Discovery and British telecom giant BT Group said on Thursday that they were in exclusive talks to merge their sports media units BT Sport and Eurosport in the U.K. and Ireland.
BT Group “has entered exclusive discussions with Discovery Inc. on a deal to create a new sport and entertainment offering for customers in the U.K.,” the company said in the early London morning. “The new business would be a 50/50 joint venture, bringing together BT Sport with Eurosport U.K.”
Discovery added that the talks also include Ireland, saying a joint venture “would bring together BT Sport and Eurosport U.K., which have extensive portfolios of premium sport rights, including the Olympic Games, (the English soccer) Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, cycling Grand Tours, tennis Grand Slams, the winter sport World Cup season and Premiership Rugby.”
The goal is to conclude the exclusive discussions early in the second quarter of 2022 and “for the new company to be operational later this year, subject to completion of the deal and approval by the…
