BBC’s Football Focus to end after more than half a century

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Football Focus cancelled and ending after 52 years

In a fairly shocking bit of broadcasting news, Football Focus is ending after more than half a century on our screens.

Announced on Thursday, 23 April, the once flagship show and weekly TV guide staple for countless British households is set to be cancelled after 52 seasons’ worth of coverage.

With BBC Sport confirming the tough decision in a lengthy statement, the long-running show will be taken off the air at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Most programmes like these have seen declining audiences across the board in the era of streaming and digital packages across various platforms, but this is truly the end of an era.

An official social media post reads: “An incredible 52-year journey comes to an end.⁣ Following extensive consideration, BBC Sport has made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Football Focus at the end of this season. ⁣
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“First broadcast in 1974, Football Focus is a testament to the brilliant team who have worked on it over the years and, of course, the audience. The programme has been a staple of the BBC’s football coverage for decades, providing fans with interviews, analysis and stories from across the game ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.

“But changing audience behaviours mean fans are now increasingly consuming football content in different ways, and we need to respond appropriately as we face difficult decisions around how the licence fee is spent.⁣”

Second only really to Match of the Day (MotD), which first began a whole decade prior to its once equally popular spin-off, Gary Lineker, Manish Bhasin, Alex Scott and others have all enjoyed varying periods hosting the regular weekend watch.

While even MotD has seen steadily dipping viewing figures, not just following the Lineker departure/saga, but ever since YouTube highlights and the social media era.

The statement goes on to say: “Fans are accessing discussion, highlights, analysis and news through digital platforms and on-demand viewing, and as viewing habits continue to evolve, it is right that BBC Sport adapts how it brings football coverage to the widest audiences across television, radio, online and to its extensive social platforms.
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BBC Sport boasts a strong football rights portfolio and is set to significantly expand its digital output this year, growing content across BBC platforms, as well as a bold new slate of exclusive shows on YouTube.

“Featuring fresh formats, big personalities and more frequent, always-on content tailored for digital audiences, the expansion will bring fans closer to the game than ever before, delivering more high-quality, accessible and engaging football coverage at scale. We will release further details on these plans in the coming months.”

Will you miss it? Perhaps more to the point, do you still watch Match of the Day, Soccer Saturday and the like on terrestrial telly?

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Featured Images — BBC

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