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Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Match of the Day icon tells BBC to create new channel to avoid losing top sports events
The BBC is going through a new chapter after Gary Lineker left his role at Match of the Day following 25 years and former host Des Lynam feels the corporation must show "courage" and make changes Former Match of the Day host Des Lynam has urged the BBC to launch a new pay-per-vew channel that could rival the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports. The 82-year-old presented the iconic BBC football highlights show for more than a decade between 1988 and 1999 before Gary Lineker took over. The BBC still has coveted rights to air competitions like the World Cup, Euros, FA Cup and Wimbledon, but they are under mounting pressure from rival TV channels and Lynam believes they might have to put their biggest competitions behind a paywall. He told the Telegraph: "If they are to compete as serious contenders for big-time sport, they will have to form a separate sports channel and that means pay-per-view. They have the brand. "The only way to compete is to find the money to do so. Unless the BBC is content to cover only minor sports they will have to get out into the marketplace. "To do this, the kind of money involved means the funding must come from a source other than the licence fee and that means pay-per-view." Lynam said the BBC needed to have "courage" to do something different if they wanted to keep hold of their greatest assets. "If there is someone at the corporation who agrees with me and has the courage to fight for that cause I mentioned, get ready to summon up the blood, disguise fair nature and prepare for the incoming rage." It comes after a report earlier this month that the BBC are facing a fight to hang onto their Wimbledon rights, which they have owned for the last 90 years. The corporation currently pay the All England Club around £60m a year to cover the Grand Slam, but their current rights expire in 2027. TNT and Sky are both reportedly interested in pouncing for the next batch of rights, according to the Sun. It is claimed that the Wimbledon rights are seen as the "crown jewels" for the BBC, but while it must be aired for free on TV in the UK, it does not have to be exclusively shown on one particular channel. The BBC are in the midst of a new era after Gary Lineker stepped down from presenting Match of the Day, with hosting duties set to be shared by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the start of the 2025-26 season. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Emma Raducanu reclaims British No.1 spot with Osaka win
Speaking on Sky Sports, Raducanu said: 'I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi's won four slams, she's been world number one, won Masters. 'She's so dangerous and on the hard courts I think she's particularly comfortable. I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games, which I'm really proud of how I did. 'I was making some inroads in her service games after I got used to it a little bit. I'm really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and the conditions here in DC.' The result means the 22-year-old will once again overtake Katie Boulter to become the top-ranked British player as she looks to secure a seeding for next month's US Open. Raducanu ended Boulter's two-year run at the top of the domestic standings in June but then slipped back to 46 in the world after losing a close tussle with Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon. Her two victories here, though, could mean Raducanu returns to the top 40, and she will definitely pass Boulter following her opening round defeat to Maria Sakkari. Read more: It will be the Greek that Raducanu plays next, and she has not dropped a set in three previous meetings. Raducanu was sharp from the start against Osaka, who continues to search for a way back to the top of the game after giving birth to daughter Shai two years ago. A double fault from the Japanese star gave Raducanu the first break in the fifth game and the British player was rock solid on serve as she wrapped up the opening set. Raducanu is without a coach in Washington amid uncertainty over the future of her partnership with Mark Petchey and has only hitting partner Alexis Canter in her corner, but there was no lack of direction in this performance. She was helped to another break at the start of the second set by more errors from Osaka, who created a first chance on the Raducanu serve at 1-2 but could not take it. Raducanu's serve has improved markedly under Petchey and was her key weapon here as she moved through to a third quarter-final in Washington with strong hopes of going further. Cameron Norrie could not match Raducanu, though, the British number two beaten 7-6 (3) 6-3 by American 14th seed Brandon Nakashima. Dan Evans' hopes of another deep run in Washington two years after he won the title are also over after he lost 6-2 7-6 (4) to France's Corentin Moutet. Elsewhere, Venus Williams fell in straight sets to Poland's Magdalena Frech in the second round. The 45-year-old became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova in 2004 after an opening-round victory over Peyton Stearns on Tuesday. Williams took an early 2-1 lead against Frech, but the 27-year-old responded with a dominant run of seven straight games en route to a 6-2 6-2 win.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Emma Raducanu secures impressive win over Naomi Osaka to reclaim British No 1 status
Emma Raducanu will reclaim the British No 1 ranking after winning her first meeting with four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in confident fashion. The clash was hotly anticipated but proved to be not that much of a contest, with Raducanu comfortably clinching a 6-4 6-2 victory to reach the quarter-finals of the Citi Open in Washington. Speaking on Sky Sports, Raducanu said: 'I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi's won four slams, she's been world number one, won Masters. 'She's so dangerous and on the hard courts I think she's particularly comfortable. I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games, which I'm really proud of how I did. 'I was making some inroads in her service games after I got used to it a little bit. I'm really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and the conditions here in DC.' The result means the 22-year-old will once again overtake Katie Boulter to become the top-ranked British player as she looks to secure a seeding for next month's US Open. Raducanu ended Boulter's two-year run at the top of the domestic standings in June but then slipped back to 46 in the world after losing a close tussle with Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon. Her two victories here, though, could mean Raducanu returns to the top 40, and she will definitely pass Boulter following her opening round defeat to Maria Sakkari. It will be the Greek that Raducanu plays next, and she has not dropped a set in three previous meetings. Raducanu was sharp from the start against Osaka, who continues to search for a way back to the top of the game after giving birth to daughter Shai two years ago. A double fault from the Japanese star gave Raducanu the first break in the fifth game and the British player was rock solid on serve as she wrapped up the opening set. Raducanu is without a coach in Washington amid uncertainty over the future of her partnership with Mark Petchey and has only hitting partner Alexis Canter in her corner, but there was no lack of direction in this performance. She was helped to another break at the start of the second set by more errors from Osaka, who created a first chance on the Raducanu serve at 1-2 but could not take it. Raducanu's serve has improved markedly under Petchey and was her key weapon here as she moved through to a third quarter-final in Washington with strong hopes of going further. Cameron Norrie could not match Raducanu, though, the British number two beaten 7-6 (3) 6-3 by American 14th seed Brandon Nakashima. Dan Evans ' hopes of another deep run in Washington two years after he won the title are also over after he lost 6-2 7-6 (4) to France's Corentin Moutet. Elsewhere, Venus Williams fell in straight sets to Poland's Magdalena Frech in the second round. The 45-year-old became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova in 2004 after an opening-round victory over Peyton Stearns on Tuesday. Williams took an early 2-1 lead against Frech, but the 27-year-old responded with a dominant run of seven straight games en route to a 6-2 6-2 win.
