We’re sure by now, you’ve heard of the Sky Sports ‘Halo’ saga that went down on TikTok over the weekend. Yikes!
On Friday, Sky Sports launched a brand-new TikTok channel called Halo, designed to be “a space alongside our existing social channels for new, young, female fans”. But just three days later, activity came to a sudden halt, and a grovelling apology statement was posted (awks).
Sports fans wasted no time in sharing their thoughts. One user on X dubbed it “one of the worst concepts I’ve ever seen. So condescending”, while a female TikTok creator sarcastically stated, “could never understand any sport but now it’s pink, sparkly and dumbed down I love it xox”.
So, what went so wrong? We’re unpacking why Halo missed the mark, and how it could have been positioned differently to truly champion women in sport and engage new and current female sports fans.
Halo: Why the “lil-sis” of Sky Sports missed the mark
Halo had a golden opportunity to be bold: empowering female fans with real stories, relatable voices, and authentic interaction. But instead, it leaned into outdated female stereotypes, further alienating the fan base. Let’s break down the mishaps:
The visual branding:
Pink and peach? For a female audience? Groundbreaking. The visual branding leaned on a palette of soft pastels, sparkly overlays, and heart graphics that instantly felt patronising to many viewers. Filters and motifs transformed football and tennis highlights into something more suited to a children’s party than a serious sports channel.
The tone of voice and messaging:
Halo’s tone of voice felt out of touch with real sports culture, favouring fluffy captions and childish social trends over substance. References to things like “matcha walks” and “rizzing” came off as cringeworthy and patronising, further infuriating fans who had hoped to get insightful sports coverage from the channel.
The content:
The channel’s choice of content added more confusion: roughly half of the early posts focused on friendships between male tennis players or referenced unrelated cultural topics, leaving people questioning “who is this channel actually for?”. When the content did try to celebrate women’s achievements, coverage felt pretty shallow - like the “Halo Heroes” Barbie video, which re-imagined sportswomen as barbies, rather than focusing on their actual sporting achievements.
How Sky Sports could’ve (and probs should’ve) done things differently with Halo
The real opportunity? Mature, inclusive content. Instead of shrinking female fans down to stereotypes, Sky Sports could have made Halo a platform amplifying proper sporting analysis, athlete backstories, and discussions rooted in sport, not superficial trends.
So we asked our social team at Bigger Picture what they would have done differently if they had their hands on the channel’s launch:
- Position the channel as a place to champion women’s sports and women in sport rather than a general sports channel for a female audience.
- Ditch the sparkly pink lettering and cutesy motifs. Women want inclusive coverage of sports – not a glittery mansplained lesson on the offside rule.
- Push more collabs with female creators like Ryhanna Parara, who actually live and breathe sport.
- Focus on interviews and storytelling from female commentators and sports personnel.
- Regularly repost and feature fan videos in community spotlights to create lasting loyalty and belonging.
- Use real sporting jargon instead of pop-culture buzzwords and watered-down explanations.
Hot take: Did we really need a female-only sports feed in the first place?
Maybe the bigger question is whether a female-only sports channel was needed in the first place. Many female sports fans already engage confidently with mainstream coverage, so creating a separate feed risks reinforcing a divide that doesn’t exist.
Many users online were quick to point out that instead of championing women’s sports, which would’ve been better received, Halo was instead “about having a separate channel for female spectators and separating us from the main channel which is even worse”.
What are your thoughts on Halo, and would you have done things differently?
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