The BBC will make a significant change to their broadcast operation for England's blockbuster World Cup semi-final against Argentina, moving their coverage from Salford to Atlanta Stadium. The fixture will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage starting from 7pm (UK time), allowing for an hour of build-up before the match kicks off at 8pm (UK time). Mark Chapman will present the BBC's coverage, joined by pundits Wayne Rooney, Micah Richards, and Joe Hart.
Cost-Cutting Measure Reversed
Until now, the BBC has been broadcasting from a studio in Salford as part of a cost-cutting measure, while ITV flew out to a studio in Brooklyn, New York. However, for England's game against Argentina, The Guardian reports that Chapman will present from inside Atlanta Stadium. The BBC initially defended their Salford base, with director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski stating last month: "It's not a green box in Salford, it's a beautiful state-of-the-art studio." He argued that sending an extra couple of hundred people to the US would cost millions of pounds, and that the end product for viewers would not be significantly different.
Viewing Figures Expected to Soar
The BBC expects viewing figures for the semi-final to surpass those for England's quarter-final victory over Norway, which attracted a peak audience of 18 million on ITV. With England aiming to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, a higher number of viewers are anticipated for the Argentina clash.
Kay-Jelski had previously defended the decision to remain in Salford, saying: "If I was standing here saying everything is going to be done from a studio in Dallas, you would rightly be saying to me: 'How can you justify that spend?'" He added that the BBC still had pundits like Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy on the ground in the US, along with commentators and journalists, ensuring the broadcast would capture the atmosphere of the event.
