Iconic sports activities present set to be axed after 24 years as BBC make main shake-up
The BBC are set to axe the news show Sportsday as part of a major revamp by the organisation to modernise their approach, according to reports
The BBC are set to axe the news show Sportsday, according to reports.
The organisation is reportedly set to begin a major revamp, with the BBC said to be restructuring to shift a bigger focus onto digital content, which will mean ending the 24-year-old show and cutting 27 jobs to create 27 new roles.
It appears that redundancies could happen at the BBC due to the change. According to a report by the Daily Mail, Sportsday will be axed in the summer along with a number of presenting roles.
Voluntary redundancies are set to be offered to the majority of staff on the sports desk, with one insider reported as claiming the move will “effectively kill sports news on television” as the BBC looks to modernise its approach.
The BBC hope the revamp will grow its audience but it’s reported that the news has not been well received in-house. Three presenters and two correspondents are expected to be made redundant with the BBC beginning its cost-cutting scheme as part of its Value for All strategy and a move to streaming and original journalism as opposed to traditional sports news coverage.
At a meeting on Wednesday, plans were reportedly shared to reduce the number of sports bulletins and end the flagship News at 6 and 10 programmes crossing to BBC HQ at MediaCity for sports updates at the weekend.
A source told the Mail: “It feels like they are killing sports news on television. Those involved are distraught.
“It came as a shock and it’s fair to say that none of them saw it coming. They’re basically decimating the output of sports news on television.”
Sportsday first broadcast in 2001 and airs 12 times each day from Monday-Thursday and 11 times on Friday.
A BBC Sport spokeswoman said: “The proposed changes would allow us to enhance our storytelling and live event coverage to ensure we remain relevant and deliver more value for audiences across the UK.”
