Match of the Day icon tells BBC to create new channel to avoid losing top sports events

The BBC is going through a new chapter after Gary Lineker left his role at Match of the Day following 25 years and former host Des Lynam feels the corporation must show “courage” and make changes

Former Match of the Day host Des Lynam has urged the BBC to launch a new pay-per-vew channel that could rival the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

The 82-year-old presented the iconic BBC football highlights show for more than a decade between 1988 and 1999 before Gary Lineker took over.

The BBC still has coveted rights to air competitions like the World Cup, Euros, FA Cup and Wimbledon, but they are under mounting pressure from rival TV channels and Lynam believes they might have to put their biggest competitions behind a paywall.

He told the Telegraph: “If they are to compete as serious contenders for big-time sport, they will have to form a separate sports channel and that means pay-per-view. They have the brand.

“The only way to compete is to find the money to do so. Unless the BBC is content to cover only minor sports they will have to get out into the marketplace.

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“To do this, the kind of money involved means the funding must come from a source other than the licence fee and that means pay-per-view.”

Lynam said the BBC needed to have “courage” to do something different if they wanted to keep hold of their greatest assets.

“If there is someone at the corporation who agrees with me and has the courage to fight for that cause I mentioned, get ready to summon up the blood, disguise fair nature and prepare for the incoming rage.”

It comes after a report earlier this month that the BBC are facing a fight to hang onto their Wimbledon rights, which they have owned for the last 90 years.

The corporation currently pay the All England Club around £60m a year to cover the Grand Slam, but their current rights expire in 2027. TNT and Sky are both reportedly interested in pouncing for the next batch of rights, according to the Sun.

It is claimed that the Wimbledon rights are seen as the “crown jewels” for the BBC, but while it must be aired for free on TV in the UK, it does not have to be exclusively shown on one particular channel.

The BBC are in the midst of a new era after Gary Lineker stepped down from presenting Match of the Day, with hosting duties set to be shared by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the start of the 2025-26 season.

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