TV: BT Sport announces on-air presentation line-up

BT Sport has revealed its full line-up of presenters, analysts, commentators and reporters ahead the network’s launch this summer.

Among the BT team are some big name signings from the worlds of football, rugby union and tennis, plus brief details of two new regular sports magazine shows presented by Clare Balding and Tim Lovejoy.

Alongside a raft of major announcements made at BT Sport’s new headquarters on the Olympic Park, the channel’s advertising campaign hits television screens which reveasl the exciting and accessible personality of its new channels.

BT Sport has also set its launch date – Thursday, August 1, 2013.

FOOTBALL: Rio Ferdinand signs for BT Sport

Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has joined the fledgling BT Sport on a three-year deal as an interviewer, programme-maker and football pundit.

Ferdinand, 34, who has played 81 times so far for England, has agreed to carry out various roles for BT Sport, including making football and lifestyle programmes, as well as act as a expert pundit on BT’s football coverage from the 2013/14 season. 

The Manchester United centre-half, who was recently named in the PFA Team of the Year 2012-13 in a poll of his fellow professionals, will also act as a BT Ambassador as the company prepares to launch two new sports channels this summer.

FOOTBALL: BT Sport signs up Fellaini and Sturridge

Everton star Marouane Fellaini and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge have teamed up to help launch BT’s new sports channels.

Fellaini, 25, and Sturridge, 23, will be rivals on the pitch for the Merseyside derby on Sunday but the duo are on the same team as BT Ambassadors and co-stars in TV ads for BT Sport.

Both players will also feature in BT Sport programmes as well as marketing and promotional materials for BT Sport, which are expected to roll out across various media outlets from May 6.

BROADCASTING: BT Sport reveals logo ahead of summer launch

BT has unveiled the logo for its new £1 billion-plus BT Sport venture ahead of its launch in the summer.

The logo, which was developed by digital media firm Red Bee Media, mixes the imagery from BT Connected World with a new font developed specifically for the new brand.

Alongside unveiling the new logo, BT has also today started taking online pre-registrations for the BT Sport channels, which will broadcast live Premier League football, rugby union and other sports from July 2013.

BROADCASTING: BT to base new sports channels at London’s Olympic Park

BT has chosen to make the Olympic Park broadcast centre in east London the home of its new BT Sport channels from next year.

The new Olympic Park studios will be the main headquarters and the central production hub for all the sports content that BT will offer after the telecoms giant agreed a 10-year lease to become the anchor tenant of the building, now part of iCITY.

Selected programmes will be hosted from the Olympic Park studios. In addition, some features and programming will be filmed at another iconic venue, the BT Tower.

FORMULA 1: Brazilian Grand Prix 2012 – Live on BBC One & Sky Sports F1

This year’s fascinating Formula 1 campaign reaches its conclusion this weekend with the Brazilian Grand Prix from the famed Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.

Reigning two-time world champion Sebastian Vettel goes into the final showdown 13-points clear of his nearest challenger Fernando Alonso, knowing finishing fourth or above will guarantee his third consecutive title.

Fans can enjoy comprehensive live coverage of every session from the season finale on both BBC TV and Sky Sports F1.

FOOTBALL: BT claims more live football rights

BT has added more premium live sport to its portfolio by signing deals with a number of international football leagues.

The telecoms giant has secured exclusive UK rights to cover a host of world football’s top-flight leagues, including Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue 1, Major League Soccer in the United States and Brazil’s Brasileirao.

All four deals will run for multi-year periods starting from the beginning of next season.

FOOTBALL: Jake Humphrey leaves BBC to front BT’s Premier League coverage

BBC sports presenter Jake Humphrey has announced he is to leave the corporation at the end of the year to become the main anchor of BT’s Premier League coverage.

Humphrey, who fronted some of the BBC’s Euro 2012 coverage from Poland and Ukraine this summer, will start work with BT’s forthcoming new sports channel in January 2013 after signing a four-year deal.

During ten years with the BBC, he has been best known for fronting the broadcaster’s Formula 1 coverage, as well as a high profile stint covering the London 2012 Olympics and co-hosting the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.

He will continue to present the BBC’s F1 coverage for the remainder of the 2012 season.

LONDON 2012: Closing Ceremony – Live on BBC One

After 16 days of tense and exciting competition that will live long in the memory, the curtain falls on the 30th Olympiad in spectacular fashion with the traditional closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in the East End of London.

BBC One will broadcast live and uninterrupted coverage of the London’s closing ceremony as the city bids farewell to the Games, featuring an event that will pay homage to Britain’s illustrious musical heritage.

Beginning at 9.00pm, and featuring more than 4,000 performers, including 3,500 volunteers, the show is entitled ‘A Symphony of British Music’, and celebrates one of the nation’s greatest cultural exports over the past 50 years.

LONDON 2012: Olympics Watch – Sunday 12th August

London 2012 reaches its final day of competition, with the remaining 14 of the 302 gold medals set to be decided.

British hopes for success on the last day will come from the concluding men’s boxing finals at the ExCel Arena.

Of the seven men Britain entered into the boxing competition, three qualified for the gold medal bouts of their respective weight classes, and today will see Freddie Evans compete in the welterweight division and Anthony Joshua in the super heavyweight class.

LONDON 2012: Olympics Watch – Sat 11th August

A week on from Great Britain’s golden hour on ‘Super Saturday’, Mo Farah returns to the scene of his greatest triumph in a bid to become a double Olympic champion.

He has already played his part in one of the greatest nights in British sporting history and he goes for a second Olympic gold medal in the 5,000m final at 7.30pm.

Great Britain also have strong medal hopes in the diving pool and in the boxing ring.

LONDON 2012: Olympics Watch – Friday 10th August

Is day 14 of the London 2012 Olympic Games redemption day for Britain’s BMX rider Shanaze Reade, four years after her disaster in Bejing?

Reade crashed out of the 2008 Olympic final, which she started as the hot favourite. A world champion since then, she now takes to her home course on the Olympic Park looking to make up for that lost time.