Eurosport UK and BT Sport brands will merge

WBD BT

Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Sport has completed their deal to form a 50:50 joint venture, with all assets transfered to the new company.

It has been confirmed that while BT Sport and Eurosport UK will retain their separate brands for now, the pair will merge after an undefined period of time. The eventual plan is to launch a new sports brand in the UK, presenting its content alongside Warner Bros. Discovery’s entertainment offering.

For now, UK consumers will continue to access Eurosport and BT Sport in the same ways they are currently able to. 

The joint venture will be run by Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe. Georgiou spoke to Broadcast Sport about the plans for the joint venture earlier this year. Scott Young, SVP content and production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, will oversee content and production for the joint venture, with Jamie Hindhaugh and Jamie Steward to continue leading production at BT Sport and Eurosport respectively for now.

The joint venture’s board of directors has equal representation of Warner Bros. Discovery and BT, with Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division, the first chairperson - with the position to be nominated by each shareholder on a rotating basis. Georgiou is also a member of the board.

When the brands are united, they will offer a broad range of rights, 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 World Cup season.

Allera said: “As we enter our ninth season, today is day one of an exciting new chapter for BT Sport. I am extremely proud of the teams and the established brand and broadcaster that BT Sport has become, and I look forward to working with Warner Bros. Discovery to create an exciting new sport TV offering for the UK.”

Georgiou commented: “Today marks the start of our journey to build a new sports destination for fans in the U.K and Ireland. Combining BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. together with Warner Bros. Discovery’s world-class and growing entertainment offering will result in an exciting new proposition for consumers.

“It’s important for fans to know they can continue to enjoy BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. as they do today and we’ll keep them updated on future plans as soon as we can. We are pleased the transaction has closed and we can now further engage all stakeholders in the process of establishing the JV and developing its extensive combined sports offer.”

The terms of the joint venture were agreed back in May, after Warner Bros. Discovery beat competition from DAZN to the BT Sport stake. The CMA approved the deal in July.