The BBC has broken its silence on the future of Football Focus amid the long-running show’s ratings crash.
Reports emerged over the weekend that the Saturday lunchtime programme, which celebrates its 50th birthday next year, was under threat after losing a third of its audience over the last four years, falling from 849,000 in 2019 to just 564,000 last month.
Halting its decline is said to be a priority for the BBC’s next director of sport, with current boss Barbara Slater retiring next year. The news has triggered plenty of debate among football fans over the show’s relevance amid the huge competition from rival channels and social media outlets.
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The BBC has reacted to the reports by insisting Football Focus is not under threat of being cancelled. They have pointed out that the programme is following the “trend of viewing figures declining across all liner channels and programming in recent years”.
In a statement sent to Daily Star Sport, a BBC spokesperson said: “Football Focus continues to herald the start of a whole weekend packed full of sporting coverage for fans across BBC Sport, including radio, our website and Player.
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“Week-on-week it is the most watched programme during that time slot and iPlayer viewing figures are also strong, so we know its popularity is enduring for fans, wherever they choose to watch.”
Over the weekend, former presenter Dan Walker waded into the debate over Football Focus’ future. Posting on X, the Channel 5 News presenter wrote: “It’s hard to see Football Focus struggling. I loved it growing up and it was an honour to present it and I still miss it. We poured everything into that show every week and worked hard to keep it relevant. I hope it stays part of the TV landscape.”
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Current presenter Alex Scott hit back by replying with a GIF from children's TV programme iCarly. It shows a girl looking at her computer screen before saying, ‘Interesting’.
Walker then posted again: “I’m not saying you haven’t Alex. It’s a saturated market and it’s hard work every week. I hope you have a good show today.”
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