Bungling Beeb’s game of 2 halves
HISTORIC MATCH TO SWAP SIDES
MUDDLED BBC bosses will show their first ever Premier League games on two channels.
The Beeb has been allowed to air games so fans barred from going to stadiums can keep up with all the action.
But its second scheduled match – Norwich v Everton – will have to be spread across its two main channels.
The Match Of The Day show, hosted by Gary Lineker, will be moved from BBC Two to BBC One at half-time so the national and regional news can still be broadcast on the main channel.
It is the first time Premier League games will be live on free-to-air telly.
An insider said: “It’s not ideal, but the news is very important at the moment. This whole thing has been a massive curveball and we don’t think it’s too much to ask for viewers to change the channel.”
The game between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace on Saturday will be the first Prem match aired live on the BBC since it started in 1992.
That will be screened in its entirety on BBC One with a 7.45pm kick-off.
But Norwich v Everton is an earlier 6pm kick-off, so the Beeb has had to move programmes around to accommodate both the football and the news.
The first half and analysis will be on BBC Two before moving at 7pm for the second half on BBC One, after the national and regional news broadcasts.
A BBC spokesman refused to rule out having other matches split across two channels.
The Premier League restarts tomorrow after a 100-day lay-off with Aston Villa against Sheffield United and Manchester City taking on Arsenal.