Sky Sports Quickly Scraps Female-Focused TikTok Channel Halo After Just Three Days Due to 'Unbelievably Sexist' Criticism.
The sports broadcaster, known for its coverage of major football matches, has launched a female-targeted TikTok channel called Halo. However, despite its intentions, the youth-focused content has been widely panned by critics who claim it is patronising and "unbelievably sexist." The first three videos on the channel featured predominantly male sports stars alongside women's football, which seemed at odds with its message of championing female athletes.
Sky Sports initially defended Halo, but a U-turn was made just 48 hours after launch. The broadcaster acknowledged that the content didn't quite hit the mark and promptly shut down all activity on the account. A statement from Sky Sports read: "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."
Critics, including women's football websites GirlsontheBall and She Kicks, expressed their dismay at the content, describing some posts as "strange" and calling out Sky Sports for attempting to grow its brand in women's football without fully understanding the needs of female sports fans. The backlash against Halo was swift, with many users expressing frustration that they didn't need "dumbed-down" versions of sports presented in a way that felt condescending.
The short-lived existence of Halo has been met with some relief from fans and critics alike, who welcome the decision to scrap the channel. Sky Sports' decision to quickly shut down Halo comes just days after its European Super League debacle and a football international break this weekend.
The sports broadcaster, known for its coverage of major football matches, has launched a female-targeted TikTok channel called Halo. However, despite its intentions, the youth-focused content has been widely panned by critics who claim it is patronising and "unbelievably sexist." The first three videos on the channel featured predominantly male sports stars alongside women's football, which seemed at odds with its message of championing female athletes.
Sky Sports initially defended Halo, but a U-turn was made just 48 hours after launch. The broadcaster acknowledged that the content didn't quite hit the mark and promptly shut down all activity on the account. A statement from Sky Sports read: "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."
Critics, including women's football websites GirlsontheBall and She Kicks, expressed their dismay at the content, describing some posts as "strange" and calling out Sky Sports for attempting to grow its brand in women's football without fully understanding the needs of female sports fans. The backlash against Halo was swift, with many users expressing frustration that they didn't need "dumbed-down" versions of sports presented in a way that felt condescending.
The short-lived existence of Halo has been met with some relief from fans and critics alike, who welcome the decision to scrap the channel. Sky Sports' decision to quickly shut down Halo comes just days after its European Super League debacle and a football international break this weekend.
. I mean, who tries to create a female-focused channel only to get slammed by critics? It's like they expected everyone to just be all 'oh cool, more sports content!' without even considering if the content was actually good enough 
. And honestly, who needs a channel that's gonna make us feel like we're watching something our little sisters would watch instead of real sports 
. It's better they shut it down now than try to fix it and look even more clueless 
. I guess you could say they learned the hard way that when it comes to female sports fans, we can spot a sexist move from a mile away 
i mean what even is sexism in 2025 anymore? isn't it just a matter of creating spaces where everyone feels included and inspired? did we really need a "dumbed-down" version of sports to prove that point? anyway, the fact that sky sports was willing to listen and take down the channel already shows they're moving in the right direction... but also makes me wonder if their intentions were ever truly pure 
sky sports had good intentions but didnt get it right at all... sexism is such a big deal & they really messed up by trying 2 create a female-focused channel & then failing miserably 
the worst part is that its not just women who are affected, its also fans who feel like their voices aren't being heard 
and i feel bad for girlsontheball & she kicks who were already speaking out against sexism in football... lets hope sky sports learns from this 
i think sky sports was way off with halo from the start they didnt do their research on what female sports fans want its all about representation and inclusion, not dumbing down content for women 
no more cringe content, but honestly sky sports needs to step up their game if they wanna be taken seriously in women's football 
. And yeah, using male sports stars alongside women's football didn't really make sense if you're trying to promote equality. It's like, if you wanna do it right, you gotta commit to it fully, not half-heartedly try to jump on the bandwagon. 
But I guess that's a lesson learned for Sky Sports now... 