talkSPORT is exploring bids for BBC Radio's live Formula One and England home cricket coverage, a move that could end the broadcaster's 69-year association with Test Match Special.
The radio station has already secured live radio coverage rights for England's tour of South Africa later this year and is now considering bidding for the BBC's rights to live F1 action, which date back to 1994. talkSPORT is also seeking to add England's cricket coverage, which has been on the BBC since Test Match Special launched in 1957.
Expanding beyond football
The news follows the BBC relinquishing rights to several sporting events in recent years, including the Boat Race, bowls, the Commonwealth Games athletics and the Rugby Super League.
Liam Fisher, head of talkSPORT, said football remains the company's key focus but that it is making a conscious effort to reach different audiences where the payoff could be significant.
"Football still is our bread and butter... but we've definitely looked to extend it on the basic understanding that, even if football is your first, second and third sport, you are probably into something else as well," Fisher said.
"So our strategy has been to pick off the events where we believe there is an audience potential that sits well with what we're providing... we'll cherry pick what we think are the key sports and events that we think you might be interested in."
F1 and cricket rights
Fisher explained talkSPORT's interest in F1, which has had an exclusive deal with BBC Radio for 32 years.
"It's another brilliant set of rights. I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't actively exploring whether there's an opportunity. We think the audience goes quite well with the talkSPORT audience. We think there's an opportunity for us to deliver really good amplification for it as well," he said.
Should the BBC lose the rights to home cricket coverage, it could spell the end of its 69-year association with Test Match Special. However, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has indicated the potential to have more than one radio broadcaster for its home series beginning from 2029.
Cost-cutting context
Fisher claimed that given the BBC's cost-cutting measures in attempts to save £500million, talkSPORT entering the cricket space is "good business."
"It's something which we've been really keen on getting involved in more," he added. "Our tactic has been to just pick off some of the away series. I love cricket. We'd certainly love to do more in that space. And we believe, fundamentally, just as the Premier League have worked to have a couple of incumbents, it would work to the benefit of other organisations as well.
"I think there is room to have two [audio] broadcasters delivering those rights. You're maximising probably the audience, you're maximising the money you're going to receive. And, ultimately, if what is being said about the BBC is to be believed, you are protecting; making sure that there is an audio platform willing to take the rights before the BBC potentially comes to you and says, 'Look, we just can't offer what we have historically.'
"I just think it makes good business sense from their point of view to have that, depending on where the BBC sort of ends up over the next couple of years. From the BBC's point of view I would say they'll always back themselves.
"Test Match Special has had a 60-plus years head start on whatever we do for home cricket. So they will always say, 'Look, we back the product that we have delivered really, really successfully for many, many years.'"
