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- UKA CEO Joanna Coates set for crisis talks to thrash out deal
- BBC’s ‘UK£3m’ per year contract up for renewal this summer
- No TV deal leaves sponsorships under threat
UK Athletics (UKA) is set for emergency talks amid concerns that British public service broadcaster the BBC has decided not to renew its broadcast deal with the national governing body, according to the Times.
The BBC’s six-year rights deal with UKA, which is reportedly worth around UK£3 million (US$3.9 million) per year, was up for renewal this summer.
However, the Times report says the broadcaster, which has long been the home of British athletics, no longer considers the sport value for money. Top BBC executives have also reportedly been left disappointed by UKA’s failure to respond when concerns about the agreement were first raised last year.
The Times added that new UKA chief executive Joanna Coates is now set to meet with the UKA board on 13th August to discuss how the organisation will respond if it loses the partnership. Coates, who was appointed in February, will now reportedly work with interim UKA chairman Nic Coward in a bid to thrash out a new broadcast deal.
A failure to secure a new media rights deal, be it with the BBC or another broadcaster, could have grave implications for UKA’s major commercial partnerships, including with Nike and Müller, who get the bulk of their value from TV exposure.
The Times report comes amidst a period of upheaval at UKA, which has been ordered to reform its board by the end of the year after an independent review by UK Sport identified a 'general culture of mistrust' within the organisation. Incoming UKA chief executive Zara Hyde-Peters could not take up her role as intended last year over a safeguarding issue, while chair Chris Clark stood down in February after just seven months in the post.
The BBC has, however, committed to the Diamond League after signing a new deal with World Athletics, according to the Telegraph.
UK viewers were facing a total TV blackout of the showpiece series after it failed to find a broadcaster to replace pan-European network Eurosport, which opted not to extend its contract after it expired in 2019.
The BBC will now reportedly show five of this year’s six meets, starting with the opening Diamond League event in Monaco on 14th August, as well as meets in Stockholm, Lausanne, Rome and Doha. Only the Brussels event, which clashes with the broadcaster’s coverage of the British Athletics Championships on 4th September, will not be shown live.
The BBC already held the rights to Diamond League highlights and will continue to broadcast a one-hour show on its flagship BBC One channel the day after the Monaco meeting, as well as similar highlights packages following the other Diamond League legs.
UK Athletics (UKA) is set for emergency talks amid concerns that British public service broadcaster the BBC has decided not to renew its broadcast deal with the national governing body, according to the Times.
The BBC’s six-year rights deal with UKA, which is reportedly worth around UK£3 million (US$3.9 million) per year, was up for renewal this summer.
However, the Times report says the broadcaster, which has long been the home of British athletics, no longer considers the sport value for money. Top BBC executives have also reportedly been left disappointed by UKA’s failure to respond when concerns about the agreement were first raised last year.
The Times added that new UKA chief executive Joanna Coates is now set to meet with the UKA board on 13th August to discuss how the organisation will respond if it loses the partnership. Coates, who was appointed in February, will now reportedly work with interim UKA chairman Nic Coward in a bid to thrash out a new broadcast deal.
A failure to secure a new media rights deal, be it with the BBC or another broadcaster, could have grave implications for UKA’s major commercial partnerships, including with Nike and Müller, who get the bulk of their value from TV exposure.
The Times report comes amidst a period of upheaval at UKA, which has been ordered to reform its board by the end of the year after an independent review by UK Sport identified a 'general culture of mistrust' within the organisation. Incoming UKA chief executive Zara Hyde-Peters could not take up her role as intended last year over a safeguarding issue, while chair Chris Clark stood down in February after just seven months in the post.
The BBC has, however, committed to the Diamond League after signing a new deal with World Athletics, according to the Telegraph.
UK viewers were facing a total TV blackout of the showpiece series after it failed to find a broadcaster to replace pan-European network Eurosport, which opted not to extend its contract after it expired in 2019.
The BBC will now reportedly show five of this year’s six meets, starting with the opening Diamond League event in Monaco on 14th August, as well as meets in Stockholm, Lausanne, Rome and Doha. Only the Brussels event, which clashes with the broadcaster’s coverage of the British Athletics Championships on 4th September, will not be shown live.
The BBC already held the rights to Diamond League highlights and will continue to broadcast a one-hour show on its flagship BBC One channel the day after the Monaco meeting, as well as similar highlights packages following the other Diamond League legs.
