Eurosport is dead, Long Live Eurosport
Today (28 February 2025) saw an era of television in the UK come to an end. Eurosport linear channels ceased broadcasting in the United Kingdom at 0200, with its content integrated into TNT Sports, a decision which has divided opinion and upset some. 36 years of Eurosport broadcasting in the UK have come to an end. Eurosport was launched in 1989 as a Joint Venture between the European Broadcasting Union and Sky, before being taken over by TF1 Group in 1991. In 2015 Discovery Communications assumed full control of Eurosport, announcing their first pan-European deal to broadcast the Olympic Games, then in 2022 Warner Bros Discovery entered a into an agreement to form a joint venture with BT, merging the operations of BT Sport and Eurosport UK.
WBD Sports said "Delivering on an ambition set out ahead of TNT Sports’ launch in 2023, this now creates a single destination for an incredible line-up of live sport that - from 28 February – will bring Australian Open & Roland-Garros tennis, Grand Tour cycling, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event, British and World Superbikes, snooker and the Olympic Games 2026-2032 alongside the Premier League, UEFA European club football, Premiership men’s and women’s rugby, MotoGP, international cricket, UFC and boxing, all available on TNT Sports and its streaming home, discovery+."
Scott Young, Group SVP, Content, Production & Business Operations, WBD Sports Europe, said: “Combining Eurosport and TNT Sports content in the UK and Ireland will enable us to offer a single, premium viewing experience for sports fans. This move in the UK and Ireland will also continue to best deliver value for our leagues and federation partners, as we continue our 35 years plus commitment to investment and championing of sport on our screens, which remains a fundamental part of the success of grassroots through to elite."
Whilst I am sad at the end of an era, others are quite angry and despondent about the change, and the increase in price to watch the particular sports which Eurosport was renowned for, with a significant backlash on social media:
Myra from Paisley said "Disgusted at the closure of the channels."
Gill from Whitby said "Well we only got to watch 1 day of Trondheim (Nordic Combined Skiing) on Eurosport.. Turned off tonight.. Tied into a Sky package and the main channel I watch gone.. 😡. I will not pay £31 to fund football TV rights... I don't watch it and never will..."
Julie from Irvine said "why has eurosport been axed from sky tv? Not ok. It was part of my package to be replaced by TNT more money not going to do"
Les from Ross on Wye said "Not interested. Cycling only. Boycott TNT."
Martyn from Lymington said "I will miss Eurosport but I'm not paying £30/month for TNT/Discovery and a lot stuff I will never watch. They need to have a rethink!"
Neal from Birmingham said "Unfortunately I can’t afford TNT so will only be able to watch the Tour when ITV show it this year only!!!! Really sad to be missing the Classics and the bulk of stage racing 😢😡😡😡"
George from Enniscorthy said "Watched Eurosport for years .I am a keen cycling fan and as much as I love cycling I will not pay 31 euros to watch it.I think it is a big mistake by TNT to expect everyone to pay 31 euros. Not good for the sport of cycling."
Wendy said "So pissed off about the change - no more cycling for me with this fabulous bunch."
Liz said "I’m so gutted to miss all the races this year due to the massive price hike, not interested in other sports but I did love watching the tours and classics. Another viewer and fan priced out of the fan base …"
Previously, Eurosport was available on Discovery+ for £6.99 per month, and there was an option to sign up to TNT Sports, alongside everything else on Discovery+ for £30.99 per month. Now the cheaper option, along with Eurosport, has disappeared. Another fan stated it "wasn't value for money", however I do have to wholeheartedly disagree with that sentiment. £30.99 for all of the below sport, and multiple other channels from the Discovery family is very much value for money, and especially competitive when compared to NOW from Sky, which is a similar price just for sports.
TNT Sports on Discovery+ is now the home of: Olympic Games, Olympic Winter Games, Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Serie A, FA Community Shield, FA Trophy, FA Vase, A League Men, A League Women, Premiership Rugby, Autumn Nations Series, HSBC SVNS, Premiership Women's Rugby, Cricket Australia Tests, ODI and T20, Indian Cricket Tests, ODI and T20, Major League Cricket, Wimbledon Finals, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Laver Cup, FIA Formula E World Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, British Superbikes, Speedway Great Britain Premiership, Speedway Grand Prix, World Superbikes, UFC, World University Games, World Athletics Championships, London Marathon, Paris Marathon, Boston Marathon, New York Marathon, World Snooker Championship, UK Championship, Masters Snooker, World Snooker Tour, The Boat Race, World Rowing Championships, European Rowing Championships, World Rowing Cup, Tour de France, Giro D'Italia, Vuelta a España, UCI World Tour, Tour de France Femmes, World Aquatics Championships, European Swimming Championships, European Short Course Swimming Championships, Super League Triathlon, European Gymnastics Championships, NBA (until end of 2025 season), Major League Baseball, FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, FIS Cross Country Ski World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, FIS Snow Jumping World Cup, FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup, FIS Snowboard World Cup, The Snow League, FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships, Nordic Skiing World Championships, America's Cup, Sail GP, BWF World Tour, BWF World Championships, All England Badminton Championships, PSA World Tour, World Squash Championships, Australian Football League, Supercars Australia Championship, WHOOP Mountain Bike World Series
In addition to all this sporting action, you are paying for Discovery+ Originals, Discovery, Animal Planet, QUEST, QUEST RED, Food Network, TLC, Motortrend, SCI and DMAX, and from 2026 Discovery+ will become MAX in the UK, as it will across much of the world, further expanding the content available. HBO, Warner Bros Pictures, DC Entertainment, CNN, and much more. MAX will be the ultimate Entertainment, News and sports streaming platform, available on every device imaginable, and clearly a genuine rival for Sky in the UK, which is why Sky have been keen to do a deal to carry MAX for subscribers on their platform. It is key for WBD though, that you do not require Sky to view their content, and you can stream MAX wherever you are, on whatever device you are using.
In my opinion today is a sad day. Eurosport is unique, and it has played a unique role in the history of sports television in the UK. Eurosport, the way they cover sport, and the sports they cover, largely do not align with the TNT Sports or its audience. It is sad to see Eurosport disappear from our screens, with two separate British and pan-European Brands (BT Sport and Eurosport) become a single American sports brand, TNT. But the issue for Warner Bros Discovery is that TNT Sports is only in the UK, the rest of Europe, and much of the world where it is available, is still receiving Eurosport, and there will inevitably be crossover and confusion in the UK. So perhaps they should pivot, and use the brand and name they use for the unit which operates both TNT and Eurosport - WBD Sports, maybe even just calling it WB (Warner Bros) Sports.
WarnerMedia and Discovery Communications merged in 2022, creating Warner Bros Discovery, and CEO David Zaslav said "I can’t wait for both teams to come together to make Warner Bros. Discovery the best place for impactful storytelling.” That is what Warner Bros Discovery is about - storytelling.
Warner Bros through its movies, award-winning TV series from HBO and other iconic brands such as DC, Looney Tunes and Harry Potter, and Discovery for its incredible breadth of documentaries and entertainment from Discovery Channel and Animal Planet among others is perhaps the ultimate storytelling combination. It is the principle of storytelling that they should put above all others for its coverage of sport, and they should lean into the iconic Warner Bros brand, which is familiar to everyone across the world.
Eurosport let the sport do the talking, unlike Sky Sports, their coverage was not personality driven, unlike Sky Sports. WBD must continue to do the same as they evolve.
From 2026 MAX will be available in more than 70 countries worldwide, in contrast to Sky being available in UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. This still is some way behind DAZN, which is available in 200 countries worldwide, but it is arguable WBD has the greater depth and breadth of sports content, and backed by one of the world's premier media companies, MAX and WBD Sports could battle DAZN for global domination of sports broadcasting.
No other broadcaster has the rights portfolio which WBD Sports has right now, and it can get even better if they really want it to.
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