The Boat Race Announces New Four-Year Partnership with the BBC

October 29, 2021

London, 29 October 2021. The Boat Race Company Ltd. is pleased to announce that the BBC will continue to broadcast The Boat Race in a new four-year partnership that will run between 2022 – 2025.

2022 will see the 76th Women’s and the 167th Men’s Boat Race return to its iconic Championship Course that stretches over 4.25 miles of tidal Thames in West London between Putney and Mortlake.

The world-famous sporting event between the UK’s two historic universities – Oxford and Cambridge spans 192 years of rivalry and the Race has become synonymous with British tradition and educational and sporting excellence. The Race is attended by over 250,000 spectators and watched on live TV by millions in the UK and globally every year.

Through this relationship, that began more than eighty years ago, the BBC will provide Race Day coverage for both the Men’s and Women’s Races live on the BBC and via the BBC Sport website, presenting the build-up on the day as well as interviews and insights into the preparation for this unique national sporting contest.

BBC’s Director of Sport, Barbara Slater, said ‘’Our longstanding partnership with The Boat Race is one that we greatly value and and the BBC will continue to deliver first-class coverage across platforms to the millions who enjoy it.’’

The Boat Race Company Limited (BRCL) Chair, Tim Senior, said “BBC Sport has been an excellent partner over the years, and we look forward to them continuing to provide fantastic coverage, bringing The Boat Race to millions of viewers in the UK and abroad. 2022 is an important year for us with The Boat Race returning to London after two years of disruption due to the pandemic, and we are excited to re-confirm our partnership with the BBC for the next four years.”

BBC’s Director of Sport, Barbara Slater, said ‘’Our longstanding partnership with The Boat Race is one that we greatly value and we’re delighted that it is set to continue. The Boat Race is a highlight in the sporting calendar and the BBC will continue to deliver first-class coverage across platforms to the millions who enjoy it.’’

BBC Television first covered the Men’s Race in 1938, the BBC having covered it on radio since 1927. The Women’s Race has received television coverage and has grown in popularity since 2015, a year that saw both Races held together on The Championship Course in London.

On Sunday 3 April 2022, the Women’s Boat Race will start at 14.23 and the Men’s Boat Race will begin at 15.23.

The Boat Race Company Limited (BRCL) Chair, Tim Senior, said “BBC Sport has been an excellent partner over the years, and we look forward to them continuing to provide fantastic coverage, bringing The Boat Race to millions of viewers in the UK and abroad.