With all attention now on Euro 2020, fan’s favourite commentators in TV studios and broadcaster’s off-field line-ups have been named in a brand new study.
With 24 nations doing battle across 51 fixtures in 12 host cities, players have a huge opportunity to showcase their skills on the international stage. And while the competition is hotting up on the pitch, off it, some of the biggest names in football broadcasting are staking their claim to be the first name on the fans’ team sheet.
In an attempt to garner viewing figures, both ITV and the BBC have assembled casts of legends and lecturers for this summer’s festival of football – but who, in the eyes of the fans, has the better commentating team on paper?
OLBG’s Commentator Rankings reveals that it’s the BBC that has the edge, as the study ranks each pundit, co-commentator, lead commentator and presenter based on their online popularity.
From Micah Richards’ infectious smile and roar, to Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in the same studio, the broadcasting superpowers – who battle it out every other summer – have pulled out all the stops. But, curiously, it’s a couple of old stagers -Clive Tyldesley and Ally McCoist – who’ve been handed the title of the UK’s favourite commentary duo.
Dream line-up:
Presenter: Mark Chapman (BBC)
Commentator/co-commentator: Clive Tyldesley (ITV) and Ally McCoist (ITV)
Pundits: Ian Wright (ITV), Cesc Fabregas (BBC) and Micah Richards (BBC)
When it comes to perfect punditry, ITV are drowned out by the inclusion of Cesc Fabregas, Richards, Alex Scott, Jurgen Klinsmann and Rio Ferdinand in the top 10 according to public opinion. The rather impressive Emma Hayes and Roy Keane are other big hitters for ITV.
While Sam Matterface has taken on the mantle as the voice of England games – yet to get a big tournament of England moments under his belt – he’ll likely be feeling the pressure, as the UK’s love of Tyldesley’s synonymous vocal chords grows with every passing day.
Tydesley, Sky’s Martin Tyler and Matterface sit atop the regular carousel of Match of the Day commentators; while Guy Mowbray (fourth) is the corporation’s only entrant in a well-honed top five – all polished perfectionists.
Mark Chapman and Gary Lineker more than lead the way for the BBC, but in truth they face very little competition, with ITV’s Mark Pougatch yet to hit home or chime with the public, despite fronting the England games.
In terms of least popular in each category, Lee Dixon is surprisingly bottom of the list in terms of co-commentators, while Mark Pougatch – also of ITV – isn’t a hit with viewers and the signings of Nigel de Jong, Joe Ledley and John Collins haven’t captured the imagination of the public.
To find out more about which commentators prove the biggest hit with football fans, and to see where your favourite ranks, visit: https://www.olbg.com/blogs/uks-favourite-football-commentators