The BBC is banking on Wayne Rooney to outscore Gary Lineker as it faces a battle for World Cup viewers in a highly-competitive world of podcasts and streamers, dominated by candid and uninhibited views.
Axed Match of the Day presenter Lineker continues to give the public broadcaster a headache after signing a line-up of big names, including snubbed England star Harry Maguire, for his Netflix World Cup show.
Manchester United defender Maguire, who used social media to express his “shock” at missing out on Thomas Tuchel’s squad, will be a special guest on The Rest is Football, which airs daily on Netflix from June 10.
Insiders fear that whilst the BBC has the live rights to 54 of the 104 games, in a share with ITV, its coverage will struggle to win the battle for attention, in a podcast environment where the noisiest views get the biggest viral response.
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