Under its sweeping reorganisation to centralize its sports news coverage, the BBC has put its long-serving sports news program, Sportsday, on ice after 24 years on BBC News. Its axing is one part of a far-reaching strategy to enhance more online stories and content, and live output, as mandated by the corporation’s “Value for All” cost-cutting policy.

The reorganisation will result in 27 existing positions within BBC Sport becoming redundant. However, the company will establish as many new jobs as the ones being cut, allowing redundancies to apply for new positions. However, offers of voluntary redundancy have been made to most of the sports department staff, and this has caused uncertainty and tension among staff.

Besides the cancellation of Sportday, the frequency of sports bulletins on the BBC News channel will be reduced. The focus will be placed on offering breaking sport news online and live-streaming it on the BBC website. But the traditional sports bulletins on BBC One’s flagship news programs at 1 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm will remain unchanged.

This shake-up is also followed by other major changes in BBC Sport, including the departure of Gary Lineker from “Match of the Day” after hosting it for 25 years. Lineker described his time as a pleasure and an honour but mentioned that it was the right time to depart. He will continue to cover the FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup before he departs the broadcaster entirely.

These changes reflect the efforts of the BBC to adapt to the evolving media landscape, targeting digital media and seeking to provide more value to the audience across the UK. The reorganization has, however, raised controversy around the corporation’s future sports coverage and its impact on its workforce.

About BBC News Sportsday

BBC Sportsday, a long-running sports news program, is set to be axed as part of a major restructuring at BBC Sport. The show, which has aired on the BBC News channel for 24 years, will be discontinued to focus more on digital content and live event coverage. This decision is part of the BBC’s broader cost-cutting strategy, which includes reducing the frequency of sports bulletins on the BBC News channel. However, sports updates on BBC One’s main news programs at 1 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm will continue.