Channel 4 snares TV coverage of Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race from the BBC

Channel 4 has poached the television rights to the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities, ending a decades-long relationship with the BBC.

The broadcaster has struck a five-year deal to air the high-profile annual race on the Thames until 2030 in a surprise shift away from the BBC.

The BBC, which will retain the radio rights, first broadcast the men’s race in 1938 and has been considered the home of the event bar a brief four-year period when ITV held the TV rights between 2005 and 2009.

“We are grateful for the support of our previous broadcast partners and have come a long way since our first radio commentary in 1927 and television pictures in 1938,” said Siobhan Cassidy, the chair of The Boat Race Company.

The deal struck by Channel 4 will give it coverage of the centenary of the Women’s Boat Race in 2027 and 200th anniversary of the men’s race in 2029. The Cambridge men’s team lead the fiercely contested head-to-head 88-81, and secured their third consecutive victory earlier this year. An estimated 250,000 fans attended the latest edition, with a peak of 2.8 million watching on TV.

“It’s the crown jewel of the rowing calendar and consistently captures the imagination of the British public year after year, both on the side of the Thames and in living rooms across the country,” said Pete Andrews, the head of sport at Channel 4. “We are committed to bringing the very best sports events to our audience, both from the UK, and around the globe, and The Boat Race is the perfect example.”

Channel 4’s portfolio of sports rights includes the Women’s FA Cup, Formula One highlights and England’s home matches in the Uefa Nations League and European qualifiers.

The broadcaster has also developed a reputation for striking last-minute opportunistic rights deals, including showing Emma Raducanu’s US Open victory, the victorious England Under-21 Euros campaign and the Cricket World Cup finals.

While the BBC may have lost out on the rowing, the corporation has swiftly moved to capitalise on the booming popularity of top-flight women’s football after the Lionesses’ exhilarating triumph at the Euros. BBC Sport has struck a deal for the free-to-air broadcast rights for the Women’s Champions League through to 2030.

The five-year deal will give it coverage of up to seven live matches a season including the final, which was won by Arsenal last season in a gripping final against Barcelona.

“This is a great moment for women’s football,” said Alex Kay-jelski, the director of BBC Sport. “Bringing the Women’s Champions League to a free-to-air audience is huge. We are making the competition more accessible, more visible, and more connected than ever before.”

Click here to read article