May 5, 2024
New Premier League TV channel TNT Sports confirm Laura Woods as the leader of an all-female line-up of their lead presenters

New Premier League TV channel TNT Sports confirm Laura Woods as the leader of an all-female line-up of their lead presenters

New Premier League TV channel TNT Sports confirm Laura Woods as the leader of an all-female line-up of their lead presenters

  • TNT Sports officially launched on Tuesday with an all-female presenting team
  • Peter Crouch, Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole will continue their roles as pundits
  • The broadcaster’s chiefs are eager to ‘push the boundaries’ of sports presenting

Laura Woods was the centrepiece of TNT Sports’ launch on Tuesday as the broadcaster confirmed their all-female line-up of football presenters ahead of next season.

Reshmin Chowdhury, Lynsey Hipgrave and Woods will lead TNT Sports’ Premier League and Champions League coverage following the exit of Jake Humphrey, who left the company earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, Jules Breach has replaced the broadcaster’s touchline reporter Des Kelly having previously hosted their results programme Score, which was axed ahead of next campaign.

TNT have also axed Peter Walton for next season amid a major shake-up with the broadcaster’s on-screen personnel

Showing off their 19-strong studio team, the Warner Bros company placed Woods and Chowdhury front and centre alongside pundits Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, Joe Cole and Ally McCoist.

TNT Sports confirmed their launch on Tuesday with a 19-strong core of presenters and pundits

TNT Sports confirmed their launch on Tuesday with a 19-strong core of presenters and pundits

Laura Woods will lead the broadcaster's all-female team of football presenters next season

Laura Woods will lead the broadcaster’s all-female team of football presenters next season

Reshmin Chowdhury pictured attending the Premier League Hall of Fame event in May

Lynsey Hipgrave will continue her role as TNT Sports' Premier League presenter having taken on the role last year

Reshmin Chowdhury (left) and Lynsey Hipgrave (right) will join Woods as lead presenters

McCoist has an excellent relationship with Woods, having acted as her partner on talkSPORT’s breakfast show, and will continue to work with the 36-year-old in her new role at TNT Sports. 

Andrew Georgiou, the president and managing director of Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe, said: ‘We do want to be contemporary, we do want to be bold, we definitely want to push the boundaries of what sports broadcasting has been in this market over the previous years.

‘It’s a really good opportunity for us to reflect on what’s happened and it’s almost like, “Okay, we’ve got a moment in time to refresh and rethink”.’

From Tuesday, TNT Sports is available to stream via the discovery+ platform.

UK subscribers with a premium plan will be able to access TNT Sports and Eurosport via the discovery+ platform, allowing them to watch both networks’ live sport in the same place as well as discovery+ entertainment content.

The cost of the premium plan is £29.99 a month, the same as was previously charged for the BT Sport Monthly Pass.

Peter Crouch was a regular during BT Sport's Premier League and Champions League coverage

Rio Ferdinand is also a seasoned pundit having played for Manchester United and England during his career

Peter Crouch (L) and Rio Ferdinand (R) will continue their punditry roles with the broadcaster

Ally McCoist (left) forged an excellent relationship with Woods on talkSPORT's breakfast show

Ally McCoist (left) forged an excellent relationship with Woods on talkSPORT’s breakfast show

Eurosport’s live rights include the Olympic Games and the Tour de France.

Georgiou said TNT Sports would be keenly focused on the Premier League’s invitation to tender for its next set of domestic television rights later this year.

‘We are a premium sports broadcaster and our 100 per cent stated ambition is to remain a premium sports broadcaster, and reviewing our rights portfolio to make sure that remains (the case) is in the bullseye of our agenda,’ he said.

‘We look at everything that comes up. Obviously the Premier League tender is up at the end of the year. That is a key part of our rights portfolio and something we’re focused on.’

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