THE BBC will not send any presenters or pundits to the US to cover the World Cup quarter-finals.
The Mail reported in December that the broadcaster planned not to send any TV personnel overseas until the quarter-finals.
The BBC will not be sending a presenting team to the US for the World Cup Credit: BBC Handout
They will cover the match from their Salford studio Credit: The Sun
But it appears that even that was too soon for the Beeb, who have now elected to save their travel for the semis.
The Telegraph have claimed that their presenters will not travel to the tournament until ‘just before’ the semi-finals.
Instead the will continue to cover the quarter- finals from their
The decision aims to save taxpayers ‘millions’ alongside budget cuts hitting the BBC, as part of the organisation-wide aim to save £500million.
BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski said: “To have what would probably be an extra couple of hundred people out there – and that’s before you build a studio – you’re talking millions.
“The actual end product people are getting at home, I don’t really think it’s that different.
“If I was standing here saying, ‘Everything is going to be done from a studio in Dallas’, you would rightly be saying to me, ‘How can you justify that spend?’”
He added: “Right now I’m incredibly happy with it. It’s a six-week, high-profile tournament. We’re going to get some stuff wrong and we’re going to get, hopefully, way more right.”
The Beeb has the rights to one of the round’s four matches – ‘s clash with in Los Angeles on Friday.
Rivals ITV will cover the remaining three fixtures, including v .
But the real prize ITV snagged is ‘s monster clash with , with the winner claiming a spot in the final four.
ITV sent out a delegation of beloved pundits to a , from which they have provided commentary on the tournament from the very start.
But the ball will roll back into the BBC’s court when they get first pick of the semi-finals.
Should England make it that far then the broadcaster will be on-location to provide coverage of the monster clash, with England set to face one of , , or .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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