BBC ditches Boat Race amid claims it was too ‘haughty, pompous, and bumptious’ | UK | News
BBC has lost another jewel in the crown and the Rights of the Boat race will be competing with Channel 4.
The insiders said the company’s sports manager showed “very little enthusiasm” during the negotiations.
This means that the annual activity between Oxford and Cambridge universities on the River Thames will be shown in a commercial channel from next year from next year.
The Movement is watching the BBC’s loss of the Grand National on Channel 4 in 2012. Since 2017, free television rights have been organized by ITV.
Channel 4 will be approved as a new broadcast partner for the traditionally staged boat race, traditionally staged at the beginning of April after accepting a five -year agreement for the event.
The figures in the talks argued that the event was very arrogant, magnificent and boring with one of them: “The president of Sports, London, England and the best universities, showed little enthusiasm for our best universities.”
However, the publisher, who suffered from cash, refused categorically, saying that the event, which is seen as expensive for the number of viewers with a resource to Express, is entirely “investment decision”.
The company said in a statement: “BBC is proud to publish the boat race for many years. Our decision not to continue, reflects the difficult choices we need to make to provide the best value for the audience with the money we have for the audience.
Channel 4 secured TV rights, saying that it was a national activity that is watched by millions of people ”.
ITV guaranteed rights between 2005 and 2009, but the boat race was the basis for BBC sports programs.
The sources in the talks, while the BBC’s “warm”, described the channel 4 as “super sharp” in the event.
Channel 4 Sports President Pete Andrews said, “We are very excited that we are entitled to one of the most iconic amateur sports events in the British calendar.
“The boat race is rich in tradition and history, and the British interest in the event has never been so strong.
“We are determined to bring the best sports activities to our audience from both the UK and from around the world, and the boat race is an excellent example.
“The crown of the shovel calendar and the British public opinion is constantly capturing the imagination of the British public in the living rooms, both alongside Thames.
“In recent years, it has presented really unforgettable moments and we can’t wait to bring this excitement to our audience next year.”
Channel 4, the current major sports activities portfolio Adobe Women’s Fa Cup, Formula 1 emphasis, UEFA Under -21 Championships and UK’s UEFA Nations League and European qualifiers contained live matches from home matches, he said.
This year, among the live rights of the BBC, women’s European Football Championship and women’s Rugby World Cup. Gary Lineker, increasingly openly anger for his anger for his anger, he had to leave the role of emphasis, after the role of the day, the match was restarted.
Channel 4’s agreement will allow the publisher to mark the 100 -year -old women who have shoveled in 2027 in 2027 and 200 years.
The boat race, which was free to participate as an audience, attracts 200,000 people to Riverbank and was watched by a mass of 2.82 million people in April because Cambridge University won both male and women’s races.
In 2023, the BBC underwent anger among the audience when he underwent the emphasis shows because the matches were too late in the evening.
The BBC’s partnership with Wimbledon has been on the radio in 1927 and on television in 1937, and has been going on for the longest for sports broadcasting history. This contract lasts until 2027, an estimated £ 60 million annually.
Siobhan Cassidy, President of Boat Race Company, said, “We are pleased to work with Channel 4 to publish our unique, iconic and intense British activity between our two world leaders.
“We know that this is a big day for the Londons, and our independent research showed that Boat Race Gay had an economic impact of £ 13-15 million for London.
“We are grateful to the support of our previous broadcast partners, and we have come a long way since our first radio interpretation in 1927 and the television paintings in 1938.
He continued: “Channel 4’s Easter Saturday 2026, the drama of the event, excitement and heritage of how we can wait to see how to describe!”
The University of Cambridge, known as The Light Blues, won both race in 2025.
