Sky Sports has been forced to abruptly abandon its new female-focused TikTok channel Halo after just three days of operation, following intense criticism that the content was patronising and deeply sexist.
The ill-fated launch
The broadcaster introduced Halo on Thursday, branding it as the 'lil sis' of Sky Sports. The channel's now-deleted introductory post claimed it was 'about ALL sports and championing female athletes' while focusing on 'culture, community and connection'.
However, the youth-oriented content immediately drew derision from viewers and women's sports communities. The feed was filled with pink hearts, references to 'hot girl walks', matcha drinks and Barbie, which many found stereotypical and condescending towards female sports fans.
Content that missed the mark
Critics highlighted several problematic posts that demonstrated the channel's misguided approach. One video titled 'Explaining 2008 Crashgate in girl terms' featured pink text and nail polish emojis, prompting one commenter to describe it as 'what an absolute embarrassment'.
Another post showing Manchester City players Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland included the caption 'How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits', which was labelled as 'one of the most insanely patronising and misogynistic activations I've seen from a brand'.
Ironically, despite targeting female audiences, five of the channel's first eleven videos featured male sports stars, further undermining its stated purpose.
Swift backlash and response
Women's football website GirlsontheBall expressed immediate disappointment, questioning the pink-heavy branding and asking 'Can't imagine this is what women sports fans want'. Similarly, She Kicks magazine described some content as 'strange' and suggested Sky Sports was going 'the wrong way about it' in trying to engage women's football fans.
When one user commented 'Can't believe this is what you think female sports fans like', the Halo account responded defensively with 'Can't believe you brought that kind of energy', further alienating potential audiences.
The rapid U-turn
By Saturday, just three days after launch, Sky Sports performed a complete reversal. In a statement posted on X, the broadcaster admitted: 'We've listened. We didn't get it right. As a result we're stopping all activity on this account.'
The company acknowledged their intention was to create space for 'new, young, female fans' but conceded failure in execution while maintaining their commitment to 'creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired'.
The channel's abrupt closure drew comparisons to other short-lived sports initiatives, with some noting Halo had a shorter lifespan than the European Super League and the weekend's international football break.
This episode serves as a stark reminder to brands about the importance of authentic engagement with female sports audiences rather than relying on gender stereotypes and condescending content approaches.
