How the BBC plans to protect Match of the Day\s brand

Chapman, Cates and Gabby Logan (pictured) will rotate in the Match of the Day presenting chair

In an era when every Premier League match is televised somewhere and social media is awash with clips of goals as soon as they happen, there was always a question about whether anyone would still want to watch a highlights show.

However, over the past five years, Match of the Days audience of just under 3.5 million has remained almost unchanged. Over a season, the BBC says 33 million people will tune in at some time to one of the Match of the Day programmes.

The resilience of Match of the Day has not gone unnoticed, and with the current rights deal due to continue until the 2028/29 season, this is a brand the BBC hopes to grow.

There have been reports that the corporation will use the shake-up as an opportunity to use the MOTD name more widely on its online platforms.

Given that the BBC has struggled to compete in an era of rapidly escalating costs for sports rights, it dearly wants to hang on to an audience that may not consume at lot of the rest of the BBCs output.

There is also a good reason the Premier League wants the highlights programme to succeed - about half of the leagues domestic TV audience see their football only on the BBC.

It is a shop window that helps keep top flight football central to the national conversation.