BT has signed up Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane to appear on its football shows and in adverts promoting its sport channels.
BT has been signing high-profile sport personalities to front and appear on its shows as it looks to use sports rights, in particular football, to take on TV and telecoms rival Sky.
The deal, which sees the 22-year-old become an “ambassador” for the online channels, allows BT to use him as a pundit, though no appearances have yet been confirmed.
Other “ambassadors” include Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and Chelsea manager José Mourinho.
“Last season was an incredible one for me and I am hoping to build on that this season for both Spurs and England,” said Kane. “I am delighted to become a BT ambassador and honoured to join the likes of Gareth Bale in the line-up.”
Head of BT Sport Simon Green said: “Harry’s emergence from Spurs youngster to one of the most prolific and feared strikers in the Barclays Premier League was one of the great stories of last season.”
“We are naturally thrilled to be working with Harry and to be associated with his amazing breakthrough. The Spurs fans relate to him as one of their own and we believe he will be an excellent ambassador for BT and that viewers will like his grounded and humble character.”
BT paid £960m for rights to show 42 Premier League matches in each of the next three seasons, as part of the record £5.14bn rights deal which saw Sky pay more than £4.1bn for the remainder of the televised matches. BT is also paying almost £900m for exclusive rights to show Champions League games starting from this season.
The Champion’s League live coverage will be headed by former England footballer Gary Lineker, who also presents Match of the Day for the BBC.
