Is Virgin Media going to lose TNT Sports?

The Telegraph has reported that Virgin Media TV customers may lose access to TNT Sports if the companies don't come to an agreement over broadcasting fees.

The current contract ends at the end of July, so failure to reach an agreement by then could mean both new and existing customers can no longer access the channel pack through their Virgin boxes.

How concerned customers should be is up for debate though, with Virgin Media unlikely to want to lose such a popular channel pack from its services.

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TNT Sports contract

Virgin Media are in negotiations over a new contract to show the TNT Sports channels through their TV service, with their existing contract coming to an end in July 2024.

TNT Sports is now jointly owned by BT and Warner Bros. Discovery, and is the new home of BT Sport, and while Eurosport isn't currently affected by this situation, the Eurosport channels are due to join the TNT Sports line-up sometime between 2024 and 2026.

One source has said the two companies were in a "hot dispute", with Virgin Media seeking a significant price reduction for a new three-year deal, while BT and Warner Bros. Discovery are trying to stick to the existing terms.

TNT Sports currently costs £18 per month across both Virgin Media pre-made bundles and Virgin Stream TV, making it the same price as with BT and £8 cheaper per month than with Sky Stream.

So, despite Virgin Media removing included access to TNT Sports from the Bigger Bundle and Mega Volt Bundle last year, customers can still currently get the channel pack at one of the most competitive prices with Virgin Media.

Undoubtedly however, with Sky owning Sky Sports - and unsurprisingly often being the cheapest place to watch Sky Sports, it stands Virgin Media in good stead to be able to offer customers a competitive price on the TNT Sports pack, which has the rights to 52 Premier League games, as well as exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Will Virgin Media lose TNT Sports?

Many of the write-ups of this story say Virgin Media customers could lose access to TNT Sports, however, while Virgin Media has declined to comment, it's worthwhile for concerned customers to read into the report perhaps for some reassurance.

For example, while Virgin Media are seeking an even lower price, it sounds like they could take TNT Sports for the same price they're currently paying, so it seems unlikely they'd fail to strike a deal at all.

Virgin Media also doesn't yet support the Discovery+ app on either of their box sets, which offers access TNT Sports for £30.99 per month, so customers would have to leave their platform entirely to continue watching it.

In terms of customer contracts, most Virgin Media customers may well be on separate terms for their TNT Sports pack, with only those who signed up to the Bigger Bundle or Ultimate Volt Bundle before September 2023 and still in-contract accessing the pack as an integrated part of their main service.

For those customers, it's possible a loss of TNT Sports could trigger their right to leave their contract early and without penalty, however this is unlikely to apply to any customers who take the TNT Sports pack as an add-on on a 30-day rolling minimum term.