BT has closed down a popular app in a service shake-up that will affect hundreds of sports fans

Sports fans were left furious when BT blew the final whistle on popular sports streaming app BT Sport.

Following the rebranding of BT Sport as TNT Sports in July, the popular app will now close and all sports will be viewed through the Discovery+ app.

Customers who have been watching sports through the BT Sport app will need to create a Discovery+ account to continue streaming matches.

Meanwhile, the old BT Sport app will automatically be updated to become the TNT Sports app, a free news and results service.

Many users are unhappy with the change, with one complaining that the Discovery+ app is “not good.”

Sports fans were left furious when BT blew the final whistle on popular sports streaming app BT Sport

While the BT Sport app is still available to download as of this morning, when opened, users are greeted with a warning that the app will close on October 12 urging them to activate Discovery+.

Despite the changes, customers who pay for the BT app will still be able to access all the same sports fixtures as before via Discovery+.

The Discovery+ app will allow existing customers to watch the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, boxing and WWE.

However, many sports fans expressed their frustration on social media and lamented the loss of their favorite streaming app.

“The Discovery+ app is not good,” one frustrated fan wrote. “I can’t believe they’re scrapping the BT Sport app to force people to use it.”

Another wrote: “Is Discovery+ the worst app for watching, especially sports, BT was so much better!!!”

While one vented: “BT Sport was bad but the @footballontnt app @tntsports is worse.”

It’s not just the loss of the BT app that’s been frustrating fans, with many also complaining that the alternative Discovery+ app suffers from buffering and low-quality streams.

Although the BT Sport app is still available to download as of this morning, when they open it, users receive a warning that the app will close on October 12 urging them to activate Discovery+.

Social media users have expressed frustration at the closure of their favorite app, with many unhappy with the change in service

Champions League coverage is very poor. I know BT Sport has been a challenge, but how do we now watch the streaming service from the Discovery plus app which constantly flickers and freezes, wrote one commenter.

Another described the service as “slow”, adding that it was “almost unwatchable using BT broadband”.

While one angry fan wrote: “@discoveryplusUK can you fix this **** app please?” I couldn’t watch anything! It will be a sad day when the BT Sport app closes.

While many may remember BT Sport fondly, the streaming app has had connectivity issues in the past.

Some commentators claim that the Discovery+ alternative offers a low-quality and often lagging streaming service

It is worth noting that the service collapsed in light of the demand for broadcasting football with the return of the game to stadiums after the lifting of Covid restrictions.

In 2020, when the first German match was played, BT’s servers buckled under the pressure, leaving many fans unable to access their first live football experience in months.

The change comes as part of the rebranding of BT Sport to TNT Sports, following the purchase of BT by Warner Brothers Discovery, which also owns Eurosport, in a deal worth up to £650 million ($800 million).

The move aims to unify UK and European sport under one brand as TNT was previously the hub for European and British sport in South America.

At the time of the acquisition, Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Today marks the beginning of our journey to build a new sports destination for fans in the UK and Ireland.”

How do I activate my Discovery+ account?

• Discover+ will take over the streaming service previously run by BT Sport from 12 October.
• If you have TNT Sports through BT Mobile or EE Mobile, follow Activation link On the BT Sport website and log in using your BT ID and password.
• This will be the same password you use to access My BT.
• You will then see a message confirming that you are eligible for Discovery+, click this button and you will be redirected to the Discovery+ portal to finish setting up your account.
• If you already have an existing Discovery+ account, you can select the Sign in button at the top right of the page.
• If not, create your account by filling out the form.
• “You are ready!” The message means that your account registration has been completed and you will no longer be able to access TNT Sports through Discovery+ premium.

If you access BT Sport through BT or EE mobile, you should be able to access Discovery+ premium using your BT account name and password