Broadcast from the Olympic Park in East London, the channels offer 38 Barclays Premier League games, exclusive Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) coverage and 800 hours of live tennis, including the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships.
Existing and new BT broadband customers can view the channels on their smartphones, tablets and PCs. Those wanting to watch on their TV can do so via a BT Vision+ set-top-box, a YouView box connected to BT’s Infinity broadband or a Sky+ box.
All BT broadband customers, including those with Sky TV get the channels for free, Sky customers with a different broadband supplier can buy the channels directly from BT for £12 per month.
BT says the 1m figure announced today includes those receiving the channels for free and those paying a separate subscription.
The company has previously said the channels are a key part of its strategy to retain and grow its broadband customer base.
Social media reports suggest BT’s call centres have been flooded with calls from sports fans wanting to sign up to the channels.
Three weeks ago the company announced it had signed up more than half a million viewers, suggesting it has since enjoyed high levels of growth as the start of the Premier League this Saturday draws near.
John Petter, BT Consumer managing director said: “We are thrilled with the initial interest shown in BT Sport and the viewing figures to date. To have a million households onboard before the Barclays Premier League has even begun is terrific. We said we would return sport to grass roots fans and they are cheering in large numbers.”
Petter added: “These are early days but we plan to make the most of this initial surge in demand as fans get excited about the football season ahead. Huge numbers of customers are signing up every day, which is testament to how fresh, vibrant and exciting the channels are. The market needed a new entrant to shake things up and that is precisely what we are doing.”