Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand has joined the fledgling BT Sport on a three-year deal as an interviewer, programme-maker and football pundit.
Ferdinand, 34, who has played 81 times so far for England, has agreed to carry out various roles for BT Sport, including making football and lifestyle programmes, as well as act as a expert pundit on BT’s football coverage from the 2013/14 season.
The Manchester United centre-half, who was recently named in the PFA Team of the Year 2012-13 in a poll of his fellow professionals, will also act as a BT Ambassador as the company prepares to launch two new sports channels this summer.
Ferdinand, who has played 486 Premier League games in his career, will play his part in promoting customers to sign up to BT Sport, which will offer 38 exclusively live Barclays Premier League games, including 18 of the top pick matches, for three years from August 2013.
He is the latest big name Premier League start o have been signed up as ambassadors for the company, joining the likes of United team-mate Robin van Persie, Tottenham star and PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale and England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“I am really excited about joining BT Sport,” said Ferdinand.
“I will be doing a lot more than sitting on a sofa working as a football expert. I am going to be able to make programmes for BT Sport, not just about football, but also about other things that I am passionate about.”
Away from football, Ferdinand is also editor-in-chief of his own digital magazine, #5 , a free lifestyle magazine. That position, say BT, has allowed him the chance to conduct big name sporting interviews.
He is also founder of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, which offers education, training and employment support programmes in deprived communities.
Ferdinand continued: “I will also be continuing to turn the tables as an interviewer putting the questions to big name stars, rather than answering the questions, like I do with my interviews for #5 magazine.”
On the morning of the announcement, Ferdinand confirmed on Twitter that his deal with BT Sport deal has no impact on his immediate playing career with Manchester United and that he firmly intends to play on.
He tweeted: “Do not mention the word retirement on my timeline please people…..that word is not welcome here!”
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We are absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to sign another major talent in Rio.
“Apart from his tremendous achievements as a player, he’s a great role model, devoting his time to his charitable foundation.
“And he’s a perfect ambassador for BT, as a technology-lover with 4 million followers on Twitter and his own digital magazine.
“We intend to showcase not only Rio’s unrivalled, current insight into the Barclays Premier League, but also his other skills as an interviewer and programme-maker.”
In addition to Premier League rights, BT Sport has also secured the rights to live top tier matches from Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France, Brasileiro in Brazil and Major League Soccer in the USA.
BT’s acquisition of ESPN’s TV channels business in the UK and Ireland will also bring the rights to show live games for the FA Cup, Scottish Premier League, Europa League and the German Bundesliga.
BT Sport will also show up to 69 live rugby union games a season from the Aviva Premiership, plus 21 global WTA Tour tennis tournaments, including the end-of-season TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, and UFC events.
More details of BT Sport’s pricing strategy, availability and launch date are set to announced shortly.
The BT Sport channels will be based at the iCITY development at the Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford.
To pre-register for the new BT Sport channels visit btsport.com
