BBC ‘has money to burn’ on football adverts

‘My wife has zero interest in the World Cup but ask what site it is on and she will say BBC or ITV’

THE BBC has been accused of “blowing” licence fee money by advertising on the London Underground that it is showing the World Cup.

Tory MPs criticised the adverts as pointless given that those wanting to watch the World Cup would be able to find out where to watch it, while the BBC has refused to disclose how much it has spent on the adverts.

The broadcaster has paid for posters to appear on Tube trains, which at first glance appear to present the results of a football match. However, instead of the team names, it reads: “Kids’ nativities missed 1 – 2 Wales highlights watched”.

The other “results” read: “Work meetings attended 2 – 7 Refreshing the sport app” and “Visits to nan 0 – 3 England games seen”.

Asked how much was spent on the campaign, a spokesman said the information was “commercially sensitive”. Lee Anderson, Tory MP for Ashfield, said: “My wife has zero interest in the World Cup but ask what site the footie is on and she will say BBC or ITV. It would seem the BBC has licence fee payers’ money to burn, pointing out the obvious.”

Andrew Lewer, MP for Northampton South, said: “If the BBC insist on blowing licence fee payers’ money on advertising things that people are already aware of, they could respect those paying for it and be open about the cost”.

A BBC spokesman said: “[We] promote major events coverage creatively to ensure audiences across the UK can get best value from the BBC. We always make the most of our own channels and keep costs to a minimum.”