When brands think we need everything in pink: The problem with Sky Sports’ “Lil Sis”

All rights to this image are owned by Sky Sports. Used here for commentary purposes only.

I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind, and honestly, it’s been simmering for days. Sky Sports recently launched a TikTok account called “Halo”, branding it as the “Lil Sis” to Sky Sports.

Their words, not mine.

And supposedly, it’s meant to be a “fun,” “relatable,” “female-focused” spin-off of their main sports account.

In reality? It’s patronising as hell.

Let’s be clear women don’t need information dumbed down for them. We don’t need sport wrapped up in pink fonts and matcha references like we’re incapable of knowing how to engage with sport unless it’s softened for us.

One of the videos literally had a football clip overlaid with the words:

“How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits”

In white and pink. With a pink glow.

This is what I mean when I say brands talk down to women under the guise of “empowerment” or worse, “female-friendly content”

But here’s the thing: this isn’t new.

Women have been patronised since the beginning of time. Talked down to, set aside, spoken over. And sport? Sport is one of the messiest examples of it.

Because yes, it’s male-led. That isn’t new concept.

Yes, men dominate the conversation. But we’ve always been here. Women play sports, support sports, analyse sports, live sports.

We don’t need a “separate space” for it, especially not one coated in bubblegum branding that suggests the only way to get women into football is by linking it to green drinks and “hot girl energy.”

Brands so this all the time, they take something that already exists, and instead of fixing their bias, they create a separate “special” version for women.

That’s not representation.

That’s segregation dressed up as marketing.

If sky sports genuinely wanted women included, they could just, I don’t know, include us?

Let more women present. Let more women lead analysis. Let more women interview players. Let more women exist in the space without retaining the walls millennial pink and calling it a day.

Because here is the truth

Women don’t need sport to be softer. They don’t need it to be sparkly. They don’t need a “Lil Sis” version of your content. They just need to be treated like they belong, because they already do.

What the data actually says :

• 80% of UK sports fans follow both men’s and women’s sport.

  Research by Sky Sports and the Gemba Group shows that most sports fans, men and women, are interested in a mix of both. In other words, women’s sport isn’t some niche side category. Fans already engage with it naturally, without needing it to be made “cute” or “girly.”

  
  

• Women don’t need content softened for them.

  The same study found that female sports fans care about skill, quality, and relatability in sport, not about novelty graphics or feminine branding. The audience is already there for the sport itself.

  
  

• Digital growth is huge.

  The Women’s Sport Trust reports that in the first half of 2025, TikTok and YouTube views for women’s sport more than doubled. Women’s sport performs incredibly well online, again proving the appetite is already strong without needing watered-down content.

  
  

• TV audiences are big too.

  A 2023–2024 report showed that UK viewers watched almost 10 hours of women’s sport on average between January and October 2023. That’s a significant amount of dedicated viewing time, far beyond what “niche” fandom looks like.

  
  

• Sky still plays a huge role.

  According to Sky’s own “Attention Index,” they broadcast over 70% of all televised women’s sport in the UK. They’re a major platform, which makes their responsibility to represent women correctly even bigger.

  
  

• Women already watch sport regularly.

  A UK survey shows that 52% of women watch sport every month. That’s more than half of all women, solid proof that women are already active sports fans, not a demographic waiting to be “converted.”

  
  

• Behind the scenes, representation is growing but still uneven.

  Sky says that 38% of their leadership is female, and there are women in key presenting and production roles. It’s progress, but it also shows why performative branding isn’t enough. Real inclusion comes from decision-making power, not pink overlays on TikTok.