BT sports wing takes Covid hit

BT said it has taken a big hit from the Covid-19 crisis as the money it made from its sports wing reduced.

With very little sport to put on TV, pubs, clubs and private viewers stopped using BT Sport to the same extent, hitting revenues, the telecoms giant said.

Partly as a result of that, overall revenue dropped 7% to just over £5.2bn in the first quarter. Profit before tax also took a hit, down 13% to £561 million.

BT has given a discount to pubs and clubs on its BT Sport packages, and offered unlimited data to NHS workers who get their mobile plans through EE.

An increase in digital transitions helped mitigate some of the effect of closing BT’s shops up and down the country.

The company said that complaints about its broadband dropped by 44% compared to the same period last year, hitting an all-time low.

Chief executive Philip Jansen said: “Despite Covid-19, BT delivered a strong operating performance in the first quarter and delivered a relatively resilient set of financial results.

“Although uncertainties remain, we are now able to provide an outlook for this financial year. Despite our strong operational performance in the first three months of the year, it is clear that Covid-19 will continue to impact our business as the full economic consequences unfold.”