Sky Sports activities has scrapped its new female-focused TikTok channel, Halo, after it confronted a backlash on-line with its posts described as “patronising” and “sexist”.
In a press release posted on social media on Saturday evening, the broadcaster admitted that it “did not get it proper” and that it will be “stopping all exercise” on the account.
The channel, which was solely introduced on Thursday, was touted by the broadcaster as an “inclusive, devoted platform for girls to take pleasure in and discover content material from all sports activities, whereas amplifying feminine voices and views.”
Nonetheless, many on social media criticised the “little sister” account, which talked about “scorching woman walks”, matcha and Labubu toys in its content material.
At its inception, Sky mentioned Halo’s intention was “to construct a welcoming neighborhood for feminine followers, whether or not informal or dedicated, by enjoyable, trend-led, and relatable content material”.
That content material included one TikTok put up referencing a Method 1 scandal titled “Explaining 2008 Crashgate in woman phrases” written in pink glowing textual content alongside pink nail polish emojis.
One other put up noticed a clip of Manchester Metropolis gamers Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland combining for the latter to attain towards Bournemouth, given the caption “How the matcha + scorching woman stroll combo hits”.
Viewers argued the posts had been “infantilising” and undermined the work achieved over the previous few years to place girls’s sport within the highlight. “One step forwards, 50 years again”, one individual put it.
GirlsontheBall, a outstanding platform masking girls’s soccer, voiced its frustrations saying on X they might not “think about that is what girls sports activities followers need”.
“Have many ideas which I’ll get to when not below a mountain of writing however all I can ask is why? The branding (someday can we please be previous the pink/peach stage?!), the premise, the copy…”
One consumer mentioned that Sky Sports activities Halo was one of many worst ideas he had ever seen.
“So condescending. Making a dumbed down sports activities channel for girls is unbelievably sexist. Unimaginable that it was accepted and that it is nonetheless reside,” they mentioned.
Whereas the channel was aimed toward girls lots of the sports activities stars featured in its posts had been males.
Andy Gill, head of social media and viewers growth at Sky Sports activities, wrote on LinkedIn that he “could not be prouder and extra enthusiastic about [Halo’s] launch”, however by Saturday evening the broadcaster was pressured to rethink.
All however two posts have been deleted from the Halo account, one in every of which is a short assertion from Sky which reads: “Our intention for Halo was to create an area alongside our present channel for brand new, younger, feminine followers.
“We have listened. We did not get it proper. Consequently we’re stopping all exercise on this account. We’re studying and stay as dedicated as ever to creating areas the place followers really feel included and impressed.”
The BBC contacted Sky for remark but it surely had nothing additional so as to add.
