TNT Sports Live
TNT Sports is one of the leading sports broadcasters in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It brings football, rugby, cricket, combat sports, and motorsport to millions of viewers every week. The channel has a long history under different names before becoming the brand fans know today. TNT Sports now stands as a major player in British sports broadcasting.
What is TNT Sports?
TNT Sports is a premium sports television network in the UK and Ireland. It officially replaced BT Sport in 2023 after a joint venture between BT Group and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The platform offers extensive coverage of major sports, including:
- Premier League football
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Europa League & Conference League
- Rugby, UFC, boxing, MotoGP, and more
TNT Sports holds rights to some of the biggest sporting events in the world, making it extremely popular among fans.
Football Coverage
- Premier League
- UEFA Champions League
- Europa League & Conference League
Other Sports
- Rugby Union
- UFC & boxing
- MotoGP
- Cricket and more
The History of TNT Sports
TNT Sports began its journey as BT Sport. British telecom company BT first entered the sports broadcasting market in June 2012, when it won the rights to show 38 live Premier League matches per season. This marked BT’s first major step into live sports.
BT Sport officially launched on 1 August 2013. Within days, more than one million households had subscribed to the service ahead of the new Premier League season. The channel grew quickly from there. In November 2013, BT Sport acquired the rights to the UEFA Champions League, a deal that would define the channel for the next decade.
BT Sport expanded its channel lineup over the years. It also worked with ESPN, first licensing the ESPN brand for one of its channels before later folding ESPN’s UK operations into its own network in 2015 under a long-term agreement.
A major change arrived in May 2022. BT Group announced a new joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery. This deal combined BT Sport with the UK operations of Eurosport under one shared ownership structure. The agreement was approved two months later.
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On 18 July 2023, BT Sport officially rebranded as TNT Sports across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The new name matched the TNT Sports brand already used by Warner Bros. Discovery in the United States and Latin America. The rebrand also moved the channel’s streaming home to discovery+, replacing the earlier BT Sport app and player.
TNT Sports continued to grow after the rebrand. On 28 February 2025, the network fully absorbed Eurosport UK’s live sports content. This brought properties like the French Open at Roland Garros, Grand Tour cycling events, and Winter Olympics coverage under the TNT Sports name.
TNT Sports Channels List
Understanding the TNT Sports channel lineup is essential because different matches and events are spread across multiple feeds.
TNT Sports 1
TNT Sports 1 is the main channel and carries the most high-profile events, including major Premier League matches and UEFA Champions League games. For most subscribers, this is the primary channel they will watch regularly.
TNT Sports 2
TNT Sports 2 acts as a secondary channel, broadcasting additional live matches, alternative fixtures, and overlapping sports events. During busy matchdays, especially in European competitions, TNT Sports 1 and 2 are used simultaneously.
TNT Sports 3
TNT Sports 3 provides further coverage when multiple events are scheduled at the same time. It is commonly used for the secondary football leagues matches, rugby and combat sports events.
TNT Sports 4
It expands coverage even further, ensuring that viewers don’t miss out on concurrent matches or niche sporting events.
TNT Sports 5–10 (Digital / Red Button Channels)
In addition to the main four channels, TNT Sports offers up to six extra digital channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10). These are typically accessible via red-button features or streaming apps and are used for overflow matches.
TNT Sports Ultimate
TNT Sports Ultimate is a premium channel that offers ultra HD (4K) streaming with and enhanced picture quality. This is designed for viewers who want the best possible viewing experience.
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Broadcasting Rights Acquired by TNT Sports
TNT Sports holds a wide and valuable portfolio of sports broadcasting rights. Some of these rights carry over from its BT Sport days, while others were added more recently.
Premier League Football
TNT Sports holds exclusive rights to broadcast Premier League matches in the UK. Under a deal confirmed in 2024, the network will continue showing Saturday lunchtime kickoffs and two midweek match rounds each season, with rights running through the 2028-29 season.
UEFA Champions League
TNT Sports live has been the home of Champions League football in the UK and Ireland since the 2015-16 season, originally as BT Sport. However, this rights cycle is coming to an end. Paramount has won the UK Champions League rights from the 2027-28 season through 2030-31, bringing this long-running partnership to a close.
UEFA Europa League and Conference League
TNT Sports currently holds rights to these UEFA club competitions as well. From the 2027-28 season, these rights will move to Sky Sports, ending TNT’s long association with UEFA club football across all three competitions.
FA Cup
TNT Sports holds a multi-year contract for FA Cup coverage, securing extensive third-round match broadcasts as part of its domestic football portfolio.
Rugby Union
TNT Sports live broadcasts every match of Gallagher Premiership Rugby, along with Premiership Women’s Rugby, the Investec Champions Cup, and the EPCR Challenge Cup. The network also shows the Autumn Nations Series internationals.
NBA
TNT Sports live has broadcast live NBA action in the UK, showing more than 250 games during recent seasons as part of its American sports coverage.
UFC and Boxing
The network holds rights to UFC events and major boxing fight nights, including high-profile world title bouts shown through TNT Sports Box Office.
WWE
TNT Sports carries WWE programming as part of its broader combat sports and entertainment offering in the UK.
Motorsport
TNT Sports broadcasts MotoGP and Formula E, giving fans access to two-wheel and electric motorsport racing throughout each season.
Cricket, Tennis, and Cycling
Following the Eurosport integration, TNT Sports provide live coverage of international cricket, the French Open, and Grand Tour cycling events like the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.
Olympic Games
TNT Sports holds UK rights to the Olympic Games starting with Milano Cortina 2026, continuing through until 2032, as part of the Eurosport rights it absorbed.
Verdict
TNT Sports has built one of the most recognizable sports broadcasting brands in the UK and Ireland. Its journey from BT Sport to a Warner Bros. Discovery-backed network shows how much the sports broadcasting landscape has changed over the past decade.
Even as some major rights, like the Champions League, move to rival broadcasters from 2027, TNT Sports retains a strong lineup across football, rugby, combat sports, and the Olympics.