The way we consume and watch sport has transformed but, with so much athletics now broadcast in different ways across the globe, the biggest problem is trying to keep up with it all
We live in an age where almost everybody expects to be able to consume what they want, when they want – and that “when” is usually “now”, if not five minutes ago. Seldom does this apply more strongly than when it comes to filmed or televised sport. People want to see it live, not after the event, when everyone has already formed their own opinion and let the world know about it on social media.
Many of us have proudly touted for too long to remember that athletics is the “No.1 Olympic sport” and, while this has come under threat at times, I still think it’s largely true. However, while athletics has consistently rebuffed all pretenders to the throne – thankfully, Breakdancing will not be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles – many other sports, plenty of them unheard of or even non-existent only a few years ago, are well marketed, have innovated, and are televised with ingenuity.
Some of these are considered “sexy” and, to be fair, make compelling viewing, but it’s the job of those guarding athletics’ dominance, throughout each day of the four-year Olympic cycle, to ensure our sport not only matches these newbies but serves up what the consumer wants in an eye-catching, fresh way that keeps it not only popular but, first and foremost, accessible.
And accessibility is the key, frankly. After over 30 years of commentating, and 15 more before that as a good runner, I’ve become accustomed to seeing events with ease on my TV, but that’s been changing for over a decade, as other platforms and ways of sport being served up, have developed.
I’ve lost count of the number of friends who say to me: “That event you’re commentating on; where can I find it? It’s very well hidden!” – and they’re the lucky ones. There will be plenty of others who will ask after the event, “Where was it on?” or, worse still, “I didn’t even know it was on!”.
Long gone are the days of the 1990s when Eurosport showed literally dozens of European meetings each year, free to view, as well as the major championships – in conjunction with BBC or ITV or another terrestrial channel – with we commentators going onsite for the vast majority.
Yulimar Rojas (Getty)
More common now is the remote commentary option, which applies to many sports. In athletics, for example, this often means it’s covered from a studio in Salford, London, or a converted container inside a hanger in a remote part of Hampshire, while the event itself is taking place in some far flung corner of the World Athletics empire.
It’s far from ideal, particularly in athletics, not to be there in the flesh when so much is going on simultaneously in an arena, but it’s a format that saves money and, make no mistake, this is the era of the number crunchers and the pay-per-view era, with all that involves in terms of riches for the few and potential financial barriers for the many.
The majority of you reading this will be paying some sort of subscription to at least one of the streaming services, of course, with the consequence being that we’ve never had so much entertainment at our fingertips.
It’s a fast-moving space, too. The Eurosport brand effectively disappeared on February 28 when it fell somewhat worryingly under the generic TNT banner, though sadly it has shown very little athletics for a number of years anyway. If truck racing from Belgium gets the viewing numbers, that’s what will be shown, and World Athletics’ fabulous World Indoor Tour, for example, with over a dozen international meetings, can sit somewhere else.
Nonetheless, here in the UK we are incredibly lucky, and we all know we can watch the “crown jewel” events of athletics without too much trouble. The BBC’s loyalty to our sport has been outstanding, showing the London Marathon, Great North Run, Diamond League (albeit unconfirmed on the BBC, as I write, for 2025), along with most of the year’s major championships. It has to be added, though, that branches of the sport like cross country struggle for significant profile.
There are new events in the pipeline which have the potential to grow athletics’ profile and following. The much-hyped Grand Slam Track series is due to be rolled out next month and has announced its primary broadcast partner as Peacock, an NBC subsidiary, as well as CW, a CBS network channel. At the time of writing, it’s still unclear how it will be viewed or accessed in the UK. Then there’s the inaugural World Athletics’ Ultimate Championship – “the best of the best” – starting at the end of the 2026 season and due to fit into the years between the existing World Championships. There are exciting initiatives on the way.
Winfred Yavi (Getty)
Then there’s the established Wanda Diamond League’s 15 meetings, reaching 150 countries and with its truly global representation (the 32 champions in 2024 came from 21 different nations), going from strength to strength, reaching around 400 million TV viewers. The PR value of the series is immeasurable.
Those quick to criticise either these more established offerings or the newer ideas brings to mind the phrase “be careful what you wish for”, because our sport is only a TV executive’s snap decision away from being like other “big” Olympic sports – such as swimming, gymnastics, rowing and track cycling – which are seldom seen on mainstream television.
Much of the athletics broadcast scene will become clearer in the next few weeks, but it would help if there was one website, one home, one reliable and regularly updated place, where we could find listings of all athletics coverage, be it televised or streamed, with links to races, championships, information on charges when there’s a pay-per-view option, and so on.
It’s something I’m working on, because I’m tired of hearing friends asking me “Where can I find it?”. It may take a little time to create, but wouldn’t you like a site like that? I think I’ll call it athleticsontv.com. Catchy, eh?
Tim Hutchings is an Olympian who competed international for Great Britain and is now an established broadcaster
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