BBC Sport has scooped this year’s BAFTA TV sport award for its coverage of the 2018 World Cup quarter-final between Sweden and England.
The corporation’s broadcast of the Three Lions’ decisive 2-0 victory, which was watched by nearly 20 million viewers on BBC One last July, came out victorious in the sport category at the annual ceremony, which was held at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
World Cup football was one of three BBC Sport nominees in contention for the award, which also included its coverage of the 2018 Six Nations rugby union clash between Scotland and England, as well as its PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics coverage.
The only non-BBC nomination was Sky Sports’ Test cricket coverage, which won the BAFTA sport award most recently in 2016. Sky were nominated for its broadcast of outgoing England captain Alastair Cook’s farewell Test match, in which he scored his 33rd and final Test century against India at The Oval.
The BBC won 16 of a possible 26 awards on the night, excluding the Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship.
Regular BBC and Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott, who was key part of the corporation’s punditry team for the tournament in Russia last year, presented the award on stage alongside racing driver Billy Monger, whose BBC Three film ‘Driven: The Billy Monger Story’ was nominated in the documentary category.
Commenting on BBC Sport’s triumph at the ceremony, Gary Lineker, who presented the corporation’s coverage of the Sweden v England match, said on Twitter:
“We’ve only won a @BAFTA for @BBCMOTD’s coverage of England v Sweden in the World Cup. Absolutely thrilled for all of our brilliant team. A treble after Broadcast and RTS awards. Gutted not to be there to collect it, but there’s a certain title race to cover tonight.”
Lineker was absent from the ceremony as he hosting the final Match of the Day of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
The BBC’s World Cup broadcast succeeds ITV Racing’s 2017 Grand National coverage as holder of the prestigious BAFTA sport award.
For a full list of winners from the 2019 BAFTA Television Awards, visit the official website.
