Sky Sports Offers Customers Free Broadband Service In Pay-TV War With BT

Sky Sports "is offering free Sky Fibre as part of its marketing push for the start of what it calls its 'biggest season ever' of Premier League football, which includes a record 126 live TV games and digital video clips for the first time," according to Gideon Spanier of CAMPAIGN LIVE. BT's broadband customers "have got free TV football since 2013." It has 42 live Premier League games this season. Sky TV Brand Dir Luke Bradley-Jones said that the fibre broadband offer "is part of an effort to ensure customers 'get more value out of their subscriptions.'" Sky has recruited David Beckham to star in its "'start of the season' ad." Beckham "is a safe choice" but Bradley-Jones said, "Beckham always has such cut-through appeal. Everyone wants to do an advert with Becks." Bradley-Jones added the marketing spend was "pretty chunky," with outdoor ads about specific clubs such as West Bromwich Albion tailored to their local area, but he declined to give a figure for the budget (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 7/22).