baptiste Lapeyre, Specialist at Rakuten DX, takes us through the opportunities and potential pitfalls ahead in 2021. Whether you’re a sports fan or not, 2021 is a business opportunity that is simply too big to miss. If you think about it, we’re squeezing two years’ worth of sporting events into one – you could call […]
Sky Sports agrees three-year deal to broadcast Pakistan cricket
Home internationals and the Pakistan Super League will be aired in the UK Sky Sports and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have agreed a three-year deal to show Pakistan’s home internationals and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UK. This joins deals the PCB has signed with state broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV), Willow TV […]
Premier League reveals initial TV schedule for February
Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video, the BBC and BT Sport have had their match choices revealed The Premier League has revealed more of its TV schedule for February, confirming that all games weill be televised until at least 1 March. Sky Sports will be happy to have gained several of the highest profile matches, with […]
Liverpool v Manchester United breaks Sky Sports viewing record
It becomes the second-most viewed Premier League game ever, after Everton v Liverpool’s part FTA-aired match in June 2020. Sky Sports has revealed that Liverpool v Manchester United broke the record for the most viewed match on their channels. An average of 4.5 million people tuned in for the match, with a peak of 4.8 […]
Extreme E confirms Sky Sports will broadcast races
The electric racing series will get underway in March Extreme E has confirmed that its races will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK. The partnership with the subscription service joins the deal that the organisation has with BBC Sport – which will show races on its digital channels. Extreme E’s focus on the […]
Report: Disney and Amazon considering move into English cricket broadcasting
This could mean that consumers will need multiple subscriptions to follow the England cricket team Disney is reportedly set to show the England cricket team’s tour of India this winter. In addition, Amazon is interested in the rights for the next Ashes series, which could force consumers into multiple subscriptions if they want to watch […]
Premier League TV schedule (19 December 2020 – 31 January 2021)
The TV schedule for all the Premier League fixtures from 19 December 2020 to 31 January 2021. Here are the Premier League fixtures for the rest of December 2020 and January 2021. Saturday 19 December Crystal Palace v Liverpool (12:30pm) BT Sport Southampton v Man City (3pm) Amazon Prime Video Everton v Arsenal (5:30pm) […]
Broadcast Sport Tech Innovations Forum: Poll results
The results of a number of sports-related live polls that took place during the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 earlier this month. Broadcast Sport ran a number of polls during the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 virtual event on 11-12 November, to find out the viewing habits of the attendees and their thoughts […]
WATCH: Day 1 of the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020
WATCH AGAIN: Sessions with BT Sport, BBC Sport, Motorsport Network, Sky Sports, MediaPro, Sunset+Vine, Whisper, Aurora, Timeline TV, NEP and more The Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2020 was held on the online conferencing platform Hopin on 11-12 November 2020. It was an exclusive event for the sports production sector where attendees could engage with […]
Sky Sports to show 30 live British Basketball League matches a season
Sky Sports picks up a two-year deal to show the highest level of professional basketball in the country. Sky Sports will show 30 live British Basketball League (BBL) matches a season, including the BBL Trophy Final, BBL Cup Final and the BBL Playoffs. It comes after the broadcaster secured a two-year agreement with the league. […]
Sky, BT, and Rise on remote production’s potential for inclusivity
Rise managing director Carrie Wooten, Sky Sports’ Jena Mihalovic, and BT Sport’s Charlotte Winter were speaking at the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum Remote production could have a big effect on inclusivity in the broadcast industry, according to Rise managing director Carrie Wooten and figures from major broadcasters Sky and BT. The trio spoke at […]
Sky Sports and BT Sport suggest CG fans will not be seen in the UK
Mike Norrish, director of creative and digital at BT Sport, and Duncan East, head of directors and creative at Sky Sports, revealed the news at the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum UK sport fans may not be seeing CG supporters on their screen while stadiums are empty, Sky Sports and BT Sport have revealed. Speaking […]
Premier League schedule (2-30 November 2020)
Which broadcaster is showing which games in November, and which are going pay-per-view. Elite sports including The Premier League are unaffected by the country-wide lockdown beginning on Thursday this week (5 November). What also appears to remain unaffected is the controversial introduction of Premier League matches as pay-per-view, through Sky Sports Box Office and BT […]
Sky thanks European football return for revenue rebound
The Premier League and other European leagues returned to action over the summer Sky owner Comcast has revealed that the return of European football has helped the broadcaster to grow revenues in the third quarter. Comcast said: “higher wholesale revenue from sports programming as European football leagues resumed” was to thank for a 0.3% growth […]
‘Non-televised’ Premier League games in October to go pay-per-view on Sky Sports
Each match will cost £14.95 via Sky Sports Box Office. All ‘non-televised’ Premier League games in October are to be shown via pay-per-view rather than being distributed to multiple broadcasters, as happened last season. Each match will cost £14.95 via Sky Sports Box Office, channel 491 on the Sky box. They will also be available […]
Sunday’s Premier League goalfest helps Sky Sports reach record ratings
Sky Sports’ viewing figures peaked at 3.3m (25% share) at 4:55pm on Sunday. Sunday’s extraordinary Premier League matches – with Tottenham Hotspur thrashing Manchester United 6-1 and Aston Villa shocking Liverpool with an emphatic 7-2 win – helped Sky Sports notch up its “best ever day of viewing” across the network. It averaged 933,000 viewers […]
Premier League TV schedule (17 Oct – 2 Nov 2020)
Where to watch the Premier League fixtures for the rest of October. The Premier League takes a back seat for the internationals this weekend. Here’s the TV schedule for when it returns on Saturday 17 October, and throughout the rest of October. Sky Sports has the broadcast rights for 12 of the 15 matches listed […]
Where to watch this weekend’s Premier League fixtures
The TV schedule for this weekend’s Premier League games. There are 10 Premier League matches on this weekend and Monday, which are all live on TV, following the removal of the 3pm blackout while fans are unable to attend stadiums. With the situation likely to remain the same for the next six months, it seems […]
Sustainability: Sky Sports awarded Albert certification for football coverage
Broadcaster says it’s committed to maintaining its Albert-certified status for all future football seasons. Sky Sports has revealed that, from the start of the 2020/21 season, all Premier League and EFL matches shown live on Sky Sports will be certified 3-star Albert sustainable. The Albert certification, which is industry-backed and awarded by BAFTA, goes to […]
Creative Spotlight: Tiger Woods: Back (Sky Sports)
Behind-the-scenes during the post-production on Sky Sports’ recent 120-minute Sky Original documentary, Tiger Woods: Back. Sky Production Services (SPS), Sky’s in-house production wing, was commissioned by Sky Sports to provide offline/online, grading, and audio mixing on Tiger Wood: Back, a 120-min Sky Original charting the rise, fall, and comeback of the golf icon for Sky’s […]
Broadcasters gain 20 extra live matches for 2020/21 Premier League season
It is just for the 2020/21 season, with fans unable to attend stadiums The Premier League has agreed to increase the number of matches broadcast live in the coming season. Originally 200 games were planned to be broadcast, but this will now increase to 220. With fans unable to attend stadiums due to the coronavirus […]
Sky Sports launches dedicated ’round-the-clock’ NFL channel
The channel goes to air on 3 September, ahead of the 2020 NFL season. Sky Sports is launching Sky Sports NFL – its first dedicated NFL channel – as part of a new five-year partnership between the broadcaster and league. Sky Sports has broadcast live NFL coverage for 25 years but has never previously had […]
Behind Closed Doors: The Covid Test Match begins tonight on Sky Sports
Cricket doc follows the sport’s return as lockdown measures begin to ease. Sky Sports is airing a new short feature, Behind Closed Doors: The Covid Test Match, which begins tonight at 8pm, and takes cricket fans backstage at the first #raisethebat Test between England and West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. The film promises to […]
Sky Sports to air Formula 1 docuseries with rare archive footage
The series marks the 70th anniversary of the sport, and has been made in partnership with Formula 1. Sky Sports is to air a seven-part Formula 1 docuseries – Race to Perfection – on the sport’s 70th anniversary. The series goes behind-the-scenes over the 70 years of Formula 1, from its launch in 1950 through […]
Sky Sports to show 48 matches from Scottish Premiership 20/21 season
The 20/21 season kicks off this weekend. Sky Sports is airing 48 live matches from the Scottish Premiership season, which returns this weekend. Eilidh Barbour will present Sky’s coverage, while regular analyst Kris Boyd will be joined by James McFadden. Former Rangers, St. Johnstone and Kilmarnock striker Ally McCoist; former Scotland and Manchester United midfielder […]
The Premier League 2019/20 final day TV schedule
Eight out of the 10 matches will be shown across different Sky Sports channels. The TV schedule for the Premier League games on the last day of the season (Sunday 26 July) has been released. Sky Sports is showing eight matches live across eight channels, as the battle for a top four place and the […]
Sky Sports to show Liverpool v Chelsea live on 22 July on free-to-air
Sky Pick will show the game and the moment Liverpool lifts the Premier League trophy. Sky Sports has announced it’s making the Liverpool v Chelsea Premier League match on 22 July free-to-air on Sky Pick. After the game, Liverpool will lift the Premier League trophy, which will also be part of the free broadcast. Sky […]
Sky Sports wins rights to British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa, 2021
It’s an extension of a rights partnership that now covers 25 years. Sky Sports has picked up the exclusive live rights to the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa next year. The rights includes the Tour’s three tests as well as five warm-up matches. This is the 25th year of the partnership between […]
Black Lives Matter: Sky Sports to issue commentators list of banned words
Broadcaster to distribute list of words and phrases to avoid to commentators, reporters and presenters. Sky Sports is reportedly planning to issue a list of banned words for commentators and sports reporters to avoid, as they might offend viewers. The broadcaster is also holding training sessions for presenters, commentators and reporters to ensure their use […]
Man City vs Arsenal is most-watched Sky Sports football game for 3 years
Return to Premier League football after three-month hiatus draws big audience for Sky Sports With pubs remaining closed and football having been off screens for three months, viewers tuned in in droves to watch Arsenal and Man City’s match-up, which kicked off at 8.15pm. The 2.6m (14.3%) who witnessed Arsenal’s drubbing across Sky Sports Main […]
Sky Sports has reportedly secured rebate deal with Premier League
Sky Sports looks set to receive compensation from clubs to mitigate against loss of revenue during lockdown. Sky Sports has reportedly come to a rebate agreement with the Premier League to cover the cancellation of games during the Covid-19 pandemic. During lockdown, with no Premier League games to show, Sky has had to offer refunds […]
Sky Sports and BT Sport unveil ‘watch together’ option to apps
Broadcasters both launch watch together services that will be available in time for the return of the Premier League. Sky Sports and BT Sport are both using the return of the Premier League to unveil new ‘watch together’ services. Sky Sports’ service is called Fanzone (pictured above), and will be available on the Sky Sports […]
Premier League’s return – The broadcast schedule for first three rounds
Which broadcaster is showing which games, for the first three match rounds, and which games will be free-to-air. Here’s the full list of which broadcasters are showing which games for the first three rounds of the resumed 2019/20 Premier League season. Wednesday 17 June 18:00 Aston Villa v Sheffield Utd (Sky Sports) 20:15 Man City […]
Sky Sports releases promo to celebrate the return of sport
60-second spot went live over the weekend. Sky has released a 60-second spot celebrating the return of live sport. It’s a continuation of its #IAmSport campaign, and was made by its in-house wing, Sky Creative Agency. The Comeback went live over the weekend and is a “rousing message from sport to its fans ahead of […]
Premier League restart : Where to watch matches
The broadcast rights for the 92 Premier League games left to play. The return of the Premier League will see games shown on the widest range of UK broadcasters to date, with Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime all screening matches. There are 92 Premier League games left to play. Sky Sports […]
GolfTV to provide free live coverage of golf skins match this weekend
Charity skins match with some of world’s best golfers to be shown for free in most territories by GolfTV. Live golf is returning to GolfTV on Sunday as it broadcasts a charity skins match. The TaylorMade Driving Relief will be streamed on GolfTV everywhere outside of the US and will be made available for free. […]
Behind the scenes: Matze Knop’s Home Office (Sky Sports News Deutschland HD)
Marius Fischer, the editor on Sky Sports News Deutschland HD daily sports-focused comedy series, Matze Knop’s Home Office, explains how it’s being put together during lockdown. With top flight schedules at a standstill, sports broadcasters are working around the clock to produce content that not only fills the gaps, but offers positivity and support during […]
Sky Sports unveils new brand promo, produced in lockdown
Ad campaign celebrates the power of sports and centres on content posted on the social accounts of sports stars. Sky’s in-house ad agency, Sky Creative Agency has created a new brand spot for Sky Sports, which focuses on the positive aspects of sport for both fans and sports stars. The spot, I Am Sport, sets […]
Sky Sports unveils schedule for inaugural The Cricket Show
Cricket-focused magazine show includes ECB’s Tom Harrison talking about the future of the highly anticipated The Hundred tournament. The first episode of Sky Sports’ The Cricket Show will TX at 2pm tomorrow (30 April). It features cricket ‘super fan’ Captain Tom Moore, who has raised more than £29m for the NHS through his garden walks. […]
Sky Sports to broadcast ‘watch-along’ golf final with Rory McIlroy
Close fought final gets a re-run tomorrow evening, hosted by tournament winner McIlroy. Sky Sports is broadcasting a ‘watch-along’ screening of the final of the Players Championship 2019 golf tournament, featuring live insight and breakdown from tournament winner Rory McIlroy. McIlroy will join Nick Dougherty and Brandel Chamblee live from 9.35pm tomorrow (Tuesday, 28 April) […]
Sky Sports updates schedules with archive, docs and a series of new shows
Archive material, new shows and documentaries to be unveiled by Sky Sports over the coming weeks and months. Sky Sports is launching a weekday mid-morning football show and adding a range of content across its 11 channels, digital and social platforms in an attempt to “give viewers their sporting fix during these times of national […]
Sky Sports turns to international horse racing during UK hiatus
The broadcaster has found some live sport to fill the schedule this weekend Sky Sports has found some live sport to broadcast this weekend, in the form of international horse racing. Events in the US, Hong Kong, and Australia are still going ahead despite the coronavirus crisis that has seen the majority of sport postponed […]
Sky and BT could lose over £900m if sport remains postponed until August
Enders Analysis has looked into the impact of a long-term pause in live sport Sky and BT could lose £928m if live sport is suspended until August, claims a report from Enders Analysis. The broadcasters have been hit by postponements to live events as part of measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, […]
Industry figure warns of ‘huge decline’ in Premier League broadcast income
Sports Lawyer Richard Cramer has some dramatic predictions for the sport industry Sports lawyer Richard Cramer believes the Premier League could lose money on broadcasting rights deals if the current coronavirus lockdown continues. Speaking to the The Sun, Cramer points to a lack of Sky subscriptions potentially causing the company to re-evaluate its huge rights […]
Premier League and UK football suspended until 30 April, season extended
This will give broadcasters more idea of how long they will have to plan for The Premier League, EFL, WSL, and FA have decided to further postpone their competitions until 30 April at the earliest. In addition, the FA’s board has agreed to alter the rule that states “the season shall terminate not later than […]
Sky reveals offer to pause sports subscriptions during coronavirus postponements
The pay-tv broadcaster will also stop billing commercial clients Sky has offered to pause payments on sports subscriptions for all residential customers. The pay-tv broadcaster has also revealed that it has stopped billing commercial clients such as pubs and bars as of 14 March. Sky has seen a number of sport competitions that it holds […]
Premier League fears broadcasters may sue over postponed season
The league has plans to fight back if Sky and BT move to recoup losses The Premier League is concerned that broadcasters may attempt to sue them over postponed matches, according to reports. The Daily Mail has reported that clubs are worried about the repercussions were they unable to complete the current season by 31 […]
Sky Sports follows BT Sport with coronavirus statement
The broadcaster is also refusing to refund customers Sky Sports has released a statement regarding the coronavirus’ impact on the sporting calendar. With major sporting events from around the world cancelling or postponing their events, it has left the broadcaster without much live content for its channels. This had left customers wondering if they would […]
BBC director general expects Six Nations to ‘probably’ go behind paywall despite bidding plan
Tony Hall does not hold high hopes for stopping pay-tv providers BBC director general Tony Hall has revealed how the BBC and ITV hope to keep the Six Nations free-to-air. Speaking at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport hearing on the work of the BBC on Thursday, Hall revealed that the public broadcaster is currently […]
Coronavirus could force free-to-air Premier League and pause of 3pm blackout
Administrators and broadcasters have met to discuss options The FA is likely to allow the screening of games during the 3pm blackout if the coronavirus forces games to be played behind closed doors. In addition, Sky and BT could be asked to make games free-to-air, reports The Times. However, steps would also be taken to […]
Sky Creative Agency releases F1 promo
The first grand prix will take place next weekend Sky Creative Agency has released its campaign for the new Formula One season. As part of the TV, radio, print, social and digital campaign, the company has delivered a promotional video starring drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for Sky Sports. Filmed across four continents in […]
Sky Sports to increase women’s coverage
The broadcaster is looking to improve both digital and broadcast output Sky Sports is to expand its coverage of women’s sport events. The broadcaster is to increase output on its TV channels as well as its digital content through YouTube. The women’s Six Nations, WNBA, Netball Superleague, and women’s cricket are among the events and […]
Could we be seeing the end of pay-tv packages?
Tomos Jones, senior associate at Reed Smith, takes a look at the future of sports broadcasting models What can we learn from recent developments in the pay television sector? Everything from Disney’s deal with Sky to place the new Disney+ service on Sky’s top boxes, to BT’s new packaging structure and the recent news that […]
Six Nations refuse BBC/ITV joint bid to leave door open for Sky
It would be the first time in two decades it has gone behind a paywall It has been reported that the Six Nations has refused to let the BBC and ITV make a combined bid for the competition in the next set of TV rights bidding. This could leave the door open for Sky Sports, […]
Sky launches first TV packages combining Sky Sports and BT Sport
They’ve never been offered together on Sky TV before Sky has launched new TV packages including both Sky Sports and BT Sport together for the first time. Three new packages have been introduced with BT Sport attached on 18-month contracts. These additions come on the same day as BT begins to offer Sky Sports and […]
Sky Sports secures exclusive IPL rights
It has signed a three-year deal to show the cricket tournament Sky Sports has secured a three-year deal to exclusively show the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UK. The broadcaster held the rights to the T20 tournament from 2015-18, but lost out to BT Sports at the last minute for 2019. It had been […]
Premier League exec director on why not to go D2C
Any move by the Premier League to go direct-to-consumer (D2C) will present significant challenges, reveals exec director William Bush Premier League executive director William Bush has revealed some of the barriers to entry to launching its own global D2C service. It follows the Premier League announcing plans to make its first moves into OTT, with […]
BT Sport wins rights to Fury vs Wilder rematch
Broadcaster trumps Sky’s reported £10m bid BT Sport has won the UK television rights for Tyson Fury’s rematch with Deontay Wilder, beating off a reported bid of more than £10m by Sky Sports Box Office. BT Sport Box Office’s coverage from Las Vegas on February 22nd will be available not only to their regular customers but […]
Barney Francis to leave Sky
Senior sports executive to depart later this year Senior Sky Sports executive Barney Francis is to leave the broadcaster after more than 20 years. Francis, who will leave later this year, was managing director of Sky Sports for ten years until he was appointed as chief executive of future sport last May. The move was […]
VIDEO: Virtual Studios and sports graphics
A detailed discussion with practical examples of top-end virtual studio setups from the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2019 The virtual studios and sports graphics panel discussion from the Broadcast Sport Tech Innovation Forum 2019 held at BT Sport studio on 14 November 2019. To find out more about the annual event, head over to http://broadcasttech.co.uk/sports-tech-innovation/ […]
BT Sport retains Champions League rights in £1.2bn deal
Broadcaster fended off bids from ITV and Sky BT Sport has retained the rights to broadcast Champions League games for another three seasons in a deal worth £1.2 billion. The new deal is worth £400m a year, slightly up on the 2018-2021 rights cycle which is worth £394m a year. As such, UEFA has protected […]
Six Day Series: Fast track to success
Revitalising one of cycling’s first ever track events, the Six Day Series is making innovative use of data to educate first-time fans and grow its audience The growth in shorter TV sports formats, marrying cutting-edge on-screen technologies with rousing in-stadium entertainment, continues at full pace. Cycling’s version – the Six Day Series – hit its […]