BT Sport presenters take on alternative telly roles

To mark the launch of BT’s new flexible packages, BT Sport presenters ‘auditioned’ to be characters from some of their favourite shows.

“It’s clear we’ve become a nation of streamers. Our viewing habits have changed dramatically in recent times, with many now watching TV on their own terms thanks to the great content and services now available anytime, anywhere. However, with so much choice it’s no surprise people can lose track of which service does what – and even how much they’re paying. That’s why we’ve launched our most flexible ever packages, bringing all the best TV, film and sport together in one place, with one bill and the chance to change services monthly – so our customers’ TV package can be as simple and as flexible as their viewing habits.” – Pete Oliver, from BT TV

The average Brit spends two hours a day streaming TV – more than half of all the time spent watching the box. A study of 2,000 adults found they spend an average of three hours and 44 minutes daily viewing TV shows, films or sports.

But almost two hours of this is through streaming services such as NOW TV, iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video, with 13 per cent admitting everything they watch is through streaming or catch up TV. As a result, the average adult subscribes to three different video streaming services, although one in five admitting they often forget all of the passwords they need. The study also found the average adult will spend just over seven minutes flicking through streaming services trying to find something to watch each time they sit down in front of the box.

The research was commissioned to celebrate the launch of BT’s new flexible packages, with fully integrated NOW TV, making it the only place where customers can enjoy easy BT Sport, NOW TV, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix on one service, with one bill.

Behind the scenes footage shows BT Sport presenters Jake Humphrey grapple polar bears in the wilds of arctic Norway, while Lynsey Hipgrave takes a break from presenting to try her hand at stand-up comedy in full 1950s glamour. Ugo Monye struggles to rise to the occasion on an intergalactic space mission, while Jermaine Jenas is left feeling disappointed with his less than ‘grand’ sports car as he attempts to play out his dream presenting role. And former England and Aston Villa attacking midfielder Joe Cole plays a blinder, settling into his role as a Birmingham gangster, wearing his flat cap with pride.

The study also found nearly half of those polled are frustrated at having too many places to watch the shows they want to see, with a quarter struggling to keep track of the different subscriptions they have and how much they pay. Just over a third even admitted to having so many different platforms, they forget which one the show they want to watch is on.

More than half even claimed they prefer staying in to watch TV than go on a night out, while 16 per cent have decided to cancel on a night out after realising their favourite show was going to be on. Just over a tenth have even called in sick to work to binge-watch one of their favourite TV shows, according to the OnePoll figures. It also emerged that when bingeing on box sets, the average Brit will get through a 10-episode drama series in just over four weeks. However, when pushed for time they can get through an entire series of a show in less than three days.

See how the BT Sport presenters got on with their ‘new roles’ in the video below…