ITV Snatches Boat Race Broadcast Rights From BBC
ITV has snatched the exclusive broadcast rights to the Oxford and Cambridge boat race from the BBC after the Corporation claimed the prestigious sporting event had become too commercial.
The BBC said it had decided to end its fifty year association with the boat race in the light of the organiser’s desire to pursue a highly commercial agenda for the event by seeking generate more sponsorship revenue.
The Corporation said in a statement: “We are proud that our innovative coverage has helped build the boat race into the event that it currently is, and one that has been brought to millions of homes. We are happy that we will continue to concentrate on rowing at Olympic and World Championship levels.”
ITV has sealed a five year deal to broadcast the boat race from 2005 and plans to showcase the event in an extended live programme presented by Gabby Logan and Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell. It will also attempt to capture the build up to the big day in a special documentary.
Brian Barwick, ITV Controller of sport, said: “The boat race is an integral part of the British sporting year – it has a genuine history, nation-wide appeal and has produced some superb competition in recent times. It is a very telegenic event and ITV Sport looks forward to the challenge of giving it the same prominence as our other big sporting events.”
The boat race is currently sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management, but the BBC’s editorial guidelines prevent the organisers from fully exploiting the commercial potential of the event. This will not be a problem for ITV, which looks likely to generate a significant amount of revenue.
Earlier this year the BBC courted controversy when a deal between Coca-Cola and the Official Charts Company led to the soft drinks giant getting promoted on the weekly music charts used by Radio One and Top Of The Pops (see BBC Buckles Under Pressure To End Coke Sponsorship Deal).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com
Recent Related Stories from NewsLine Digital Television Tops 10 Million Homes For First Time Continued Growth To Push Freeview Past Cable Television Freeview Surge Helps Digital Reach Half Of UK Homes
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive