BBC Retires 50-Year-Old 'Football Focus,' Pivoting to Digital-First Formats
BBC Sport is canceling its Saturday football program 'Football Focus' after more than 50 years on the air, citing a shift in audience consumption to digital and on-demand platforms. The public broadcaster will adjust its linear schedule with other football programming and plans to expand its digital-first content on platforms like YouTube and the BBC Sport website. The move is part of a strategy to adapt how BBC Sport delivers content across all platforms in response to evolving viewing habits.
Key Takeaways
- 'Football Focus,' on air since 1974, will be discontinued as the BBC adapts to changing viewing habits and how the license fee is spent.
- The move is part of a strategy to expand digital content with YouTube exclusives, new formats, and new talent, with more details to be announced.
- BBC1's Saturday linear schedule will be adjusted: 'The Football Interview' will move to 12:45pm, and 'Final Score' will shift its start time to 3:45pm.
- Host Alex Scott will remain a central part of BBC's football coverage, including the World Cup, Women's World Cup, and Women's Super League.
- According to BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski, this decision was made prior to the BBC's wider savings announcement.
Why It Matters
The cancellation of a 50-year-old linear broadcast institution is a clear signal of legacy media reallocating resources to follow audiences. The BBC is explicitly shifting investment from appointment-to-view television to digital-first formats on third-party platforms like YouTube. This highlights the challenge even public broadcasters face in retaining sports fans who now consume analysis and highlights on-demand across various devices. The move serves as a case study in managing the decline of linear assets to fund a competitive presence on digital platforms. Watch for the specific formats and talent the BBC deploys on YouTube to see its strategy for engaging younger demographics.
Read full article at broadcastnow.co.uk
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