BBC Sport’s in-house production team retains contract to stage and produce BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Following a competitive tender process BBC Sport’s in-house production team has secured the contract to provide the event staging and TV production of BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the next three years (2019-2021).

Published: 14 June 2019
I look forward to seeing how the programme will evolve in coming years to ensure its place on the sporting calendar remains as strong as ever.
— Barbara Slater

The tendering of BBC Sports Personality of the Year forms part of the Compete or Compare strategy launched by the BBC in 2014, which underlined the BBC’s commitment to commission the best programmes for audiences, regardless of who makes them.  It is the first programme to be competed in this way in sport, ahead of the removal of the in-house guarantee next year.

All bids were assessed by a specially convened panel made up of two senior members of the BBC Entertainment team, Head of Business, Matthew Travers and Commissioning Editor, Jo Wallace alongside two senior members of BBC Sport’s commissioning team, Director Barbara Slater and Head of TV Sport, Philip Bernie. Sports production consultant and panel Chair, Jackie Myburgh completed the panel. All bids were assessed against five criteria - quality of editorial proposals, strength of event staging plans, fit with the BBC’s strategic priorities, risk and value for money. BBC Sport’s in-house production team scored highest against these criteria amongst the eligible producers who submitted proposals to stage and produce BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Panel Chair and sports production consultant, Jackie Myburgh, says: “The Evaluation Panel was very impressed by the quality of the proposals and their individual credentials. Ultimately we felt that BBC Sport’s in-house team put forward the most creative, robust and complete response to the requirements of the tender.”

Director of Sport at the BBC, Barbara Slater, says: “SPOTY is widely considered to be the most prestigious award ceremony in UK sport and it remains incredibly popular with BBC audiences. I look forward to seeing how the programme will evolve in coming years to ensure its place on the sporting calendar remains as strong as ever.”

Further details on SPOTY 2019 such as the venue, tickets, presentation line-up and awards will be released later in the year. 

VO

  • The contract is for three years (SPOTY 2019/2020/2021) with an option, at the BBC’s discretion, to extend for a further two years (SPOTY 2022/2023)
  • The tender covered the staging of the event and the television production of SPOTY
  • The BBC invited pitches from all producers, with detailed eligibility and shortlisting information shared with bidders
  • Further details on the opening up of competition across BBC productions can be found in the BBC’s Framework Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, dated December 2016.

Tagged: