BBC Sport's In-House Production Team Secures Contract

BBC Sport's in-house production team has secured the contract to provide the event staging and TV production of BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the next three years, until 2021.

The tendering of BBC Sports Personality of the Year forms part of the Compete or Compare strategy launched by the BBC in 2014, which underlined the BBC’s commitment to commission the best programmes for audiences, regardless of who makes them. It is the first programme to be competed in this way in sport, ahead of the removal of the in-house guarantee next year.

All bids were assessed by a specially convened panel made up of two senior members of the BBC Entertainment team, Head of Business, Matthew Travers and Commissioning Editor, Jo Wallace alongside two senior members of BBC Sport’s commissioning team, Director Barbara Slater and Head of TV Sport, Philip Bernie. Sports production consultant and panel Chair, Jackie Myburgh completed the panel. All bids were assessed against five criteria - quality of editorial proposals, strength of event staging plans, fit with the BBC’s strategic priorities, risk and value for money. BBC Sport’s in-house production team scored highest against these criteria amongst the eligible producers who submitted proposals to stage and produce BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Panel Chair and sports production consultant, Jackie Myburgh, said: "The Evaluation Panel was very impressed by the quality of the proposals and their individual credentials. Ultimately we felt that BBC Sport’s in-house team put forward the most creative, robust and complete response to the requirements of the tender."