BT resorts to Twitter in its quest for subscribers

BT is streaming a sample of its premium sports content for free over Twitter in the hope that it will lure new subscribers.

The content in question is called BT Sport Score and is the football results show. If it’s anything like those of other broadcasters it will feature a number of former footballers watching footage of games reaching their conclusions and over-reacting to every incident, however trivial (see below).

Amid somewhat disingenuous talk of BT’s commitment to make televised sport more accessible to fans, this footie teaser will be streamed via the @btsportscore Twitter handle from 19 August to UK Twitter users. The rest of BT’s football coverage will still require some kind of subscription.

“We’re delighted to be showing BT Sport Score live on Twitter,” said Simon Green, head of BT Sport. “This provides Twitter users a great chance to sample our strong programming, who will be able to watch football news and scores as they come in, whether they are at home or on the move. Innovation is at the heart of BT and we look forward to working with Twitter.”

Theo Luke, Director of EMEA Sports Partnerships, Twitter, said: “BT Sport’s innovative approach continues to transform the experience for fans on Twitter, a place where football conversation is happening live in real time every day. We’re extremely excited to collaborate with them to ensure fans on Twitter don’t miss a moment of the Saturday afternoon action.”

BT has invested heavily in sports content, with football especially expensive. Premium content forms a major part of its multiplay strategy, with the hope that it acts as a key differentiator over other ISPs, but for the investment to be justified BT needs to see a significant increase in subscribers. If this Twitter initiative pays off maybe BT can spend some of the additional revenue on proof-readers for its canned quotes.