Lineker goes: Does TV still need Match Of The Day?

Sky News Daily

Tuesday, 12 November 2024 - 16 minutes

After 25 years, Gary Lineker is leaving the BBC's Match Of The Day. He'll stay on for the corporation's coverage of the FA Cup and the next World Cup - but he'll get his Saturday nights back from the end of this season. The change will likely help the BBC's presenter wage bill and might save some run-ins about Lineker's use of social media - but what about the programme he leaves behind? Sixty years after MOTD's launch, do TV viewers really still "look away now" to avoid the scores before 10.30pm on a Saturday? In the era of YouTube fan channels, TikTok accounts and wall-to-wall live coverage, is a set-piece highlights programme showing its age? Niall Paterson looks over the options for one of the BBC's biggest brands - how can it change for an audience falling out of love with linear TV without alienating other viewers? He's joined by our sport correspondent, Rob Harris, and Stuart Rowson, former BBC Sport exec who now works with brands to attract younger audiences. Producer: Emma Rae Woodhouse Editor: Paul Stanworth