'Besties, WAGS and dogs!': Sky Sports axes 'patronising' Halo platform targeting female sports fans following backlash
Sky Sports' new 'Halo' channel, hailed as 'inclusive' by the broadcaster, faced a backlash from female fans within hours of launching after pushing "lil sis" content
A new TikTok account launched by Sky Sports and targeting female sports fans has been deleted within hours of launch amid a backlash over its 'patronising' use of pink fonts, love heart filters and jokes over "hot girl walks".
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'Halo', described as a "lil sis" spin-off of Sky Sports' main coverage, was created "specifically to engage and entertain female sports fans", its launch statement read on Thursday.
"The channel provides an inclusive, dedicated platform for women to enjoy and explore content from all sports, while amplifying female voices and perspectives."
But despite the initial excitement from female sports fans at the launch announcement, many were left feeling frustrated over branding decisions that appeared to misjudge its target audience.
Use of pastel-coloured captions, pink sparkles and heart edits have been accused of infantilising female sports followers, with more than half of the first 11 videos published featuring male athletes.
One clip, featuring F1 driver Charles Leclerc discussing his recent engagement, saw one user write: "Thank goodness I now have a special TikTok account with pink captions so I can finally read about driver's relationships!! It's all I ever wanted and more."
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Another joked "Yay girlies! It's all about besties, WAGS and dogs!".
Another post on the page featured the title: “Explaining 2008 Crashgate in girl terms”.
On early videos, the account admin was initially quipping back at critical remarks - under a video of male Premier League Footballers with a pink caption, one user commented: “Can’t believe this is what you think female sports fans like".
The account shot back: “Can’t believe you brought that kind of energy.”
However, admin responses declined as the volume of criticism escalated.
A further clip, focused on Carlos Alcaraz's return to No.1 world tennis ranking, saw another user write: "Wow I love how women catered this is! How insightful!! What a way to amplify female voices and perspectives!".
The content also sparked parody content across TikTok in response, with users posting footage with similar graphics and font as the Halo branding.
Feedback on X has been equally damning, with one calling it "one of the most insanely patronising and misogynistic activations I’ve seen from a brand".
Girls on the Ball, a prominent platform covering women’s football, voiced frustration, saying: “The branding...the premise, the copy… can’t imagine this is what women sports fans want, and taking a brief look at the comments it seems like we’re not alone.”
Following the response online, Sky Sports issued a apology to fans, reading: "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."