Champions League final marks TV end for BT Sport as presenter Humphrey bows out
The Champions League final clash between Manchester City and Inter Milan will be the last major football match broadcast by BT Sport.
After almost a decade, BT Sport is set to be rebranded next month after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) partnered with BT. WBD already own Eurosport, which will be merged with BT Sport to form TNT Sports.
TNT Sports is set to be launched on July 18 ahead of the new Premier League season, which gets underway on August 12. It has already been announced that presenter Jake Humphrey, who was the face of BT Sport's football coverage, will not be part of the new venture.
Humphrey announced last month that he would be leaving following the Champions League final to "pursue other projects and fulfil other ambitions". In a statement, Humphrey said: "After 10 wonderful years, I am stepping back from BT.
"As a football fan, hosting Premier League matches, FA Cup games and European Finals has meant the world to me. It has been my dream job. I've loved being a very small part of a world class production team.
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"I also feel blessed to have shared the screen with legends of the game and incredible broadcasters, who have become friends. Thank you all. When I joined BT in 2013 I didn’t have children, Whisper Group was in its infancy and I didn't even know what a podcast was!
Presenter Jake Humphrey will leave BT Sport after the Champions League final (Getty Images)"A decade on, Whisper now has hundreds of team members who I want to work with more, and the impact of High Performance amazes me daily. I'm also not ashamed to say I remain hugely ambitious. Stepping back from BT will allow me space to pursue other projects and fulfil other ambitions.
"I'm excited. To everyone that’s watched and commented both good and bad(!), thank you! It's been a blast…x" BT are set to pay tribute to Humphrey during his final broadcast. Laura Woods is widely expected to replace Humphrey and lead TNT Sports' football coverage next season, while it has been confirmed that their Final Score show will be scrapped.
"While Warner Bros. Discovery is excited to contribute its global scale and capabilities, together with its growing portfolio of premium entertainment, we are also determined to ensure we don't compromise on the inimitable, local style that is at the heart of the way BT Sport has connected with fans over the past decade," Andrew Georgiou, managing director of WBD Sports Europe said of the merger.
BT are expected to pay tribute to Humphrey during the broadcast with talkSPORT presenter Laura Woods reportedly lined up for a role in the new channel.
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