Anger from football fans as major broadcasters skip World Cup highlights
Football fans are absolutely fuming after discovering that neither the BBC nor ITV will be showing traditional highlights programmes during this summer’s World Cup, reports BritPanorama.
The tournament kicked off on Thursday evening with Mexico claiming victory against South Africa at the legendary Azteca Stadium, with ITV broadcasting the match and opening ceremony live. However, viewers quickly realised something was missing – there’s no Match of the Day-style show to help them catch up on the action.
While both broadcasters have made clips available on their websites, there won’t be any TV highlights packages throughout the entire competition, leaving supporters reliant on the internet to see what they’ve missed from North America’s overnight fixtures.
The reaction on social media has been swift and brutal. One viewer, @phildampier, took to X to ask: “Have I got this right? The #BBC and #ITV don’t have a morning or afternoon #MOTD style highlights show of #FIFA #WorldCup games we’ve missed through the night? Diabolical.”
Another frustrated fan, @ilgrandetoro, wrote: “So there’s no highlights shows on either ITV or BBC for the World Cup? That’s a bit s*** considering the vast majority of games are overnight.” Some pointed out the inconsistency, with @botbforum noting that broadcasters manage to provide highlights coverage for the Olympics, questioning why the World Cup should be any different.
Not everyone was sympathetic to the complaints, though. Some viewers suggested it was time to embrace modern technology rather than clinging to traditional TV schedules. @GavinRossPhoto responded: “I know it’s hard to believe but there was this thing called the internet invented a few years ago. It allows you to watch TV and highlights of things, like football for example, almost instantly.”
Another user, @TheVivCross, asked: “You do know YouTube is a thing? Who the hell watches the BBC or ITV for highlights any more?” But defenders of the online-only approach were met with pushback. @dragon35666 made a fair point: “People saying about YouTube and stuff miss the point. Those sort of videos would tell the result before you click the video. We want a mini MOTD where we don’t know what happened going in.”
Concerns over accessibility have also been raised. @phildampier reminded critics, “You do realise 20 per cent of people in the UK don’t use the internet don’t you but everyone with a TV has to buy a licence?” This is a valid concern as millions of licence fee payers are essentially being told to find their own way to catch up on the biggest football tournament on the planet. As fans navigate this digital shift, the question remains: will broadcasters heed the call for something resembling traditional highlights programming in future tournaments, or is this a sign of the way sports broadcasting is evolving in a new era?
