BT Sport: Discovery offers to create a joint venture to counter proposed sale to DAZN (press)

The American broadcasting group Discovery, parent company of the pay-TV group Eurosport, is in discussions with the British telecommunications operator BT regarding its pay-TV subsidiary BT Sport, in an effort to form a joint venture between the two entities, according to British newspapers Financial Times and The Telegraph on 05/12/2021.

BT had confirmed that it was studying the possibility of selling all or part of its subsidiary BT Sport, on 29/04/2021. The UK-based OTT sports platform DAZN was in advanced discussions to acquire BT Sport, according to the Financial Times on 21/09/2021. The British daily now explains that BT executives have begun to consider an agreement with Discovery over the past couple of months, after talks over the sale of BT Sport to DAZN have stalled over commercial details. Among the specifics to be worked out is the future of the cross-distribution agreements between BT and its rival Sky.

BT is expected to make a decision by the end of 2021. The American e-commerce group Amazon and the media and entertainment conglomerate The Walt Disney Company were also…