Sky Sports has shut down its new female-focused TikTok channel Halo after it faced online backlash for posts described as “patronizing” and “sexist”.
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday evening, the broadcaster said it had “not gotten it right” and would “cease all activity” on the account.
The channel, which was only announced on Thursday, was described by the broadcaster as “an inclusive, dedicated platform for women to enjoy and explore content from all sports while amplifying women's voices and perspectives.”
However, many on social media criticized the “little sister” account, whose content talked about “hot girl walks” and the match.
Sky initially said Halo's goal was to “create a welcoming community for female fans, both casual and dedicated, through fun, trendy and engaging content.”
One post showed a clip of Manchester City players Ryan Cherki and Erling Haaland teaming up for the latter to score against Bournemouth, with the caption “How the match + hot girl combination works.”
Viewers said the posts were “infantile” and undermined the work done over the past few years to highlight women's sport.
Among those criticizing the channel was Emily Treece, 23, who told BBC Newsbeat that she thought Halo calling itself Sky Sports' “little sister” was “really harmful”.
“We've spent the last 50 years trying to move away from the stereotypes around women's sport and try to make women's sport a thing in its own right and not just an extension of what men can do. We deserve our own space, something of ours. We don't have to be anyone's 'little sister,'” she said.
GirlssontheBall, a prominent platform covering women's football, expressed their disappointment, saying on X that they couldn't “imagine that this is what female sports fans want.”
“I have a lot of thoughts that I'll come up with when I'm not writing, but all I can ask is why? Branding (will we ever get past the pink/peach stage?!), premise, copy…”
Sports fan Millie Jones, 27, told BBC Newsbeat she doesn't think women need a separate space for content, rather she says they should be equally represented in the content Sky Sports already produces.
“As a sports fan, I have been using the standard Sky Sports media for as long as I have been involved in sports. I don’t need a pink sparkly coaster for regular content,” she said.
One user said Sky Sports Halo is one of the worst concepts he's ever seen.
“So condescending. Creating a stupid sports channel for women is incredibly sexist. It’s incredible that it was approved and still exists,” they said.
Some social media users also created fake posts on the channel's content, which were widely shared.
Although the channel was aimed at women, many of the sports stars featured in its publications were men.
Andy Gill, head of social media and audience development at Sky Sports, wrote on LinkedIn that he was “very proud and excited [Halo's] launch,” but by Saturday evening the broadcaster was forced to rethink.
All but two posts have been removed from the Halo account, one of which is a brief statement from Sky saying: “Our intention for Halo was to create a space alongside our existing channel for new young female fans.
“We listened. We didn't get it right. As a result, we will cease all activity on this account. We are learning and remain committed to creating spaces where fans feel engaged and inspired.”
The BBC has contacted Sky for comment but has nothing further to add.
Correction, November 16: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed one post as being published by Halo, but it was a mockup not created by the channel.
