Gary Lineker opens up about his BBC salary for Match of the Day
Match of the Day spin-off show MOTDx has been quietly axed by the BBC. The Jermaine Jenas-fronted programme, aimed at Gen Z and Millennial viewers, held a Thursday evening slot on BBC 2 and BBC Three for four years throughout the Premier League campaign but didn’t return for a fifth season in August.
Two months later, the BBC has finally confirmed that MOTDx is gone for good after another failed attempt by Beeb to appeal to younger audiences. A BBC spokesperson insisted that the decision had been made before the start of the season, in a statement given to the Daily Telegraph.
“We have made some changes to our football output this season which means we will be producing even more digital content for audiences across BBC Sport platforms. Whilst we are proud of MOTDx and would like to thank everyone involved, it will no longer continue,” the statement read.
This comes after concerns were raised about the future of another of the BBC’s football shows, Football Focus. Former host Dan Walker and his successor Alex Scott got into a public spat on X (formerly Twitter) after Walker claimed the show was “struggling”.
“It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling,” Walker tweeted. “I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show every week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
Former Arsenal right-back and England centurion Scott, who took the reins from Walker back in 2021, didn’t take too kindly to the remark and replied simply: “Interesting.” Some saw that as a dig at her predecessor.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Walker then responded: “I’m not saying you haven’t [worked hard] Alex. It’s a saturated market and it’s hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today.” According to the Daily Mail, Football Focus has lost more than a third of its audience over the last four years, with the average weekly viewing figures falling from 849,000 in 2019 to just 564,000 in August of this year.
In Walker’s last season at the helm, Football Focus had an average weekly viewership of 827,000 before dropping to 809,000 in 2021 and 599,000 12 months later. It is at around 564,000 this year.
To celebrate the new Premier League season, Sky has slashed the cost of Sky Sports from £25 down to £0 for the first six months of your contract! You’ll also enjoy the same free Sky TV + Netflix bundle available with all Sky Glass bundles right now, as above
FREE delivery | Screen size: 43, 55, and 65-inch available | Set-up costs: £10
Unlock all Sky Sports channels, including Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Sports Golf. And unlike other channel bundles from Sky, its sports coverage arrives in High Definition as standard!
Virgin Media bundles all TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) channels with its Bigger + Sports broadband and telly bundle at no extra cost! You’ll even be able to watch in 4K Ultra HD as standard
Sign-up for a 30-day free trial with Amazon’s Prime Video service to catch all of the Premier League fixtures exclusive to the streamer this season. Cancel anytime during the trial and you’ll be charged nothing
Source: Read Full Article
