Renowned Sky Sports presenter, Kelly Cates, is reportedly set to leave Sky Sports and replace Gary Lineker as the host of BBC’s Match of the Day. This move will see her join a revamped team that includes Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the upcoming season.
Cates, who is also known as the daughter of former Liverpool footballer Kenny Dalglish, has been identified by BBC as a leading external candidate to replace Lineker. She has been presenting Sky Sports' Premier League coverage since 2017 and her departure is said to have deeply saddened Sky bosses.
The new presenting team will include Mark Chapman, currently hosting Match of The Day 2, and Gabby Logan from BBC sports broadcasting. It's expected that Cates will share rotating hosting responsibilities with them for both shows.
End of an era
Gary Lineker has been at the helm of Match Of The Day since 1999 but he will step down at the end of this season. He plans to leave BBC entirely after covering the 2026 World Cup which will be held in USA, Mexico and Canada. Lineker revealed on his podcast 'The Rest Is Football', that he understood executives were planning changes for Match Of The Day which included replacing him with another presenter.
BBC's new direction for its flagship show is expected to have a more digital focus following their rights deal signed for 2025-26. This deal reportedly allows posting clips from all goals scored in Premier League matches on their website.
Despite challenges such as fragmented viewership where younger fans exchange pirated clips or watch highlights on YouTube shortly after matches end, top executives at BBC see untapped potential in revamping their brand. They believe this could attract more viewers and keep the show relevant in the digital age.
New format to be introduced
The new format of Match Of The Day is also rumoured to contain more news elements. This includes more written content and analysis which could provide a deeper understanding of matches for viewers.
Despite broadcast TV figures dropping by 26% since 2015, sports viewing has proven to be resilient with only a 3% fall. This suggests that there's still a significant audience for sports programming on traditional platforms.
Kelly Cates' move to BBC’s Match of the Day marks an exciting new chapter for the show. With its revamped team and digital focus, it aims to continue engaging sports fans while adapting to changing viewer habits.
