1. Can BT Attract Enough Sponsorship?
A big problem with BT Sport spending such a huge sum of money on football is how to recoup it. This season the channel is free to BT Infinity subscribers, which considering the
£738 million they spent to secure Premier League coverage was a huge risk. Like Sky, BT will have to overcome the problem of a smaller audience reach than ITV, which is less attractive to sponsors. ITV enjoyed a fruitful relationship with the likes of Sony and Ford, as advertisers snapped up the opportunity to reach every home in the country. Even Sky aren't exactly a bad option for sponsorship, as they are the leading satellite broadcaster in the country. The viewing figures of BT Sport are key to attracting good sponsorship, and
two million sign-ups since launch day is a confident start. However, they remain up against formidable Sky figures, with over
ten million subscribers as of June 2013. While not all of those will have signed up to Sky Sports, it is likely that sponsors will not see this Champions League announcement as fantastic news. BT will be wary of the
problems ITV Digital ran into after their expansion into sport, but with this new Champions League deal they are showing they at least mean business.