With the TNT Sports launch just around the corner, some fans need to brace themselves for a costly twist.
Evolving from the BT Sport-Discovery/Eurosport merger, TNT Sports isn’t just adding a new dimension to the Discovery+ streaming service – it’s also set to add an extra cost.
As the countdown to its launch on July 18, 2023 continues, we can now reveal even more details about the upcoming TNT Sports channels, and in particular – the way they’re going to integrate with the Discovery+ streaming service.
Cord Busters now understands that TNT Sports will be an extra, “Premium” tier on Discovery+, and will therefore cost more than the current £6.99/month “Discovery+ Entertainment and Sports” tier (even for existing Discovery+ customers – see more on that below).
Discovery+ will therefore have three separate tiers, starting on July 18 – Entertainment (£3.99/m), Entertainment & Sport, which includes Eurosport (£6.99/m), and the third tier – which will include TNT Sports – at a yet undisclosed price.
BT Sport customers, however (either via BT, Sky, Virgin Media or the Monthly Pass) – won’t have to pay extra (for now, at least), and will be getting access to Discovery+, along with all of its tiers, at no extra cost, after the transformation into TNT Sports.
Unpacking TNT Sports
TNT Sports is the result of an ambitious merger between BT Sport, a major force in the UK sports broadcasting industry, and Discovery/Eurosport.
For years, BT Sport was an integral part of traditional pay-TV subscriptions from providers such as Sky and BT.
Over time, BT Sport evolved and, in 2019, introduced a monthly, no-contract streaming version known as BT Sport Monthly Pass.
On the other side of the merger is Eurosport, a Warner Bros. Discovery-owned French sports TV network with an impressive international reach.
With broadcasting rights for a multitude of global sports events, Eurosport has secured its position on multiple pay-TV platforms and, importantly, on the Discovery+ streaming service, when it launched in the UK a few years ago.
When BT Sport and Discovery/Eurosport decided to merge in May 2022, TNT Sports was the result.
The goal of the merger was to unify the TV and streaming rights of both services under a single brand, thereby offering a more extensive range of sports content.
The TNT Sports name, while not entirely new to Warner Bros. Discovery’s audiences in Latin America and the US, is certainly a fresh face in the UK.
Therefore, on July 18, TNT Sports is set to replace BT Sport, operating in conjunction with Eurosport under the umbrella of Discovery+, as well as across Sky, Virgin Media, and BT TV’s platforms.
At first, TNT Sports and Eurosport will continue to function as two separate brands – but the intention is to bring them together under a single TNT Sports brand in the future.
Eventually, this service aims to present a consolidated offering, bringing together the rich broadcasting rights of both BT Sport and Eurosport.
From UEFA Champions League and Premier League matches to UFC, WWE, Boxing, and the exclusive pay-TV broadcast rights for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – TNT Sports and Eurosport will present a compelling assortment of sports content on Discovery+.
See more highlights from TNT Sports’ launch week here.
TNT Pricing: A Premium Tier On Discovery+
Starting July 18, TNT Sports will become a part of the Discovery+ streaming service, which offers lifestyle, entertainment and reality shows, along with sports – Eurosport for now, and TNT Sports soon.
Currently, the premium paid tier on Discovery+ in the UK has TWO separate plans: Entertainment (£3.99/month or £39.99/year) and Entertainment + Sports (£6.99/month or £59.99/year) – which also includes the content that used to reside on Eurosport Player (which was phased out as a standalone streaming platform some time ago).
Once BT Sport becomes TNT Sports, with its streaming version moving under the Discovery+ umbrella – a new “Premium” tier will be added to Discovery+, which will include TNT Sports.
This means that new or existing customers (even those on the annual plan), will have to pay extra if they wish to add TNT Sports to their Discovery+ subscription (the exact pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet, and will be announced soon).
Existing annual subscribers will be able to add the TNT Sports tier as a paid add-on to their existing subscription, while new subscribers will have the option to subscribe to the “full” bundle – which will include Discovery+ Entertainment, Eurosport and TNT Sports.
It’s worth noting, however, that the pricing for existing BT Sport subscribers on the pay-TV platforms (Sky, Virgin Media and BT TV) will remain the same with the switch to TNT Sports.
Therefore, if you’re already under contract and paying for BT Sport via one of the pay-TV companies, you will continue to get access to BT Sport (then TNT Sports), as well as access to Discovery+, at no extra cost.
With the exact prices still unknown, it remains to be seen whether the streaming version of TNT Sports will be competitive when compared to the pay-TV editions of BT Sport – but we’ll publish a full comparison once pricing is announced.
Either way, with the launch date looming, TNT Sports is set to redefine sports streaming in the UK.
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At the rate we are going you will need to be a lottery winner to afford all the different packages on offer from TV companies, but still the dreaded BBC License fee on top of all these different packages. Thank god TV does not interest me wherever it comes from .
When will Bt/TNT have a channel solely for football ,many like myself aren’t interested in the other sports in the package.
How about every premier league side has the right to broadcast its own games to its subscribed fans via the Internet.
I know it’s unlikely the bigwigs at the Sky company
would be unlikely to allow this,but a man can dream.
I’m guessing everything is largely also unchanged for those who subscribe as part of their EE contract as an extra?
Aside from using discovery+ going forward from July 18.
It’s good that they have everything together however they have to make different packages and tiers as people are not going to pay more because they wanted to bundle everything together.
We have to remember BT Sport have a huge portion of their subscribers from fans of niche sports that have no interest in anything else, those are the ones that made up the numbers and brought a whole new audience in.
If they have different price packages and bundles to suit everyone they will be huge.
Their streaming quality also is very good by the way.
What I don’t like is increased prices to get extra stuff that’s covered on BT sports soon to be TNT sports, but what I do like consolidating most of BT and Eurosport’s sporting coverage into one solo streaming app of Discovery+. It’s Making Discovery+ as a service more valued especially seeing the sports that BT/TNT sports has on it’s service.