BT is ending free TNT Sports for a group of long-standing broadband customers, some of whom have had it since the channels were still called BT Sport. From October 16, keeping it will cost them £15 a month.
Affected customers have been getting an email titled “There’s a change to your TNT Sports Pack price”, which tells them that “the promotion on your TNT Sports Pack App add-on has come to an end”.
BT confirmed to Cord Busters that the change affects a specific group of BT broadband customers who received TNT Sports as part of a promotional offer.
But plenty of those customers don’t remember signing up to any promotion. On BT’s community forum, several say TNT Sports simply came with their broadband for years, and to add to the confusion, some were initially told by BT’s own customer service that the email is a scam.
Who Is Affected?
The email is going to BT broadband customers who have TNT Sports as an app add-on, letting them stream all four TNT Sports channels through an app rather than a TV box.
TNT Sports is the sports broadcaster that replaced BT Sport in July 2023, when BT’s sports channels merged with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Eurosport. It shows Premier League and UEFA Champions League football, alongside rugby, MotoGP, UFC, golf, cricket and more.
Since March, its streaming home has been HBO Max, after TNT Sports moved over from Discovery+. So BT customers with the add-on now watch it through the HBO Max app.
Free sport has been part of BT’s broadband pitch from the start. When BT Sport launched in August 2013, BT offered it to its broadband customers at no extra cost, streamed over the internet.
The terms changed over the years, but some BT broadband packages still included the BT Sport app in 2022.
Judging by the reaction on BT’s forum, some customers who never changed their broadband package have held on to that perk through every rebrand since, from BT Sport to TNT Sports, and from Discovery+ to HBO Max.
Now BT is calling time on it.
Never Told It Was Promotional
The forum thread started on September 23. One customer, who does watch TNT Sports, wrote that it had been included with their broadband for years and that they had “never been told that it was included at a ‘promotional price'”.
With the extra £15, they said their monthly bill for broadband and sport would reach £88, and that it might be time to say “bye-bye BT”.
Another said the add-on had come with their broadband for many years, but they used it roughly once a year and had no intention of paying for it. A third said they were now looking for a new broadband provider altogether.
Not everyone on the thread was outraged. Other forum members pointed out that £15 is still a big discount on the regular price, which is fair enough.
It’s still £15 a month more than these customers were paying in September.
Yes, The Email Is Real
The customer who started the thread said that when they phoned BT, a recorded message told callers about this exact email and directed them to manage their package online. When they tried, it didn’t work.
So they phoned again, and this time a billing agent told them BT hadn’t sent the email and that it was a scam, before eventually passing them to the loyalty team, who cancelled the add-on.
Another customer said both BT’s messaging service and its phone line told them the email didn’t come from BT, and that nothing was changing.
Being suspicious of an unexpected email about your bill is sensible. In this case, though, BT has confirmed to us that the change is real.
As a general rule, if you’re not sure about an email like this, don’t click its links. If you’re not sure about an email like this, don’t click its links. Go directly to the company’s official website or app, and check your account there.
Is £15 A Month Still A Good Deal?
If you watch TNT Sports regularly, yes. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get it.
BT currently lists the TNT Sports app add-on for existing BT broadband customers at £25 a month, on a one-month rolling contract.
Going direct costs more. HBO Max charges £30.99 a month for TNT Sports on a rolling plan, or £25.99 a month if you commit to 12 months on its Saver Plan.
BT’s email says £15 is “£10.99 less than buying TNT Sports direct through HBO Max”. That compares BT’s 30-day rolling price with HBO Max’s 12-month deal.
Against HBO Max’s rolling monthly price, which is the closer match, the gap is £15.99 a month, or £191.88 over a year.
For comparison, when we looked at EE TV’s line-up last month, its Sport package had a standard price of £27 a month. That does include a TV box and the channels in your TV guide, but it also means a 24-month contract.
As for future price rises, BT’s TV plans go up by £2 a month every March 31. BT told us that monthly rolling add-ons aren’t subject to its annual price rise terms in the same way as its contracted services.
That isn’t quite a promise that £15 will never change, so keep an eye on your bill.
Should You Keep It Or Cancel?
If you rarely watch, cancel before October 16. BT’s email directs customers to bt.com/manage, and affected customers can cancel the add-on if they no longer want it. If the website won’t let you, as happened to one customer, phone BT instead.
BT also told us the add-on runs on a 30-day rolling basis and is separate from your broadband agreement, so dropping TNT Sports doesn’t touch your broadband contract.
If you do watch, £15 is hard to beat. Just bear in mind that BT’s email describes it as “a price only available to our valued existing customers”. So if you cancel now and change your mind later in the season, don’t count on getting £15 back.
Rejoining could mean paying the standard £25.
Lastly, another point worth remembering: if you’re one of the affected customers, you likely haven’t touched your broadband bill for years, which most likely means you’re paying WAY more than you should for broadband. That’s the first place to start if you want to save.
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