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How to pause your BT Sport subscription with sport suspended around the world due to coronavirus

Sky Sports have offered customers the chance to pause their subscription until the pandemic eases

Jack Rathborn
Tuesday 31 March 2020 10:30 BST
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The coronavirus has left broadcasters without any live sport for the foreseeable future
The coronavirus has left broadcasters without any live sport for the foreseeable future (Getty)

The coronavirus has ensured there is barely any live sport around the world right now.

Fans are therefore deprived of live action with broadcasters left in a desperate situation and currently limited to showing repeats and documentaries until leagues resume.

Sky Sports forked out £1.19 billion per season - or £9.3 million per game – for the current Premier League deal, with BT Sport splashing £295m per season – £9.22m per match.

And that’s before you even consider the cost of the Champions League, Formula One and other events packaged together for subscribers. Sky Sports confirmed viewers can suspend their subscription and can do so online, eliminating the hassle of being on hold in lengthy queues over the phone.

So that’s no fee for pausing your Sky Sports subscription and no notice period either, simply by clicking here and following the instructions – so what about BT Sport?

Well, BT Sport urged customers to get in touch and “discuss their contract or other options” with a statement on Monday.

“We understand that this is a difficult time for customers and if they wish to discuss their BT Sport contract or other options, would ask they give us a call,” the statement read.

“Alternatively customers on our new flexible TV package can pause their Sport subscription and switch to a different pack should they wish.”

“These are unprecedented times, and as such we’re experiencing extremely high call volumes, while also facing reduced resourcing as we follow the Government health and safety guidelines on self-isolation so please do bear with us if you can’t get through to us straight away.”

Not exactly helpful or clear right now then, but there is an option for those subscribing through the flexible TV package is to pause their Sport subscription and switch to a different pack here.

BT Sport hinted at opting for “compensation” over simply pausing subscriptions until live sport resumes.

They added: “While a lot of high profile fixtures and events have been postponed in the short term, we still expect to be able to broadcast the remainder of the competitions as they are rescheduled over the coming months.

“However, where events are cancelled, we’ll work with the relevant partners on the appropriate customer compensation.

“For now, we have been busy working on a revised schedule for BT Sport which will include live sport from overseas, variations of popular shows such as Premier League Tonight, live WWE, Rugby Tonight, BT Sport Films and ESPN Films, recent boxing events and classic football, rugby and other sport fixtures from across the years.”

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