BT trademarks potential names for sports channels
By Maisie McCabe, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Monday, 22 October 2012 11:39AM
BT is considering a number of brands for its new sports channels, including BT Sport1 and 2, BT Sports1 and 2 and, if it only launches a single channel, BT SPORT.
Jake Humphrey: will host BT’s Barclays Premier League football coverage
BT, which launches its premium sports offering next year, has registered a number of trademarks at the Intellectual Property Office, including BT Sport1, BT Sport2, BT Sports1 and BT Sports2, and BT SPORT.
Sources close to BT confirmed the registered trademarks were potential brand names for the new BT sports channels, but said no decision has yet been made.
The new BT channel or channels will show the Barclays Premier League and Premiership Rugby games that BT won earlier this year, as well as other sports if it manages to win further rights.
Although there are no clashes between the Barclays Premier League and Premiership Rugby games, it is thought that many of the other sports BT is interested in could cause scheduling issues and so it would need more than one channel.
Last week, BT confirmed it had hired Simon Green, the former chief executive of boxing channel BoxNation, to run its sports channel. He will start his new role on 1 November.
Marketing's sister title Campaign revealed last month that BT was planning to scrap its BT Vision boxes and review the future of the BT Vision brand, when it begins to offer both free and pay-TV services through YouView boxes.
BT has spent tens of millions of pounds marketing its pay TV services since its launch at the end of 2006, but despite having offered Sky Sports 1 and 2 since 2010, it had just 728,000 subscribers by the end of June.
A spokesman for BT declined to comment.
Follow @MaisieMcCabeThis article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
Related articles
- BT promises to end Sky's 'rough deal' with 'free' BT Sport
- Ofcom to probe Sky's refusal to carry BT Sport ads
- BT confirms deal to buy ESPN UK&I
- We'll call you: BT
- ITV pulls out of BT sports channel ad sales pitch
- BT aims for brand revival with its big content gamble
- BT extends relationship with WPP's Maxus
- YouView loses trademark appeal
- BT Vision adds British Eurosport to the line-up
- BT expands BT Vision to reach more than 750,000 customers
- BT plans overhaul of pay-TV brand
- Humphrey quits BBC for BT's fledgling sports channel
- BT signs exclusive £152m Premiership Rugby broadcast deal
- BT takes Premier League rights off ESPN
- BT Vision subscriber push flops
- BT heralds new era of pay-TV and Sky Sports
Additional Information
Campaign Jobs
- Digital Account Director - Creative Agency - London Sphere Digital 50-70k +bonus +benefits, London, South East
- Managing Director - Equity potential DU Group £120,000 - £150,000, South Oxfordshire
- Social Media Manager-International Media Agency Norton Leigh up to 40k plus benefits, Central London
- Web Designer:- (Fashion Web, Digital, Layout, Conceptual) Creative Recruitment £35000 - £45000 per annum + Negotiable, London
- Web & Print Designer (Integrated, Visual, Print, Digital) Creative Recruitment £30000 - £35000 per annum + Negotiable, Waltham Abbey
Most viewed
Most commented
-
The console is dead: The Socialisation of Gaming
The games console as we know it is dead. When Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One earlier this week, it was clear that this was more than a device that would enable you to play Call of Duty or FIFA – this was, in Microsoft’s own words, “an all-in-one home entertainment system”.
