BT Sport Broadcast Of Scottish Second Division Match Draws 24,000 In 'Patchy Start'

BT Sport's coverage of top British football got off to "a patchy start with nearly twice as many people attending one of its early showpiece Scottish encounters than watching it on the BT Sport channel," according to John Reynolds of the London GUARDIAN. The early season encounter between Scottish Second Division clubs Rangers and Brechin City is "the first time BT has shown a live game featuring the Scottish footballing giant." However, an "average of just 24,000 watched" the game, "dwarfed by the 44,800 who attended the match at Ibrox." BT said that it was "'very pleased' with the viewing figures given that BT Sport is less than two weeks old." BT also "pointed to comparative figures for matches screened by rival BSkyB in the past." A BT spokesperson said, "Sky Sports allegedly have five times our audience yet they only attracted twice as many viewers to similar Rangers games last season, as well as some top tier clashes from the Scottish Premier League" (GUARDIAN, 8/13).