Sky Sports has been forced to abandon its female-targeted TikTok channel Halo just three days after its launch, following widespread criticism that it was patronising and sexist. The channel, described by the broadcaster as the 'lil sis' of Sky Sports, was intended to attract new, young, female fans but instead drew immediate derision for its content, which included references to matcha, Barbie and 'hot girl walks'.
Critics pointed out that despite being aimed at women, five of the first 11 videos featured male sports stars. One post, showing Manchester City players Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland, was captioned 'How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits', prompting a user to call it 'one of the most insanely patronising and misogynistic activations i've seen from a brand'. Another user commented: 'Women do not need a dumbed down version of sports.'
The women's football website GirlsontheBall expressed dismay at the branding, questioning 'the pink/peach stage' and the premise. The women's football magazine She Kicks described some posts as 'strange', adding that Sky Sports seemed to be 'going the wrong way about it' in trying to grow their brand in women's football.
Sky Sports initially defended the channel but performed a U-turn on Saturday, posting on X: 'We've listened. We didn't get it right. As a result we're stopping all activity on this account.' The swift demise of Halo was welcomed by fans of women's sports, with some noting it had a shorter lifespan than the European Super League.
