Sky pulls the plug on Sunday Supplement after 21 years

The Sunday Supplement football discussion show on Sky Sports, featuring newspaper journalists, is to be cancelled next season after two decades on air.

The show was presented by broadcaster Jacqui Oatley before the March suspension of the league and has survived many changes to the Sky schedule, while developing a niche following as the original football discussion programme for journalists. It is understood that the show has been squeezed out by scheduling demands, with more games being packed into a shorter time next season, as well as Sky’s capture of all exclusive live rights to the Scottish top flight, the SPFL.

The broadcaster has not ruled out the show returning at some point. A Sky spokesman said: “The huge volume of live football since the restart and a condensed season that has already begun means we must look at how best to deploy our resources for the benefit of our customers.”

The simple appeal of the show was conceived by Vic Wakeling, the former Sky Sports managing director, himself a former newspaper reporter, and began in 1999 on a Friday evening as Hold the Back

Page. On a Sunday it was first presented by veteran broadcaster Jimmy Hill, with three sports journalists from British newspapers, the guests changing every week.

The journalist Brian Woolnough, of The Sun and then the Daily Star, was presenter from 2007 until his death in 2012. He was succeeded by Neil Ashton, most recently of The

Sun, who stepped down earlier this year when he launched a sports media strategy consultancy.

Oatley was the first female presenter of the show, which reflected the changing face of the British sports media by including representatives of online publications.