BBC Sport expansion offers pubs the chance to experiment with live screenings

07-Nov-2017 - Last updated on 07-Nov-2017 at 12:07 GMT

Greater coverage: women's football will be given more screen time under the BBC's plans

The BBC has announced plans to increase its annual sports coverage by up to 1,000 hours as part of a “huge expansion of free-to-air-sport in the UK”.

The broadcaster's decision is expected to offer UK pubs an opportunity to both increase and diversify their existing sports coverage as well as a chance for pubs with less experience of showing sport to dabble.

While prized sporting assets including Wimbledon and the FA Cup will benefit from greater coverage, more than 30 additional sports and events – such as Women’s Super League football, the Rugby League Challenge Cup, and the British Basketball League – will be available via the BBC’s expanded streaming services.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, commented: “We’ve seen the nation get behind a whole host of sports in recent years, especially at major events. We want to use BBC Sport’s live streaming service to showcase more of those moments that inspire people to take part. Put simply, it’s a huge expansion in the availability of free-to-air sport in the UK.”

"Great news" for pubs looking to dabble

The enhanced offering is set to complement BBC Sport’s already extensive sporting portfolio which includes rights to broadcast the Olympic Games and Wimbledon Championships until 2024, the FIFA World Cup until 2022, Rugby Union’s Six Nations Championships until 2021, and Euro 2020.

Dominic Collingwood, co-founder of MatchPint, commented: "This is great news, particularly for pubs that want to dabble, rather than heavily invest, in sport.

“Many operators have told us they'd like to show more sport but are put off by two factors. First, showing sport on Sky Sports and BT Sport requires an investment that some can't justify. Second, especially for pubs with a premium food focus, there's a perception that 24/7 sport on TV discourages diners and families from visiting regularly.

"While a number of operators such as Young's, the Metropolitan Pub Company and Marston's show that sport and a premium food offering can play well together, the increase in terrestrial sports coverage presents a great solution for operators that a more nervous about the combination."

Chance to "cash in"

Collingwood added: “The BBC already broadcasts many of the biggest sports events in the UK. Seventeen of the 50 most searched-for events on MatchPint since 2015 have been shown on terrestrial TV, predominantly during Euro 2016 and the Six Nations Championship.

"With the World Cup in Russia fast approaching, many pubs that don't invest heavily in sport will be trying to build a reputation in order to make the most of the sales opportunity next summer. It seems that these operators will have more sport to show for free than ever before, helping them show customers that their's is a great place to watch the World Cup.

“Some of the sports the BBC is investing in highlight further growth opportunities. Women's football is growing in popularity following the recent success of the national team. Some operators may think that Super League football is a good opportunity to cash in on this increasing interest. Basketball continues to recruit fans in the UK. Not only is the NBA growing in popularity, but our national league is followed by a small but dedicated supporter group.

"The Beeb already offers a great highlights package online, so we're excited to hear that they are looking to build out into some live coverage too.”