The BBC started its World Cup coverage with a moody montage of Mohamed Salah and Luis Suárez, undermined a little by the fact Egypt’s star striker was not starting. It did give Gary Lineker a chance to exercise his wordplay early on – “No Salah? No Mo? Big blow to lose their pharaoh?” the lead presenter asked a slightly bemused‑looking Jermaine Jenas.
The BBC was notably not as direct about addressing the political aspects of Vladimir Putin’s Russia hosting the tournament. Mark Pougatch’s first question to ITV’s pundits was about the rights and wrongs of staging Fifa’s showpiece in a country with a troublesome human rights record. Lineker and company did not mention politics at all – preferring packages about the impact of Ramadan fasting on Muslim players, and Cesc Fàbregas reminiscing about setting up a World Cup-winning goal.
Both studio sets use digital backgrounds, with the BBC preferring the simple efficiency of a Star Trek‑style holodeck, while ITV has decked its studio out like a Russian palace.
For the game itself, the BBC’s commentary team avoided the pitfall of ITV’s Clive Tyldesley. He trended on social media eight minutes into Russia’s opening game off the back of observing that Stalin “had a proper moustache”. Jonathan Pearce and Martin Keown on the BBC did become baffled, though, when they thought the referee had instantly disallowed a Suárez goal when, in fact, the ball had just hit the side-netting.
There are more viewing options around the BBC’s coverage. With the red button viewers can ditch the TV commentary team and listen instead to words from Radio 5 Live. Plus there were plenty of plugs for watching the game in virtual reality using a BBC app.
Round one verdict ITV’s willingness to discuss politics before the opening ceremony suggests it will take a slightly edgier tone than the BBC. But ITV’s star signing, Gary Neville, has not yet outshone his brother, Phil, on the BBC where Lineker demonstrated his assured approach as anchor.