Dedicated Digital Sports Channel to Launch in Great Britain

Britain’s first free-to-air digital sports channel, dedicated to the live streaming of British sports, will launch in September.

Input Media, Kameleon, Telegraph Media Group (TMG) and Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI) have joined to create the project, which will be known as GBsport.tv. The platform expects to stream 1,400 hours of live coverage ever year from both domestic and international sport. The channel will carry events including national, European and world championships in athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, handball, hockey, rowing, sailing, swimming, taekwondo, tennis and winter sports.

The channel’s launch comes is just months ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, where many of the sports to be aired on GBsport.tv will receive unprecedented exposure in Britain.

Input Media executive chairman David Wood said that the channel would provide a platform for sports that are “played by the British public at all levels which do not receive the free-to-air exposure their fans and players crave.”

A joint statement from the companies involved says that the channel will be accessible to viewers across a number of multimedia platforms including laptops, mobiles and internet-enabled television, and will also be viewed and shared via Facebook and other community networks.

Vladimir Antonov, co-founder of CSI, said: “We’re excited by the vision this experienced consortium has for GBsport TV and recognise synergies to involve our growing portfolio of sports investments. We believe GBsport TV is a ‘now’ idea and will benefit hugely from the growing trend for consumers to watch their favourite sports online.”

TMG executive director Nancy Cruickshank added: “At TMG we are incredibly proud of our sporting heritage and coverage of these sports has always been key to TMG in our print product.”

David Stubley, of brand engagement specialist Kameleon, said that his company would be “working in close partnership with British sports governing bodies, UK Sport and IEC with the shared vision of championing British sport well beyond 2012”. He added: “We’re also talking to brands about a founding partnership proposition that connects them with British sports fans through deep integration, co-created content, innovative digital media formats and bespoke activation rights.”