BBC prepares for sporting battle

Evem 10 years ago, the payment of a BBC licence fee guaranteed TV viewers armchair access to unrivalled live coverage of the nation's sporting events.

Since then, however, the Corporation has lost out to BSkyB and - perhaps more tellingly - to ITV and even Channel 5 in a whole range of TV battles.

Viewers who keep their sets tuned to the BBC can now no longer watch live domestic football, England's home rugby union matches, Formula One, major boxing occasions, Super League rugby league and several top race meetings.

Critics have accused the BBC of not investing in sport, with Grand- stand now featuring live netball internationals and most of the clips shown on the channel's recent Sports Review of the Year "borrowed" from other stations.

But the BBC have now come out fighting to defend their reputation.

And they have pledged a 1998 fightback, highlighting the "extensive" range of live sport that will still be seen on the channel over the next 12 months.

Already the BBC is considering whether to go head-to-head with ITV in coverage of England and Scotland's matches at next year's World Cup finals by refusing to divide up the screening of many games as before.

And pressure is being brought to bear on the Government to increase the number of "crown jewel" events protected for terrestrial TV.

Jonathan Martin, BBC Broadcast's controller of television sport, insisted: "People should watch their screens during 1998 and then wait for the critics to complain that there is too much sport being shown on the BBC.

"Last year, there were letters of criticism the BBC had gone sports-mad.

"Next summer, with events such as the World Cup, Test matches, Wimbledon and the Europa Cup athletics, I can imagine people will be saying the same things."

He added: "We've been defending a huge portfolio. We have had major losses, as in football, but still have a regular prime-time football programme in Match of the Day, for which we have paid four times as much - from £4.5m to £17m - to keep."

"Nobody seems to notice when we secure or retain a contract, just when we lose one."

Martin said other prime examples were the US Masters golf, retained despite a higher bid from BSkyB, and the Open, in which Channel 4 were also interested.

"We have already devoted more of the total budget to sport than we did several years ago," he declared.

"Of course there are many areas where the BBC has to decide its level of funding and I would like a bigger share. I am sure that every other department head has that same aim and it is a battle which is ongoing."

He gave some further hope when asked about the possibility of an earlier time slot for Match of the Day, by replying cagily: "The new channel controller is a big football fan."

But David Liddiment, director of programmes at ITV, who have just lured away the BBC's head of sport, Brian Barwick, said of the Corporation: "It is very disingenuous to suggest that they do not have enough money.

"They have £2 billion to spend as they see fit. It is a question of priorities. There is no reason why they could not have chosen to spend more on sport and less on their new 24-hour news channel.

"They've decided, as a matter of policy, not to invest in major live sporting events such as football and motor racing - while we have."

Commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme, who worked for the BBC for more than 20 years until 1971, agreed, saying: "The BBC is a crumbling empire now.

"It is unthinkable that they have lost motor racing and the FA Cup to ITV, but I don't think the hierarchy in the BBC now are very sports-orientated.

"I know they have to please a whole range of people but I think sport has been relegated too low down the list of priorities and, sadly, I believe the Corporation is suffering as a result."

Yet the BBC claim they are not fighting the other channels on a level playing field, as ITV are concentrating their fire on two main sports, while BSkyB have considerably bigger resources at their disposal from subscriptions.

"ITV's remit is not the same as ours. But we have to spread our budget in a far wider area as that is our obligation as a public service broadcaster - to provide a wide remit," said Jonathan Martin.

"You have a completely different budget on a subscription channel like Sky and their football contract with the Premier League is the basis of their business.

"Yet on the BBC, sports still get the exposure they don't find elsewhere, certainly on terrestrial television. We take it seriously, that we should be covering the London Marathon and the national swimming trials."

Jason Deans, deputy news editor of Broadcast magazine, does see some hope ahead for the BBC in the longer term.

"The situation is probably going to get worse in terms of access to major live sports but it is not all doom and gloom if the BBC are more imaginative in going into joint deals with partners," he said.

For Sky have been careful to ensure that their live deals also offer sports the access they still need to free, terrestrial channels.

Vic Wakeling, head of Sky sport, said: "In every deal we have struck, the sport's governing body have insisted on - and we have agreed to - some sort of partnership with terrestrial television."

Wakeling highlighted the Ryder Cup - where the BBC have highlights of Sky's live coverage - and cricket, where the BBC show home Test matches and Sky screen one-day internationals.

"We do not have any sport exclusively at all. The sports get what they need not only in terms of revenue, but also of exposure."