After just 36 hours on air, Sky Sports‘ “lil sister” channel, Halo, was deactivated from the internet.
Amid the growing visibility of women’s sports, Sky Sports created Halo, a female-focused TikTok channel. The channel was initially described as an “inclusive, dedicated platform for women to enjoy and explore content from all sports, while amplifying female voices and perspectives.”
While the mission appeared promising, the channel completely missed the mark, with many components seeming patronising and sexist. Many videos featured pink text and heart emojis, while making references to various “girly” stereotypes such as matcha lattes, Barbies, and “hot girl walks.” Additionally, despite the channel being aimed at women, five of the first 11 posted videos highlight male athletes. Moreover, calling Halo the “lil sister” channel of Sky Sports underscores the ongoing inferiority complex surrounding women’s sports. Thus, highlighting a lack of sincerity toward both the athletes and the audiences who watch them.
Interviewed by BBC Newsbeat, Emily Trees, a 23-year-old TikTok user, declared, “We’ve spent the last 50 years trying to come away from the stereotypes around women’s sport, and trying to make women’s sport seen as an entity in itself rather than just as an extension of what men can do…we don’t need to be the ‘little sister’ to anyone.”
Amid the backlash, on Saturday, November 15th, Halo posted a statement on social media saying they listened and “didn’t get it right,” subsequently halting all further activity on the account.
Although the channel represented a step back in the portrayal of women’s sports on equal footing, when I opened TikTok the following Sunday morning, the influx of videos in response to Halo felt nothing short of empowering. My feed was instantly filled with montages of female athletes and fans alike, paired with captions such as “Dear Sky Sports, we were never confused by the sport,” and “Sky Sports, the only thing that confuses me about football is the standard of refereeing.” Additionally, many videos were put in a bright pink font to further mock the absurdity of Halo’s assumptions about what female audiences want.
Therefore, although Halo’s brief life exposed how easily the women’s sports world can still be trivialised, the collective responses displayed something even more powerful. The rapid nature with which athletes and fans called out the missteps and reclaimed the narrative emphasises a growing cultural shift in the way society perceives sports. Female sports are not a niche or in need of a pink sparkling font; they are knowledgeable and demand better. The Halo uproar proved that the female sports community will not accept being underestimated; rather, it will come together loudly to demand the respect and representation it deserves.