Gary Lineker warns BBC not to take ‘Match of the Day’ for granted

Gary Lineker has said competition between broadcasters for sports rights is so intense that the BBC cannot take holding on to Match of the Day for granted.

The BBC presenter told the IAB Engage conference in London on Thursday that Match of the Day was "incredibly strong", but added: "We are in a world of rights issues. You can't ever take things for granted. We lost rights before."

The BBC has a three-year Premier League highlights deal, worth £204 million and running until the end of the 2018-19 season. But it faces huge budget cuts, in part due to the British government's decision to hand it the £700 million or so cost of paying for TV licences for the over-75s.

Lineker said the corporation was being “hamstrung” by the government, urged on by parts of the media with a vested interest in seeing it weakened.

He was unsure if he would be included in new rules requiring the BBC to reveal the pay of stars earning more than £150,000 because he is not paid directly by the corporation. Lineker is thought to be one of the highest-paid stars at the BBC.

“It’s just another one of the little agendas against the BBC that has been spiced up by the media,” he said of the rules. However, “If people have to know how much I earn, then people have to know.”

Under attack

Lineker said the UK didn’t celebrate the BBC enough, and that the corporation was under attack by a hostile media. He said the fact the licence fee was compulsory and paid by everyone meant life was far more difficult for the corporation and those working for it.

“It’s the one downside of working for the BBC: that the money comes from the licence fee. If it’s Ant and Dec, no one cares . . . they earn vastly more than anyone at the BBC.”

Lineker also said he wouldn't want to repeat his appearance on Match of the Day in his underwear after promising to do so if Leicester City won the Premier League.

“It was fairly cringeworthy experience. I wouldn’t like to do again,” he said. “I did a stupid tweet which seemed safe at the time. I categorically knew at the time there was zero chance of Leicester winning. It went on to be quite possibly the biggest team sporting miracle of my lifetime.” Guardian Service