Major UK sports channel set to be removed after 35-year run as fans left outraged

A major UK sports channel is set to be removed from the television schedule after 35 years on-air.

The Eurosport channel, which has been on-air since 1989, was originally created as a joint venture between the European Broadcasting Union and Sky - hence the name.

It was then acquired by the TF1 group before Discovery Communications completed a full buyout of the channel in 2015 and merged it with its Discovery+ platform.

The channel is still available on Sky and Virgin platforms, and showcases a wide range of sports - some of which are normally not available to watch anywhere else in the UK.

Over the years, it has acquired the rights to show snooker, cycling events such as the Tour de France, tennis and winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing. It also has rights to selected football competitions for a limited number of European countries.

Eurosport regularly provided coverage of ATP and WTA tennis events (Image: Getty)

It also provides live coverage of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance event, and formerly held the rights to Formula E and GP2 (now Formula 2) coverage.

Through its own channel and the discovery+ streaming platform, Eurosport also broadcasts significant Olympics coverage after Discovery won joint rights along with the BBC ahead of Tokyo 2020.

However, Eurosport as a standalone channel is set to be no more.

It has been announced that both Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 will merge with TNT Sports on February 28, meaning that both channels will be off-air from that date. The merger will only apply in the UK and Ireland.

SVP Content, Production and Business Operations of WBD Sports Europe, Scott Young, said: "Combining Eurosport and TNT Sports content in the UK and Ireland will enable us to offer a single, premium viewing experience for sports fans.

"This move will also continue to best deliver value for our leagues and federation partners, as we continue our 35 years plus commitment to investment and championing of sport on our screens."

The channel has been one of two main rights holders for the Olympics and Winter Olympics in the UK since 2021 (Image: Getty)

There has been no announcement over what sort of pricing structures viewers can expect following the merger, but fans are furious over, as it stands, having to pay significantly more to subscribe to TNT Sports in order to continue watching Eurosport programmes.

A Standard Monthly Pass to watch Eurosport currently comes in at £3.99 per month, but there is a major price hike to £30.99 per month to watch TNT Sports on a contract-free basis.

One wrote: "Getting rid of Eurosport UK is a crazy decision. Why should snooker fans pay £30 a month to subscribe to TNT to watch it?"

A second said: "£370 a year now to watch cycling in the UK and Ireland. It used to be £40 a year (and was actually £20 with an early bird offer)."

A third claimed: "Greed, pure and simple. Fans of every sport treated as cash cows."

A fourth stated: "Shafting fans once again."

And a fifth fumed: "First they force us Eurosport subscribers to use the same app as their reality TV. Now they shove TNT Sports down our throats for what used to be the yearly price for ES."