In a pivotal moment for UK sports broadcasting, the BT Sport App has officially been retired, making room for its successors: Discovery+ and the brand new TNT Sports App.
This marks a significant shift in how sports fans across the nation will consume content, from live matches to the latest news and highlights.
As we first reported in August, the closure of the BT Sport App was on the horizon – and on October 12, 2023, the BT Sport App officially closed its doors, marking the end of an era for sports enthusiasts across the UK.
Now that the day has come, it’s important to understand what this means for existing subscribers and the broader landscape of sports streaming services in the UK.
Over the years, the BT Sport app has been a go-to destination for sports fans, offering a wide range of content from the Premier League to UFC, in addition to streaming the actual live broadcasts.
The app has now been replaced by two distinct platforms: Discovery+ for streaming live (and on-demand) sports, and the TNT Sports App for news, results, and short clips.
BT Customers who were using the BT Sport app can now activate their Discovery+ accounts via BT or EE at no extra cost, but there are other subscription options as well (see below for more details).
Goodbye, BT Sport App – Hello, TNT Sports App
The new TNT Sports App aims to be a comprehensive source of sports news, results, and scores.
Unlike its predecessor, the BT Sport App, the focus here is not on live streaming but rather on providing expert commentary, analysis, and video highlights.
The app covers a wide range of sports, from football and rugby to boxing, UFC, and even MotoGP. Basically, it’s the mobile app version of the new TNT Sports website.
Football fans can rejoice as the app offers live blogs, match updates, and the latest transfer news. It covers not just the Premier League but also other top European leagues like Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1.
For rugby aficionados, the app provides news from both the Premiership Rugby and international championships like the Six Nations.
One of the features of the TNT Sports App is the ability to set breaking news alerts. Users can customise these alerts to receive updates on stories related to their favourite sports, ensuring they never miss out on any significant developments.
The app is available for free, making it accessible to a broad audience. This is a significant shift from the BT Sport App, which required a subscription for full access to its features.
The new app also offers free score tables, rankings, and calendars, allowing fans to keep up with all the action even when they are on the go.
As for videos, the app does include short highlight clips related to recent matches and sports news.
While the app does not offer live streaming, it serves as a companion to the Discovery+ app, where users can stream live sports content.
This may be somewhat confusing to those who were used to using just one app – BT Sport – for both live/on-demand streaming and news and commentary.
But with the Discovery+ app dedicated to video and streaming, it stands to reason sports news will remain on a separate app.
The Genesis Of TNT Sports
The UK sports broadcasting landscape has undergone a seismic shift with the emergence of TNT Sports, which has effectively replaced BT Sport.
This transformation is the result of a strategic merger between BT Sport and Warner Bros. Discovery/Eurosport.
BT Sport has been a significant player in the UK’s sports broadcasting scene since its launch in 2013, boasting an impressive portfolio of sports rights.
It offered a rich mix of Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League matches, along with exclusive coverage of Rugby Union’s Premiership and Heineken Cup, among other sporting events.
However, the advent of TNT Sports marks the end of that era and the beginning of a new one that promises a more extensive range of sports content under the umbrella of Discovery+.
TNT Sports Pricing and Subscription Models
One of the most talked-about aspects of this transition has been the pricing structure. TNT Sports offers a standalone subscription at £29.99 per month, which is somewhat steep – especially when compared to getting it via the pay-TV bundles.
However, this package is more than just sports coverage.
Subscribers also gain access to the Discovery+ Entertainment and Sports package, which includes a wide array of factual, reality, and lifestyle shows. This makes it a comprehensive entertainment solution.
For those subscribed to pay-TV platforms like Sky, Virgin Media, or BT, TNT Sports is available via these platforms’ TV offers, often at a cheaper rate than the standalone Discovery+ Premium version.
The pricing model becomes even more intriguing when comparing offers across various providers. For instance, Virgin Media TV offers TNT Sports as an add-on at £10/month, while it costs £18/month on BT TV, often discounted to around £12-£15/month.
However, these lower-cost alternatives often come with long-term broadband contracts, while Discovery+ offers more flexibility.
Recently, TNT Sports also became an Amazon Prime Video Channel, so viewers can subscribe to it via Amazon’s service (and app) as well, at the same standalone price of £29.99/month.
How Do I Get The New TNT Sports App?
If you already have the BT Sport app installed on your mobile phone (iOS / Android), then you should be getting an app update that will transform it into the new TNT Sports app.
Otherwise, you can search and install the new TNT Sports app from your relevant app store – whether you’re on an iPhone or an Android device.
The Discovery+ app, which – as mentioned – is a separate app, is also available on all mobile platforms, and on most streaming devices sold in the UK.
I’ve subscribed to Discovry+ in order to watch TNT Sports and watched it through our Chromecast with Google TV for the first time on 13 Oct for the Bristol v Tigers Gallagher Premiership rugby match. The viewing experience was, to put it mildly, awful. Every few minutes we had a timeline of scores overlaid on the screen causing a dark picture for a few seconds. It was very prominent (aka “in your face”) very frustrating and greatly detracted from the viewing experience. BT Sport was far far superior.