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28 Jan 2026
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28 Jan 2026
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The success of Match of the Day’s digital highlights clips has more than made up for a decline in traditional viewing figures for the BBC programme, the corporation has said.
The BBC has been able to make the clips packages of matches available from 8pm on a Saturday since the new Premier League television deal began at the start of this season.
Average weekly views for the highlights across the iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app stand at an average of 1.52 million between August and December 2025.
That has more than offset the drop-off in those viewing the traditional programme.
Between August and December 2024 the average weekly viewing figures across all devices – both TV and iPlayer and the Saturday and Sunday shows – was 7.65m, but was down to 6.88m across the same period last year, a drop of around 770,000.
The BBC has found the programme’s digital reach has increased. The number of digital accounts accessing Match of the Day content in an average week is up 21 per cent in 2025-26 compared to last season – 1.69m compared to 1.39m.
That figure includes viewing of the Saturday and Sunday programmes on iPlayer, the 8pm highlights on iPlayer, and highlight clips on the BBC Sport website and app.
Those accounts accessing Match of the Day digitally are also clicking ‘play’ on more content when they visit BBC platforms – digital requests are up 36 per cent over the August to December period last season and 87 per cent on the same period in 2022-23.
This season marks the first of a new presenter line-up, with Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan sharing hosting duties after previous main host Gary Lineker stepped down at the end of last season.
BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski said: “We are meeting audiences on their terms and it’s great to see how many people are enjoying that.
“By evolving the format and embracing digital platforms, we’re engaging more people than ever and increasing the reach of this iconic show.
“Match of the Day plays a huge role for millions of football fans, whether that be on TV, iPlayer or on people’s phones.”
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