Just 24 hours after it was revealed that BT had approached the Premier League to approve a takeover of BT Sport by DAZN, Discovery has taken swift action to ensure it doesn’t lose out.
This morning, it was confirmed BT and Discovery have entered exclusive talks over a merger of their sports channels. BT Sport would join forces with Eurosport.
Under the proposals announced to BT investors, the deal won’t fully complete until the next football season, meaning current coverage is unaffected.
As a sweetener, the proposed deal will also unlock access to Discovery+ on BT TV.
Discovery’s intervention means DAZN looks set to lose out on BT Sport at the very last minute.
At this stage, it’s not known whether current rights holders, which need to approve any change in ownership, vetoed the DAZN takeover. Previous reports also indicated the DAZN takeover faced objections from platform operators carrying BT Sport.