BBC Sport director defends new World Cup studio in Salford
BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski has dismissed Gary Lineker’s mockery of the corporation’s World Cup studio, revealing an impressive new facility in Salford just 48 hours before the tournament kicks off, reports BritPanorama.
Lineker, the former Match of the Day presenter, had ridiculed the BBC’s decision to base coverage in the UK rather than travelling to North America, boasting in April about spending the World Cup “overlooking Times Square” while his former colleagues remained “in Salford in a green box”.
Opening the doors to Media City on Tuesday, Kay-Jelski offered a pointed rebuttal: “It’s not a green box in Salford. It’s a beautiful state-of-the-art studio. No one’s seen it until now.” He added, “It’s completely fine to assume that what was there before was what it was going to be. And I’m really proud of this.”
The broadcaster has invested in a massive 360-degree panoramic screen designed to transport viewers to one of the 16 host cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This setup moves beyond basic green screen technology, featuring a backdrop of dynamic photographs that adjust automatically for local time and weather conditions.
Furthermore, the BBC has installed fans near the screen to generate a gentle breeze, enhancing the immersive atmosphere. Augmented reality features allow CGI graphics to appear as if they are floating within the hybrid real-virtual environment, creating what the corporation describes as a cutting-edge setup for presenters Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.
Kay-Jelski mounted a robust defence of the decision to maintain the main operation in the UK, arguing it has saved licence-fee payers a substantial sum, particularly ahead of upcoming budget reductions before the 2028 Royal Charter. “To have what would probably be an extra couple of hundred people out there and that’s before you build a studio, you’re talking millions,” he explained.
The BBC Sport director challenged critics to consider whether relocating presenters would enhance the viewer experience. “If I was standing here saying, ‘Everything is going to be done from a studio in Dallas’, you would rightly be saying to me, ‘How can you justify that spend?'” he said. He insisted, “The actual end product people are getting at home, I don’t really think it’s that different.”
Lineker departed the BBC last year following a controversy over a social media post containing imagery associated with anti-Semitic propaganda. He had been earning £1.3 million annually and was expected to front the corporation’s World Cup coverage. The 65-year-old subsequently secured a £14 million contract with Netflix to broadcast his The Rest is Football podcast from a studio in New York during the tournament.
Despite the studio remaining in Britain, Kay-Jelski confirmed that pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy will be on the ground in North America alongside various commentators and journalists. Gabby Logan is set to make history as the first woman to anchor a World Cup final on British television, with Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards joining her as pundits.
The debate over the BBC’s approach to covering the World Cup reflects a broader conversation about value and innovation in sports broadcasting; a reminder of how even the best-laid plans can stir controversy and differing opinions in the public sphere.
