Competition for your Remote Control and Wallet: BT Sport takes on BSkyB

 For years, BSKYB has dominated the market for subscription-based television using the rights to broadcast high-profile sports to attract and retain household subscribers. However, the markets for consumer media consumption are converging and this has led to the emergence of a new, powerful competitor for BSkyB - BT Sports.

The FT video below describes the intense rivalry that is now playing out between BSkyB and BT Sport. Anyone with a subscription to Sky Sports will have seen plenty of evidence of this in recent weeks as coverage of the new Premier League season gets underway.

Can telecoms giant BT really grab a decent share of the lucrative pay-TV market for sports when others have struggled in the past? It is up against a strong and established competitor, but it is investing heavily.

This is going to be an intense competition with high stakes. Lavish marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements do not come cheap!

The battle for the wallets of sports fans is closely linked to the provision of broadband internet. That is the real prize - maximising the number of broadband subscribers and bundled packages of services such as mobile phone subscriptions and subscription channels.