Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:53 pm
Lots of customers are asking if they can get refunds amid the coronavirus outbreak but, at present, the answer is no
By Glen Williams
Tuesday 17th March 2020
Sky and BT Sport will not refund customers amid the coronavirus cancellations
Sky Sports and BT Sport will not be offering customers a refund on their subscriptions, despite the Premier League and Football League suspending fixtures for at least three weeks.
Bosses of the game in England came to the decision following the outbreak of coronavirus, which hit the Premier League on Thursday after it was confirmed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi had contracted the virus.
Both providers will be reworking their schedules to make up for the lack of live football, with fixtures not set to return to April 3, at the earliest.
However, refunds will not be offered, as their current position is that only two weeks of action will be affected as the international break follows at the end of the month.
BT Sport - which starts at £47.99 a month - is planning to show reruns of matches already played this season, WWE, which is taking place behind closed doors, films, documentaries and other sports that will continue as planned.
Sky packages typically start at £23 a month - however it's currently offering a £3 a month discount for anyone that signs up right now.
It has been confirmed that both companies will not be refunding subscribers. Sky Sports managing director, Rob Webster said: “Sky Sports is working closely with all our partners to better understand the impact on the annual sporting calendar.
“We recognise that it is a fast-moving situation and we are working at speed to ensure we continue to deliver for all of our customers. A number of sporting events have been postponed, but not cancelled, so we expect to be able to show these when they are rescheduled. Therefore, our live schedule is likely to look different for a period of time. As more information becomes available, we will continue to provide updates to all of our customers.”
Meanwhile, a BT spokesperson has said: “We apologise to customers about the changes to the BT Sport schedule this month due to the impact of Covid-19. The situation is evolving rapidly and we are working with the leagues to continue to broadcast live sport wherever possible and broadcast games when they are rescheduled over the coming months.
“We will continue to broadcast a wide range of BT Sport content including films and documentaries and we will update our customers as we have a clearer view of the remainder of the season.”
On Thursday, BT announced that its own chief executive, Philip Jansen, had tested positive for Covid-19.
"BT is now working closely with Public Health England to undertake a full deep clean of relevant parts of its group headquarters and will ensure those employees who have had contact with Philip are appropriately advised," a statement said.
Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:17 pm
According to my interaction with Sky on Twitter they say that they are not refunding at the moment because sporting events have been postponed only and not cancelled, once they are cancelled they will re-look at the situation
Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:30 pm
This is why I use an Iptv box.