BBC Sport is gearing up for the start of the football season with a series of announcements including new presenters for BBC 5 Live’s 606 shows and a new sports programme presented by Dan Walker.
Robbie Fowler, Gus Poyet and Gianluca Vialli will join the pool of pundits appearing on BBC’s Match of the Day, which will now be available on the iPlayer from midnight on Monday.
Mark Chapman will be presenting Match of the Day 2 and MOTD2 Extra a live simulcast across BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website. This Sunday lunchtime chat show will feature debate, interviews and analysis. With Chapman’s move to MOTD2, Jason Mohammed will present a new look Final School, which will this season hear from managers and players before games kick off.
“This season the BBC’s commitment to football coverage is greater than ever. We’ll be bringing all the excitement of the new season to our audiences with the return of our iconic football shows, led by Match Of The Day, which reach combined audiences of around 10 m across the weekend. Our digital offering continues to grow enabling fans uninterrupted access to all the key action and events as they unfold, wherever they are, with access to news, scores, TV shows and live radio commentaries on the go. This coupled with highest values of sports journalism and standards of coverage continue to make the BBC the most trusted home of football amongst fans,” said Barbara Slater, director BBC Sport.
BBC Radio 5 Live is also widening its pundit line-up with Chris Waddle and John Hartson, while Ian Wright and Kelly Cates will present its 606 phone-in show on Sundays.
Dan Walker will host a new regular Friday evening show on Radio 5 Live from August 16th with an emphasis on sports news stories. This follows Colin Murray’s move to TalkSport. Walker will continue to present Football Focus.
“It’s going to be another great season of football coverage from Radio 5 live, and I’m delighted to welcome Ian Wright, Kelly Cates and Dan Walker to regular slots on the network. Kelly’s knowledge of the game coupled with Ian’s experience as a player will make the new Sunday 606 a really engaging and entertaining listen. Dan’s journalistic credentials and his big guests will ensure that Friday nights become the flagship start to the sporting weekend. These shows, alongside our live commentary of 128 Premier League games, with new regular pundits Chris Waddle and John Hartson, mean our listeners will be able to get right to the heart of the footballing action and debate this season,” said Jonathan Wall, controller of BBC Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra.
The BBC has also released a new mobile app for the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD. Created by BBC Future Media at MediaCityUK, it’s based on the current Android app, but modified specifically for the Kindle. An international version will be available shortly.
“Launching the BBC Sport app for Kindle Fire devices, alongside a substantial update to our Android and iPhone apps, gives more people access to more of their favourite content on the go,” said Lucie McLean, executive product manager for Sport, BBC Future Media.
“It’s been an exciting six months of sport, and mobile has been a big part of our overall digital coverage. With lots of great sport still to come, we hope the new app and features will make it all even easier to follow wherever and whenever people want.”
