BT Sport Extra - Dedicated Channels

[diogo-m]

Hi,

I understand these channels can be accessed via Red Button but why not have them as dedicated channels like other TV providers? They are not accessible via TV Go as it lacks the Red Button feature therefore barring me from watching the matches I want to watch and paid for.

[newapollo · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately you would need to sign up directly with BT and  use either the BT Sports app or online player if you want to access the extra dedicated channels on any screen/device apart from on your VM set top box.

BT haven't give VM or Sky access to them apart from via the red button option as it's a USP (Unique Selling Point).

Full access to the BT Sport app comes when you take any of of the BT TV and broadband packages through BT. The BT Sport app is available to download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. You'll need a BT ID to use the App, which is the same as your My BT log-in. 

Do you know anybody with BT that has the Sports package? If so you might be able to share their login possibly in exchange for you allowing them to use your VM TVGO login.

[japitts]

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@diogo-m wrote:

I understand these channels can be accessed via Red Button but why not have them as dedicated channels like other TV providers?

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The only TV platform that has BT Extra as dedicated channels, is BT TV themselves - and on a technical level - the way they currently do this is partly because there's no wholesale involvement.

As for missing matches because you don't have access, the advice you've had to borrow a login if you're out of home is the best solution you can likely get

This is an ideal example of why live sport/events should be on proper recordable linear channels whenever possible - but that's a whole other debate.

[Kath_F]

Hi diogo-m, 

Thanks for your post and apologies to hear you're after a feature that we're not able to provide. 

As mentioned above by our lovely VIPs, this service for the BT Sports channels is only available directly through them. We're not able to provide it as a dedicated channel instead. 

We do always take on board feedback though so if and when this service does become available, we'll be sure to let you know. 

Take care, 

[Prismall]

I’ve googled this and everywhere I read it says to just press the red button . But it doesn’t work! You just get a grid of the normal channels, not BT Sport Extra which is all that I want. I also read that if I upgrade my package I would get BT Sport Extra. I tried to upgrade but ended up with  a chat bot who was on go slow and I just don’t have the hours and hours it would take to give virgin more money

[newapollo]

BT Sport Extra is only available on the VM set top boxes when BT are showing extra games.

If you go to BT Sport 2 (Channel 528)  BT Sport 2 (Channel 529) BT Sport 3 (Channel 530) and press the red button now (16:48 at the time of posting) you will see the Match Choice grid with the currently available extra channels. BT Sport 5 is listed, although nothing is playing as I post, the Nice v Cologne game is due to be shown at that at 5:45.  Also Lazio v Feyenoord at 8pm.

https://www.livesoccertv.com/channels/bt-sport-extra-red-button/ 

The following link shows upcoming games on BT Sport 6 -  Fiorentina - Rīgas at 5:45 and Crvena Zvezda - Monaco at 8pm

https://www.livesoccertv.com/channels/bt-sport-6/ 

[nodrogd]

BT Sport Extra are additional streams provided on a temporary basis. There are how ever many extra streams are required. BT provides them direct to their own customers in HD, & wholesale to other providers in SD.

They are provided like this for the simple reason that it would cost BT considerably more to provide the facility outside their own network.

They lease satellite transponders to provide for Sky customers. The data rate for HD costs far more than for SD (they can squeeze up to 6 SD streams into a single HD stream slot), so they only lease the one channel slot for any extra content, whether it is 1 stream or 6. The same goes for the leased line into VMs MHE (Master HeadEnd), which is operated by a third party.