The iconic football show, Match of the Day, has reportedly experienced a significant drop in viewership following the departure of its long-standing host, Gary Lineker. The former England striker stepped down from his role at the end of last season after more than 26 years on the job.
Lineker's exit was accelerated by an anti-Semitism row that led him to leave BBC altogether. Initially, he was expected to stay with the organisation to cover this season's FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup. However, due to controversy surrounding his departure, BBC moved swiftly to replace him with a rotation of three presenters: Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates. Wayne Rooney also joined as a new addition to their punditry team.
Impact on viewership numbers
According to reports from The Telegraph, Lineker's absence has been felt significantly in terms of viewing figures. This season saw BBC introducing Match of the Day-length highlights packages for each Premier League match available online two hours before TV broadcast.
These clips have managed to attract an average weekly viewership of 1.7 million people. However, this convenience seems to have affected ratings for full show broadcasts which have dropped by over 10% compared with same period in previous season (2024/25).
Reportedly numbers fell from an average audience size of 2.68 million viewers per episode down to just 2.39 million viewers per episode post-Lineker’s exit; one episode even saw its audience nearly drop below two million mark.
Trend predating Lineker’s exit?
Interestingly enough though it is worth noting that decline in Match Of The Day’s audience had started even before Lineker left his position as host; August-October period last season witnessed loss around 300k viewers compared against same point in 2023/24 campaign.
Despite the decline, it hasn't been all doom and gloom for the show. The share of overall viewing audience has seen a slight increase by 34.8% this year. BBC also emphasised that these figures do not take into account online audience gained from new highlights packages on offer.
BBC released statement:
“We don’t judge success based on overnight ratings in an on-demand world, a significant portion of the Match of the Day audience now watches on BBC iPlayer. This isn’t a decline, it’s adapting to changing audience behaviours as we all should be. Match of the Day is reaching more people across multi-platforms."
While Gary Lineker's departure has certainly had an impact on Match of the Day's viewership, it is clear that other factors such as changing viewer habits and increased online availability have also played a role in this shift. As sports fans continue to adapt to new ways of consuming content, broadcasters like BBC will need to innovate and adapt their strategies accordingly.
