BT says its TV customers will be able to add Sky Sports 1 and 2 to their YouView set top boxes from today.
The channels were at the centre of a four year legal dispute between the ISP and rival Sky which had declined to wholesale them to BT.
In November the Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that an Ofcom ruling forcing Sky to offer the channels to rivals applied to BT’s newer YouView boxes and not just to its ageing Vision+ boxes.
The absence of a deal to offer the channels via YouView had forced BT to continue selling the less capable Vision+ devices to anyone wishing to add Sky Sports.
However it says it will now withdraw these from sale.
Today’s announcement means BT YouView customers are now able to enjoy the full range of Barclays Premier League football games, 116 of which are aired by the satellite giant.
However customers will not have access to Sky Sports 5 which was recently added to Vision+ boxes.
BT will offer Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 for £22 a month or £16.50 a month for one or the other of the channels, allowing customers the flexibility to opt in and out of the Sky Sports channels with 30 days’ notice.
Delia Bushell, managing director of BT TV and BT Sport, said: “This is a pivotal moment for our ambitions in TV.
“We are delighted to now be able to offer a stronger range of premium sports programming on our YouView boxes, adding to the recent launch of Netflix.
“The ability to bundle together great content on our most advanced set top box will underpin our aim to sell BT TV to more of our broadband customers and to accelerate the number of our customers who take a triple play bundle from us.”
BT says existing customers who already pay for Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 will usually be able to swap their Vision+ box for a YouView+ box for just £35 at the end of their current contract, provided they already take, or upgrade to, its Infinity fibre broadband service.
