Sky Sports has ceased all activity on its Halo TikTok channel, launched just three days earlier as a dedicated space for female fans, following a fierce backlash accusing the content of being sexist and patronising.
The channel, described in a press release as Sky Sports' “lil sis,” aimed to “build a welcoming community for female fans through fun, trend-led, and relatable content.” However, posts such as a clip of Manchester City's Erling Haaland captioned “How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits,” overlaid with pink and hearts, drew widespread criticism on social media.
By Sunday, Sky Sports had removed all content except a 29-second promotional video featuring female athletes Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson alongside male stars like Bukayo Saka and Rory McIlroy, and a statement announcing the halt. The press release promoting Halo was also taken down from the website.
In a statement, Sky Sports said: “Our intention for Halo was to create a space alongside our existing channel for new, young, female fans. We've listened. We didn't get it right. As a result we're stopping all activity on this account. We're learning and remain as committed as ever to creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired.”
The U-turn comes amid surging popularity for women's sport in the UK, including the England women's football team winning the previous two Euro tournaments and the women's rugby team winning the World Cup just weeks ago.
