Match of the Day viewing rises after BBC launches 8pm digital highlights

Match of the Day’s viewing figures have increased considerably this season after the BBC began releasing highlight clips at 8pm on Saturdays, a development described as a vindication of the corporation’s new digital strategy. Traditional linear viewing of the Saturday and Sunday evening highlights programmes declined by 770,000 to 6.88 million average weekly views last month compared with December 2024, but MOTD gained 1.52 million viewers by making highlight clips available on its website and app at 8pm on Saturdays for the first time.

The combined viewing figures for MOTD on iPlayer covering the evening programmes and highlights clips had risen to 61.9 million by the end of December, up from 45.4 million by the same period last season. Digital consumption of MOTD has almost doubled since the 2022-23 season, when the total figure by December was 33.1 million.

The BBC announced its 8pm digital highlights at the start of a new four-year deal with the Premier League in August, describing it as a "gamechanging way to stay immersed in the action", and said it had been pleased by the public’s response. The corporation’s sports team have signed highlights deals with La Liga and the Bundesliga this season and are increasingly invested in clip rights.

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