BT Sport to remain free for pubs and clubs in July and discounted until 2021

• BT Sport free until August

• BT Sport launches a Back to Business offer, customers who re-contract will not have to pay full price until 2021 and will experience an average saving of 50% off their monthly charges from July to December.

• BT Sport offer digital skills programme to help pubs and clubs post COVID-19 pandemic

BT Sport have today announced that it will remain free for pubs and clubs until August, recognising the extremely difficult circumstances that the on-trade industry faces as they plan to reopen post lockdown.

From August, existing customers who re-contract will receive a Back to Business offer, which will apply a 70% discount on a customer’s charges in August. The discount will then decrease on a monthly basis until the end of the year, when standard charges will resume. This means from July to December, customers taking the offer will experience an average saving of 50% every month.

Bruce Cuthbert, director of commercial customers, BT Sport said: “We recognise that when pubs re-open they will be operating within challenging restrictions whilst trying to reconnect with their customers and communities. During this time we are committed to supporting our customers and helping them get back to business in a sustainable way. We hope that our approach, along with the free digital training we are offering to the industry, will help pubs and clubs make a strong recovery from the impact of Covid-19.”

Pubs and clubs who want to show live sport in their venue must adhere to the government guidelines, including maintaining social distancing and ensuring that customers do not unduly raise their voices. It is advised that when showing live sport that the volume is kept low and that customers are encouraged not to raise their voices and maintain social distancing.

This summer BT Sport customers will be able to show live football from the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Announced earlier this month, BT Sport is offering free digital support and training to pubs and clubs to help them overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme follows on from previous work with Google and will be split into three areas: online webinars, instructional videos and 1-2-1 digital training for BT Sport customers.

Three webinars are available on the BT Business YouTube page, each tailored to the hospitality sector and on-trade market and are open for anyone to join. The webinars have been created with help from the BII, Hospitality Ulster and Club Mirror and cover how venues can use an online presence to drive footfall and boost consumer confidence.

In addition to the webinars, later this month a series of short, instructional videos will be released on BT’s website and social media which cover a range of topics and also address potential solutions to the problems posed by the pandemic.

BT Sport customers will also have access to 1-2-1 digital training with the BT Sport team. Sessions can be booked online and will be run over Skype, with specially trained BT agents who are on hand to help you and your venue. These will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a place, visit: https://btsportprint.co.uk/digital-learning