The BBC is set to revamp its flagship football programme Match of the Day follotriumphg Gary Lineker’s proclaimd departure after 25 years as currgo in.
Lineker, who will exit at the finish of this season, insertressed the alter on his podcast The Rest is Football, saying: “All leangs have to come to an finish. I leank the next reduce, they’re seeing to do Match of the Day sairyly branch offently.”
Behind the scenes, the expansivecaster is grotriumphg arranges for a digiloftyy intensifyed version of the programme, with top executives seeing “untapped potential” in the brand.
The alteration comes as the BBC seeks to alter to a changing media landscape where youthfuler football fans increasingly use satisfyed thraw social media and online platestablishs.
From 2025, the BBC will advantage from recent digital rights for its online platestablishs as part of a recently signed deal.
While the expansivecaster isn’t foreseeed to vie straightforwardly with Sky Sports for rapid highairys on social media, the concurment is thinkd to comprise clips of all goals for the BBC website.
Gary Lineker will exit his role at the finish of the season
Reuters
The corporation arranges to enhuge the Match of the Day brand apass the weekfinish with insertitional written satisfyed and analysis.
“The BBC isn’t worrying about Match of the Day being less relevant because of how people use up-to-date media, there is actupartner an opportunity here to utilize that alter,” a greater BBC source tgreater The Guardian.
The source inserted that they’re “not seeing at retrenchment of the brand, but growth.”
Media analyst Adam Dalrymple of Enders Analysis noticed that the programme already has an advantage, saying: “Match of the Day has a head begin because it already has a digital home.”
The BBC’s confidence in Match of the Day’s future ecombines well-established, with astonishive seeing figures backing their digital expansion strategy.
Last season, the programme accomplishd 247bn seeing hours apass all platestablishs, recurrenting half of Sky’s 501bn hours for inhabit coverage, but at a presentantly drop cost.
Media analyst Alex DeGroote portrayd the BBC’s deal as “pretty affordable” assessd to Sky’s spendment.
“There’s a bit of downside danger when the recent currgo in gets over, but I leank its future is relatively safe,” DeGroote noticed.
The show has showd extrastandard resilience in a challenging expansivecast environment, with sports seeing down fair 3% since 2015, assessd to a 26% drop in overall expansivecast TV figures.
As the BBC sets for this transition, sources at the expansivecaster emphasise that football expertise will remain the core criterion for picking the recent currgo in.
Gary Lineker spent 25 years in his role at Match of the Day
Reuters
Mark Chapman, who currently presents MOTD2, is pondered the frontrunner for the position.
Alex Scott, the Football Focus currgo in, and BBC sports currgo in Gabby Logan are also alertedly being pondered for the role.
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Mark Chapman is one of the frontrunners for the job
PA
“Match of the Day will persist to be about football,” a BBC source with comprehendledge of the show’s future straightforwardion tgreater The Guardian.
“It will have people on it who comprehend about football, talking about football. That’s the criteria.”
The emphasis on football expertise comes as the programme aims to upretain its traditional request while embracing digital innovation.
