UK cable-television broadcaster Virgin Media is close to agreeing a deal to carry pay-television broadcaster BT Sport’s three new sports channels, according to the Broadcast Now website.
BT’s new sports service is set to launch on August 1 and a deal with Virgin would open it up to a further four million potential customers in the UK.
The two parties have been in negotiations for a number of months, with one of the sticking points understood to be whether Virgin will bundle the new channels in with its TV XL premium package – the route it previously took with ESPN’s sports content – or whether it will charge for them as a standalone product.
BT Sport is being sold as a standalone channel through pay-television operator BSkyB for £12 (€14/$18) per month in standard definition and £15 per month in high definition.