BT Vision boss predicts benefits from Premier League rights
BT's acquisition of live Premier League football rights has made its Vision pay TV proposition a genuine rival to Sky and Virgin Media, according to the head of the service.
Last month, BT revealed it will pay £246 million per season from 2013/14 to 2015/16 for the rights to broadcast 38 live matches from each campaign. Of these games, 18 are first picks, including the opening fixture of all three seasons.
Marc Watson, chief executive of BT Vision, told Reuters the acquisition of exclusive sporting content will bolster the company's triple-play offering, which can in turn improve cash generation and customer loyalty.
He admitted it has taken some time for the telecoms giant to become a credible player in the subscription TV market, which is still dominated by Sky.
"It takes a while when you are a telecoms company like BT, where customers have a very fine idea of what you offer, to persuade them to look at you for other services like entertainment," he explained.
However, Mr Watson insisted the first signs can be seen that BT Vision is "getting traction", with the service achieving more net customer additions in the last 12 months that any of its rivals.
