BT chief expects Sky deal

Marc Watson, the chief executive of UK telecommunications company BT’s television arm, expects to strike a deal eventually with pay-television broadcaster BSkyB that would allow the two rivals to broadcast each other’s sports channels.

BT’s sports service, BT Sport, is currently available via satellite television in the UK, but not through the Sky platform. Meanwhile, Sky has withheld its premium sports channels from BT’s internet television service YouView.

The prospect of a wholesale agreement allowing the sharing of content between BT and Sky has been mooted, and Watson told the Wall Street Journal newspaper that a deal “makes sense for both sides.” However, he admitted that a number of sticking points remain before an agreement can be reached and added that a deal is not expected in the “immediate future.”

“We have always been willing to do a commercial deal with Sky, but only one that works for both sides,” Watson said. “If they want all our content, we are going to want all of theirs. That, we think, is a reasonable position, and we want it on reasonable terms.”

Sky spokesman Stephen Gaynor added: “We are eager to get a wholesale agreement with BT but it has to be a two-way relationship, so we'd want reciprocity of supply.”