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BBC brings audiences closer to the heart of Euro 2016 action than ever

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

The BBC will bring audiences closer to the heart of the action than ever before with extensive coverage of UEFA Euro 2016 in France (10 June – 10 July) across TV, radio and digital platforms.

The month-long festival of European football will see three home nations (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) compete in a major tournament for the first time since 1958, with the BBC bringing you every step of their journeys along with Europe’s elite.

With a highly acclaimed talent line-up, including a raft of former international players bringing first-hand experience on the European stage, the BBC will bring the very best live action, commentary, news and reports, highlights and analysis across all platforms.

Gary Lineker leads TV coverage alongside former England captains Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand, and Thierry Henry, who won the World Cup and European Championship with France.

Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates will be at the helm on Radio 5 live alongside Caroline Barker and Dan Walker. Germany’s former number one Jens Lehmann and former Northern Ireland defender Gerry Taggart join the station’s commentary team.

There will also be multi-platform contributions throughout the tournament from John Motson, Frank Lampard and Jurgen Klinsmann. They join an impressive line-up of former internationals working across the BBC’s coverage: Danny Murphy, Jermaine Jenas, Robbie Savage, Martin Keown, John Hartson, Mark Lawrenson, Kevin Kilbane, Neil Lennon, Gerry Armstrong, Chris Waddle, Danny Mills, Pat Nevin, Chris Brunt and Trevor Sinclair.

The BBC will showcase 26 live matches on TV and streamed online within their 140 hours of programming, including highlights on BBC One, BBC Two and the Red Button, plus 24 days of coverage on Radio 5 live.

The BBC’s Euro 2016 digital service at bbc.co.uk/euro2016, the BBC Sport app, and BBC coverage through connected TVs* will feature live broadcasts of all BBC games, commentary and live text coverage of every game, with in-game highlight clips, on-demand highlights of every goal, breaking news, exclusive features and expert analysis. And every morning, a Euro 2016 Catch-up video will be available to stream through BBC Sport and to download via BBC iPlayer.

Audiences will be able to personalise their Euro 2016 on the BBC with a range of alerts and options including match alerts for all 24 teams and line-ups, kick-offs, goals, half-time and full-time notifications – enabling them to customise their experience.

Viewers will be able to join in the conversation across all BBC Sport social media platforms, and compete with pundits and friends in the new Euro 2016 Match Predictor and Team Selector. There will also be behind-the-scenes access to the tournament with Gary Lineker and Dan Walker on Facebook Live, and Jermaine Jenas leading the new Match of the Day Snapchat account, while the BBC Sport Periscope account will broadcast live across France.

In addition to all the Euro 2016 live action, there will be four additional programmes, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Euro 96, a new look at the most famous stories of past Euros, and England’s World Cup-winning team of 1966, and Gareth Bale’s magical career and his journey with Wales from Euro 2016 qualification outsiders to history makers.

Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, says: “As excitement builds towards one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2016, we are delighted to bring audiences closer to the heart of the action than ever before with unparalleled coverage across TV, radio and enhanced personalised options across our digital services, available 24/7. Euro 2016 on the BBC will bring together a stellar cast of presenters, pundits and commentators who will guide audiences through every moment of the action, including the journey of all three home nations and the Republic of Ireland in France. This summer’s Championship will bring the nation together to witness unmissable sporting moments, captivating audiences of all ages on football’s biggest stage.”

(Report courtesy BBC Press Release)