Why is BT Sport changing its name to TNT Sport? How will it impact customers

Sports broadcasting channel BT Sport is set to rebrand itself over the summer with a new name which means that Premier League and Champions League football will be shown on a different channel in the near future.

The news of the change was announced in February 2023 and BT Sport will be known as TNT Sport during the 2023/24 football season.

BT Sport has televised Premier League matches since 2013 each weekend, and it has been the exclusive broadcaster of the Champions League and Europa League since 2015. 

The news of the rebrand comes as a major shakeup to the world of football broadcasting but why have the broadcasters changed the name of the channel and what does it mean for viewers in the UK?

Here is everything you need to know.

Why is BT Sport changing its name?

BT Sport is changing its name to TNT sports as part of a negotiated joint venture with Warner Bros Discovery which combines the two respective networks.

Warner Bros Discovery is a multinational mass media conglomerate that operates many of the world’s biggest TV brands including CNN and HBO.

TNT Sports is a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery and it is already a live sports broadcaster in other areas in the world which shows domestic and European football. Football fans in Latin America are likely to be familiar with the name and TNT Sports operates in a range of countries around the world within South America.

The broadcasting giant also shows a range of other sports in these areas including NBA, NHL and NCAA.

What has been said about BT Sport rebrand?

Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe president and managing director Andrew Georgiou expressed his delight at the partnership with BT Sport.

He said: “The TNT Sports name is already synonymous with premium live sport in a number of countries around the world and a further sign of the global scale and expertise that Warner Bros Discovery brings to its partnership with BT.”

The CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, Marc Allera described the partnership as an important move and claims it brings the best qualities of both companies together.

Allera added: “We’ve announced that we’re making another important move in our plans with Warner Bros Discovery to bring together the best of BT Sport and Eurosport under one roof.

“TNT Sports is the new name that will replace BT Sport from July 2023. This marks the next logical step for BT Sport as well as the broader transformation of BT’s consumer business.”

“Once launched it’ll become a hugely exciting new premium sports offering for customers. I’m really proud of our teams, who have been working at pace to create a more efficient platform that’ll see sports brands in the UK and Ireland brought to life for the first time before the 2023/24 football season.”

Eurosport is set to be incorporated into the TNT Sports name in the near future but it will remain its own entity until after the 2024 Olympic Games because it’s a rightsholder for the event in Paris.

What does the change mean for existing BT Sport subscribers?

No price changes have been announced for existing BT Sports subscribers but changes have not been ruled out ahead of the upcoming rebrand.

BT Sport is expected to simply become TNT Sports for television viewers with no new channel to tune into.

The BT Sport app also receives a makeover as a result of the change and Discovery+ is set to become the new live streaming home of the channel.