Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the crossover between culture, media and sport. Hate to say I told you so. Ok, I don't. It has been revealed that Gary Lineker is leaving Match of the Day at the end of this season. He will leave the BBC completely at the end of the 2026 World Cup. I've said for a while that I thought this would be his last season presenting the flagship football highlights show, and that is how it has turned out. The truth is, this just works for everyone. As The Sun pointed out, Lineker can focus on his growing podcast presence. And he can post even more on social media without having to worry about BBC rules. Aunty itself will get to save some money by having its highest-paid presenter leave. It's fair to say Lineker's departure is not being universally mourned. There has long resentment about the fact he could get away with commenting in a way many other colleagues, from Carol Vorderman to regular newsroom staffers, could not. One former BBC staffer, who referred to Lineker as a "sanctimonious pain in the arse" said that "it's good for the DG [Director General Tim Davie] he’s gone." It probably means there will be fewer public rows and presenter strikes for him to clear up. Another former Beeb employee told me that they doubted the exit would "make a huge difference to the BBC or BBC Sport. MotD doesn’t stand or fall on its presenters." They also thought it wouldn't stop the Daily Mail's anti-BBC campaign, "because Lineker was never the issue for the Mail. The issue is undermining the existence of the BBC." WSL Media Fixes Much, But Not Timing ClashesBack at the start of the season, I pondered (and hoped) that the introduction of YouTube into the WSL media mix might help it have a breakthrough moment like the WNBA enjoyed in its latest season. A new media deal shows that things are really looking forward. In brief, the new deal is with Sky and the BBC. It lasts five years and Sky is putting the bulk of the money in. Consequently, it gets the bulk of the games. Sky can show up to 118 matches, 78 exclusively, 34 will be shared between Sky and the league’s YouTube channel, with seven on both Sky and the BBC. Fans are going to be able to watch every WSL game from next season. The whole thing is worth 82% more than the existing deal. All-in-all, it’s a significant development for media coverage of the women’s game in the UK. One of the big issues that needs to be sorted out, but only partially has with this deal, is the clashes with men’s football. Often the men’s and women’s teams from the same club can be playing on the same day, sometimes at exactly the same time, making it impossible for fans to follow both. The men’s side will usually be the winner in these circumstances. Read the full article more with a paid subscription. |
Charlotte Henry is a journalist and broadcaster who creates and runs The Addition newsletter and podcast; an award-winning publication looking at the crossover between media and technology.
Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the crossover between culture, media and sport. We all want to work on projects we're passionate about, but sometimes compromises need to be made. This is particularly true in the current media environment. Is there a way to turn that passion into profits and, therefore, a sustainable media business? Peter Houston from Media Voices and Magazine Diaries/Grub Street Journal comes back on the podcast to discuss it all. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on...
Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the crossover between culture, media and sport. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the need for the WSL to get more competitive if it is going to maintain media interest. This weekend was very illustrative. The managers like to emphasise how difficult the league is. Tottenham's Robert Vilahamn called the WSL "crazy competitive" in a press conference on Friday. Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor has said similar. However, only Vilahamn's team ended up in a...
Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the crossover between culture, media and sport. What's this? A newsletter on a Thursday? Yes! I thought that you might appreciate your second dose of independent media reporting and analysis earlier in the week, so I'm now going to publish on a Thursday instead of a Friday. Not that long ago, I revealed the strain hacks at Reach are under as their bosses impose ever more demanding targets on them. It’s all in the name of traffic. Of course. Since then,...