The National Lottery show has been pulled by BBC from TV Screens after a long-lasting partnership with the UK lottery operator Camelot. The parties have inked a new three-year agreement, which is why the BBC has decided to pull the show after 22 years of partnership. The National Lottery Awards, however, will be aired on BBC1.
Under the terms of the new three-year agreement, customers will be able to check their results on iPlayer or via a special bulletin. The latter will be broadcast after the news on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The show, on the other hand, has been moved to the iPlayer only, and customers will be able to access it on Saturday nights. The changes will come into effect on January 7th, 2017.
The BBC producers have put the blame on the increasing number of players who become more oriented to checking the draw results online for the decision.
The Director of BBC content Charlotte Moore commented on the changes and the new partnership agreement, saying that the deal came as a proof how devoted and committed BBC was to the National Lottery and its current relationship with Camelot.
Ms. Moore said that both companies were perfectly aware of the fact they needed to offer their customers with a variety of options to access the draw results. This, however, required changing the current policies. In addition, Ms. Moore shared that it was important to keep the relationship of BBC1 with the National Lottery and provide its support to the work done by the UK-based company over the Annual Awards show.
Camelot has been facing some difficulties over the past year. The operator has reported a massive increase in its online games, however, there is a continuous decline in its televised draw-based games, including EuroMillions, Lotto and Thunderball. The British company has made serious investments in a special campaign about the 2016 Olympic Games, aimed at engaging people even more with good causes, reminding them that it a portion of every ticked sold go to supporting athletes.
The Digital Director of Camelot Tim Copper also commented on the new BBC contract extension, saying that the National Lottery operator remained focused on maintaining a strong relationship with BBC. However, he emphasized on the fact that the cut-off will come as a serious blow for Camelot, which has been recently facing some difficulties.
- Author
Daniel Williams
