BBC defends Olympics coverage after criticism of "excess discussion"

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 03 August 2021

The BBC insists that it is striking "a careful balance" with its coverage of the Tokyo Olympics.

The BBC has insisted that it is striving for a "careful balance" in its ongoing coverage of the Tokyo Olympics following criticism from some viewers.

Under a rights-sharing arrangement with Discovery, the BBC has been restricted to showing just two live events at any one time, leading to complaints that some key competitions and medal wins have been broadcast after they have actually happened.

Now the BBC has also revealed that it has received complaints from viewers who have claimed that too much of its coverage is focussed on studio discussion among presenters and contributors instead of live sport.

In response, the BBC said: "Our output strikes a careful balance between live sport coverage and highlights of key moments, as well as studio discussion, interviews, and analysis, which we hope helps add context and explanation to the action.

"We are pleased to be able to bring live coverage and highlights programmes on a network channel, as well as a second stream on BBC iPlayer and Red Button, bringing the must-see moments of the Games to our viewers.

"We appreciate that some viewers may prefer less discussion, analysis and interviews, and we are continually feeding these comments back to our Olympics team."

The BBC is currently broadcasting around 20.5 hours a day of Olympics coverage across BBC One and BBC Two.

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