Shareholders have been agitated for some time about the cost and direction of BT Sport, something which in part led to the departure of chief executive Gavin Patterson last month.
But the firm was criticised for spending money in this way, and not on improving both the breadth and speed of its broadband coverage.
Last month, Neil Wilson, chief market analyst for Markets.com, said BT's "expensive move into football rights was a mistake", because it had failed to lead to a rise in new subscribers for the firm's TV offering.