BBC are dealt a fresh blow after losing rights to air the NFL Super Bowl to rivals ITV
The BBC have been dealt a fresh blow after losing the rights to show the Super Bowl to rivals ITV.
The Beeb had been the NFL’s free-to-air home in the UK for the last seven years, with a peak audience of 1.3million tuning in to watch LA Rams win the Super Bowl in February.
However, ITV will now screen American football’s season-ending showpiece after striking a three-year deal.
Laura Woods has been hired to host their coverage, which will include hour-long weekly highlights shows on a Friday and three live matches – the Super Bowl and two of the season’s three London Games.
She will be joined on ITV by pundits Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora, who previously worked on the BBC’s NFL Show. Their launch programme will be on September 9.
‘I’ve been a fan of the NFL for many years, so, with the new season just weeks away, I’m thrilled to be part of the team that will bring ITV viewers its best action and biggest stories each week,’ said Woods.
The BBC have lost the rights to air the NFL Super Bowl – ending a seven-year-run
Rivals ITV have stepped in and signed a three-year-deal to own the rights for the Super Bowl
Henry Hodgson, managing director of NFL UK, added: ‘This is another significant milestone for the NFL in this country. We have enjoyed seven fantastic years of NFL coverage on BBC TV and the time is right to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a new partnership with ITV.’
This comes as more bad news for the BBC after they were forced to issue a response to fans calling for them to reinstate the classified football results on its flagship Sports Report radio programme.
Following backlash, the BBC released a statement to suggest ‘there are good reasons for the change’.
The statement read: ‘We appreciate the strength of feeling towards the classified football results within Sports Report. It’s always difficult when a programme with a special history changes, but there are good reasons for the change.
‘We’d like to assure our listeners that results from across the football leagues will still be shared during the programme and through the afternoon. Results are also available in full on the BBC Sport website and during Final Score on BBC One. Having a live match at 5.30 is a great addition to the 5 Live schedule.’
The BBC faced backlash after axing their reading of the classified football results
