Blow to BBC as TalkSport bags more football rights 19/02/2010 |
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The BBC has lost a third of its live Premier League radio commentaries after commercial rival TalkSport won the exclusive rights to late Saturday afternoon games and early Sunday matches.
TalkSport secured two of the seven radio rights packages on offer from the Premier League, doubling the number of live games it currently broadcasts to 64. The new three-year deal runs from the beginning of next season.
The BBC secured four rights packages – a total of 128 games, down from its current offering of 192. The seventh package of rights was bought by another commercial station, Absolute Radio.
TalkSport chief executive Scott Taunton said: "This is a great day for TalkSport and commercial radio in the UK. To have won the rights to broadcast live and exclusive Barclays Premier League football on both a Saturday and a Sunday, when no other national radio broadcaster – including the BBC – has commentary, puts the station at the very heart of Premier League football in the UK.
"Our distinctive, passionate and energetic approach to Premier League commentaries has proved to have widespread appeal. We're now able to provide listeners and advertisers with the best Premier League action through our live commentaries as well as all the up-to-the-minute action from around the grounds."
The BBC held on to the first-choice games at Saturday 3pm, as well as the Saturday 12.30pm, Sunday 4pm and Monday 8pm fixtures. Absolute Radio bought the rights to the second choice of Saturday 3pm games, currently held by TalkSport.
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