SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
BT Sport’s Delia Bushell has said that the broadcaster would be willing to partner with any interested bookmaker wanting to offer interactive betting to viewers.
Speaking at yesterday’s launch of the new BT Sport channels, Bushell revealed that the firm had not made any firm plans for offering gambling, but was prepared to look into the possibilities.
Bushell, managing director of BT TV and Sport, had earlier announced the plans for the new BT Sport Europe channel, which will exclusively show football from the Champions League and Europa League next season. The channel will also provide an enhanced red button functionality for anyone watching through a BT box with Goal Alerts, match choice and an abundance of stats.
When asked about the potential presence of a bookmaker on the interactive service, Bushell replied: “We have no current plans around betting, but we are willing to talk to any bookmakers who are interested in being involved.”
Sky Bet has long offered interactive betting via the Sky TV platform, although the technology hasn’t always matched the necessary functionality. Given that BT’s technology uses the fibre optic broadband network, adding in a betting pathway should be much simpler.
Meanwhile BT Sport is hoping that its BT Sport Total pack for commercial premises such as betting shops and pubs will provide an enhanced service at a cheaper rate to competitors.
Bruce Cuthbert, director commercial customers at BT Sport, said: “Next season will mark a big change for commercial customers who want to maximise their takings by showing the really big UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League clashes midweek, especially as none of those games will be on ITV or Sky Sports.
“We will now offer more than double the number of games involving Premier League clubs. Up to 223 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches means 49 more mid-week match nights on BT Sport for commercial premises. At an average cost of £30 or less per match night for our customers this represents fantastic value for money. At the same time Sky Sports’ standard prices haven’t changed as they continue to charge customers the same price for a package that has lost 129 UEFA Champions League games.
“We have been successful in broadening the numbers of commercial premises that show premium sports, we have grown the pubs market by 26 per cent, and we want to show that top flight football need not come at a top price.”
Gary Lineker, Jake Humphrey and Rio Ferdinand will front the live UEFA Champions League coverage. They will join the BT Sport team which includes Paul Scholes, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman and Owen Hargreaves as well as new signings; Steven Gerrard, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Howard Webb.
