Match of the Day

""Yes, the Match Of The Day, it's the only way To spend your Saturday""

- Genesis, Match Of The Day

Match of the Day, also abbreviated as MOTD, is The BBC's primary football (soccer) television programme, usually shown late on Saturday evenings on BBC One throughout the duration of the English football season. It shows highlights of all the day's Premier League football matches followed by the presenter and pundits discussing their views and opinions on the games, teams and players. It is notable for being one of the BBC's longest-running shows; having been broadcast (although not always as a regular) since 1964. At present it is presented by the retired former England and Leicester City/Everton/Tottenham Hotspur player Gary Lineker with regular pundits, including Alan Hansen (known for his playing career for Liverpool), Lee Dixon (Arsenal), Mark Lawrenson (Liverpool) and Alan Shearer (Newcastle United). It's also much more straight faced and serious, relatively, than its nearest Sky TV equivalent; Soccer Saturday.

It also has a sister show, appropriately called Match of the Day 2 since it is shown on BBC Two every Sunday evening. This covers matches played on the Sunday as well as featuring all the goals from the previous day's games, has different presenters and pundits but retains the same format as the main programme; there is somewhat more jocular, irreverent tone however, including a concluding segment rounding up various amusing images caught on camera at the various grounds over the weekend.

From the 2009-10 season, the main Saturday evening show is followed by a junior cousin, The Football League Show, which features goals and analysis from the lower three divisions (below the Premier League) of the Football League.

There is also Match of the Day Live, which the show becomes when the BBC is showing a live match.

MOTD has been temporarily semi-retired on occasions when rival network ITV has outbid the BBC for the rights to top-division coverage, as between 1988-92 and 2001-04; the ITV version The Premiership covered the latter period but was regarded in many quarters as so poor (in particular watering down the tactical analysis in order to show adverts instead) that the BBC was able to regain the rights at the next opportunity and appears likely to keep them for the immediate future.


 * Long Runner: Started in 1964, it's been around in some form ever since.