Match of the Day audience falls on TV but total reach rises on digital platforms

Match of the Day has recorded a 10 per cent drop in viewing on the BBC’s two main television channels this season, but increased its overall reach by around a third as more viewers consume Premier League highlights on iPlayer and BBC Sport’s digital platforms. The BBC said the combined average weekly audience for the Saturday and Sunday programmes stood at 6.88 million as of last month, down 770,000 on the August to December 2024 average, while the average number of individual accounts accessing Match of the Day content in a typical week rose 21 per cent year-on-year to 1.69 million. BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski said: “We are meeting audiences on their terms and it’s great to see how many people are enjoying that. “By evolving the format and embracing digital platforms, we’re engaging more people than ever and increasing the reach of this iconic show. Match of the Day plays a huge role for millions of football fans, whether that be on TV, iPlayer or people’s phones.” The performance comes during a season of change for the programme, with Gary Lineker departing the Saturday edition after 26 years and the BBC moving to publish extended highlights from each Premier League match at 8pm on Saturdays – more than two hours earlier than the linear broadcast. The BBC figures indicate the fall in BBC One and BBC Two audiences has been offset by increased digital viewing, with the corporation saying it has gained roughly double the number of viewers across iPlayer and online clips compared with the fall on traditional channels. Digital consumption has also risen sharply in volume. The BBC said total requests for Match of the Day content are up 36 per cent this season compared with last season and close to double the level of three seasons ago. So far this season, individual accounts have made almost 62 million requests for Match of the Day content, including the main programmes and highlights from individual games, the BBC said. The BBC has held the Premier League highlights rights since 2004, and the corporation pointed to its distribution strength across iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app as central to its strategy as audiences shift away from scheduled television.Separately, the BBC said it has also expanded its digital highlights portfolio through deals covering leagues including the Bundesliga and La Liga.