Sports TV Awards 2021 Finalist: United Initiative by BT Sport

BT Sport championed positive social change through partnerships with Rise, Newham College, and School 21

Credit: BT Sport (2021)

Giving young women and inner-city students the opportunity to work in a real broadcast environment, BT Sport’s United Initiative has earned a coveted place on SVG Europe’s prestigious Sports TV Awards 2021 shortlist for the ‘SVG Europe Women Award for Diversity in Sports TV’.

Across 2020, BT partnered with Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for women in the broadcast technology sector to inspire more young women aged 16-18 into the industry. With a focus on STEM subjects, the Rise Up UTC Mentoring Programme provided a range of technical and support-orientated initiatives, including training, industry networking, and mentoring. Alongside Rise, BT Sport also worked with Newham College and School 21 to enable students across East London to create a real 30-minute BT Sport show.

United Initiative is BT Sport’s community-driven inclusivity campaign, providing opportunities and inspiration in East London, the broadcast industry, and in the sports they cover, using their voice to fight discrimination and creating a team that truly reflects their audiences and community. BT Sport United is governed by a group of internal and external members of BT Sport, and is chaired by presenter Andrew Mensah.

The winners of the SVG Europe Sports TV Awards 2021, sponsored by Canon, will be announced on Thursday 28 October at Chelsea F.C. during the Sport Production & Technology Summit 2021. Registration for both events is now open to members and sponsors here.