BT Sport confirmed its BT Sport Monthly Pass will rise to £29.99 a month from 17 February – adding 20% to the cost of watching live sporting events.

It said this is the first time the BT Sport Monthly Pass has increased since the flexible no-contract pass was launched in December 2019.

Customers have been notified by letter and email, and have been given 30 days’ notice of the price change, allowing them to cancel if they wish to. The latest you can cancel is a day before renewal to avoid being charged the higher rate.

‘Tough to swallow’

Catherine Hiley, streaming expert at Uswitch.com, said a 20% rise is always “tough to swallow”.

“But this will be a particularly bitter blow to those BT Sport customers who prefer the flexibility of using monthly passes rather than committing to a long-term deal.

“The size of this above-inflation rise suggests BT is pushing hard to recoup the billions it has paid for sports rights in recent years, and to entice customers to sign up for long-term packages. This may also encourage customers to consider switching to a bundle with BT’s broadband service, which includes sports channels,” she said.

Hiley added that the timing of the increase is also significant, as it comes midway through the football season.

She said: “While rival Sky has the lion’s share of Premier League coverage, BT has the exclusive UK broadcast rights to show European competitions. This will last until the end of next season when it will share coverage with Amazon until 2027.

“Many fans will have bought passes specifically to follow European football, like the Champions League. And these rises are due to kick in just as the competition heats up with the knockout stages.

“The company has yet to announce any other changes for BT Sports customers following modest price rises last year, which saw the cost of the BT Sport App increase from £15 to £16 per month and BT Sport on Sky TV rise from £20 to £21 per month.”

A BT spokesperson, said: “The price for Monthly Pass, our flexible no-contract option for customers, is now £29.99. We notified existing customers of the increase this month (January).

“We continue to focus on delivering great sport for our viewers, this month customers will be able to enjoy the return of the Premier League, the return of the UEFA European competitions in February, as well as customers now being able to enjoy Eurosport through discovery+, starting with all the action exclusively from the Australian Open.”