Sky Sports axes ‘sexist’ TikTok channel Halo after three days
Sky Sports has shelved its new female-focused TikTok channel Halo after it faced backlash online for posts described as “patronising” and “sexist”.
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday night, the publisher admitted that this “was not done correctly” and that “all activity will be stopped” on the account.
The channel, which was just announced on Thursday, is touted by the broadcaster as “an inclusive, dedicated platform for women to enjoy and discover content across all sports, while also amplifying women’s voices and perspectives.”
However, many people criticized the “little sister” account on social media, which mentioned “hot girl walks”, matcha and Labubu toys in its content.
At its launch, Sky said Halo’s aim was to “create a welcoming community for female fans, whether casual or committed, through fun, trend-driven and relatable content.”
This content included pink nail polish emojis, as well as a TikTok post referencing a Formula 1 scandal with the title “Explaining the 2008 Crashgate in girl terms” written in pink glitter text.
Another post saw a clip of Manchester City players Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland combining to score against Bournemouth and was captioned: “How the Macha + hot girl walk combo worked out.”
Viewers argued that the posts were “childish” and undermined the work done to bring women’s sport to the forefront over the past few years. “One step forward, 50 years back,” one person said.
GirlontheBall, a major platform covering women’s football, expressed disappointment in X, saying they “couldn’t imagine that this is what female sports fans want”.
“There are so many thoughts that come to mind when I’m not under the writing mountain, but all I can ask is why? Branding (can we please get past the pink/peach phase one day?!), premise, copy…”
One user said Sky Sports Halo was one of the worst concepts he had ever seen.
“It’s so condescending. It’s incredibly sexist to create a simplified sports channel for women. It’s incredible that it was approved and is still on air,” they said.
Although the channel was geared towards women, most of the sports stars featured in its posts were men.
Andy Gill, Sky Sports’ head of social media and audience development, wrote on LinkedIn that he “couldn’t be prouder and more excited.” [Halo’s] launch”, but on Saturday night the broadcaster had to rethink.
All but two of the posts on the Halo account were deleted; one of which was a short statement from Sky: “Our aim for Halo was to create a space for new, young, female fans alongside our existing channel.
“We listened. We didn’t get it right. As a result, we are ceasing all activity on this account. We are learning and remain as committed as ever to creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired.”
The BBC contacted Sky for comment but had nothing further to add.
