Following “careful consideration,” BBC Sport has decided to say farewell to Ski Sunday, ending a remarkable run over nearly five decades.
Since its debut in 1978, Ski Sunday has become an iconic part of the winter sports calendar, bringing the excitement, drama and beauty of the action on the snow to audiences across the UK, while the them tune has become an unmistakeable cultural touchpoint.
Throughout its long run, the programme has played a key role in showcasing outstanding athletes and telling the biggest snow sport stories.
The success and longevity of Ski Sunday, the BBC said in its announcement, is a “testament to the extraordinary people who have worked on the programme throughout its history, both on screen and behind the scenes. Their brilliance, passion, expertise and dedication have made the programme a trusted and much-loved destination for winter sports fans.”
Changing audience behaviours and the tough financial decisions needed to meet savings requirements, however, mean BBC Sport must continually review how it delivers value for licence fee payers and serves audiences across all platforms. This decision forms part of that process.
BBC Sport will continue to showcase the biggest winter sports moments, including at the Winter Olympics.
Philip Bernie, head of BBC Sport events, said: “Ski Sunday has been a truly iconic programme and a much-loved part of BBC Sport’s output for many years. Generations of viewers have enjoyed its coverage of the best in winter sports. We are enormously proud of the role it has played in bringing these moments to audiences across the UK, and extremely grateful to the brilliant people who have delivered them, not least the current outstanding team.
“These decisions are never easy, but as audience viewing habits evolve and we work to deliver value for licence fee payers, we have to make tough choices. We remain committed to bringing audiences the very best of winter sport, above all at the Winter Olympics, across BBC Sport’s platforms.”
BBC Sport’s current rights portfolio includes the Olympic Games (summer and winter) until 2032, the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2030, FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, UEFA Men’s Euros 2028, Wimbledon until 2033, Premier League highlights, FA Cup and Six Nations until 2029, Champions League highlights until 2031, ECB cricket until 2028, World Athletics Championships and Diamond League until 2029, World and European Curling Championships until 2030 (BBC Scotland) and more.
