TNT Sports set to reduce prices according to RVs
The business, which screens live sport including European Champions League and English Premier League football, is in the process of confirming to its customers its new approach to the new rateable values that were introduced on 1 April 2023.
TNT Sports director of commercial customers Alasdair Collis said: “We know many of the UK’s pubs have seen a reduction in rateable value (RV) so, from 1 September, we are introducing a new Rateable Value Pricing Policy that will automatically apply the lower RVs for all customers once they reach the end of their minimum contract term.
“We have begun notifying customers that as part of our commitment to continue to keep top quality live sport accessible, this year we will be making a below inflation price increase of just 6.9%.
“We will also be introducing a new loyalty programme, which will offer protection for customers who have seen their RV increase.”
TNT Sports added if a pub’s RV has gone down or stayed the same, the company will use the new 2023 RV to recalculate the subscription price when they reach the end of their minimum term while, for existing customers, if their RV has gone up and while they remain a TNT Sports customer, it will continue to use the 2017 RV to calculate the subscription price, based on the TNT Sports ratecard.
Best mechanism
On why TNT Sports is altering its pricing policy, Collis said: “While not perfect, we believe RVs still represent the best mechanism we have to measure the value of live sport to the UK’s pubs and clubs.
“With one of the most significant changes to RVs having taken place in April this year, and indeed with the majority of UK pubs seeing their RVs reduced, we felt it was right to reflect those changes in our pricing policy.
“We also felt it was important to protect our loyal customers who have seen their rateable values increase by pricing their TNT Sports subscription using their lower 2017 RVs.”
He added pub licensees would do well to sign up or renew their subscription because research shows almost three quarters of people visiting the pub to watch live sport are visiting the same or more as they were a year ago meaning, in a challenging trading climate, sport continues to drive incremental footfall for the UK’s licensed premises.
Live European football also represents a fantastic opportunity to boost trade during the traditionally quieter midweek, with sport being the single biggest driver of additional pub visits between Monday and Thursday for the pub-going sports audience.
Content will remain same
Licensees can expect no change to the content BT Sport commercial customers have enjoyed from the group that has been rebranded after joint owners BT and Warner Bros Discovery announced plans to launch a new premium sport offering in the UK & Ireland.
Additionally, TNT Sports agents will pay an in-person visit to 17,000 on-trade venues, providing and installing new TNT Sports marketing materials and removing the old point of sale materials.
It help customers get registered on the new website, which will allow them to access additional resources – posters, social assets etc – to help them market their TNT Sports service.
Meanwhile, TNT Sports is joining forces with trade body UKHospitality. Collis explained: “UKHospitality is the leading trade body for the sector and an extremely well-respected organisation within the on-trade, continually lobbying on behalf of the licensed trade but also supporting businesses at a practical level.
“Our agents will briefly talk to our customers about the benefits of being a UKHospitality member and how they can offer help in terms of driving profitability, something we at TNT Sports Business are focused on helping our customers achieve.”
