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TRENDING
June 28, 2024
Virgin Media and TNT Sports Negotiations
Virgin is understood to have argued that its cost per subscriber has risen sharply due to declining viewership.
US - Virgin Media customers risk losing access to the
Saturday lunchtime Premier League match if negotiations with TNT Sports do not
reach a satisfactory conclusion. TNT Sports, a joint venture between BT and
Warner Bros Discovery, is currently in a “hot dispute” with Virgin.
Virgin Media seeks a
“significant” price reduction for a new three-year deal. They argue that their
cost per subscriber has risen due to declining viewing figures on the channel. TNT
Sports aims to maintain the existing terms of their agreement. The current
contract has one month remaining, and discussions are ongoing.
Both Virgin and
Warner Bros have previously been part of protracted carriage disputes, in 2018
Virgin Media failed to reach agreement with UKTV, while a year early Discovery
was involved in a series of disputes with Scandinavian broadcasters.
TNT Sports holds
rights to Premiership Rugby, Autumn Nations Rugby, and International Cricket
played in Australia, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Its sister channel
Eurosport is not part of the negotiations.
Both Virgin Media and
TNT Sports declined to comment on the situation.
