ATHLETICS: Channel 4 to screen three major para-athletics events in 2013

Channel 4 has confirmed it will broadcast a triple-header of international para-athletics events this summer, following on from its hugely successful coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The broadcaster, which recently won a BAFTA award for its coverage of the 2012 Paralympics, will screen terrestrial coverage of the first ever Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final from Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on June 29.

A month later, Channel 4 will also show the final day of the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, July 28,  as well as extended coverage of the IPC Athletics World Championships from Lyon, which runs from July 19-28.

AWARDS: Channel 4 wins BAFTA award for London 2012 Paralympics coverage

Channel 4 has won the BAFTA TV award in the ‘Sport and Live Event’ category for its ground-breaking coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The broadcaster fought off strong competition from the production team behind the London 2012 opening ceremony, as well as BBC Sport’s coverage of ‘Super Saturday’ at the London 2012 Olympics and the Wimbledon men’s singles final.

Commenting on stage on behalf of the Channel 4 on-air team at the ceremony staged at London’s Royal Festival Hall, former Paralympian Ade Adepitan, who co-presented alongside Clare Balding at the Games, said he was in shock that the broadcaster had claimed the prize.

AWARDS: Clare Balding to receive special BAFTA TV award

Sports presenter Clare Balding is to receive a special award at next month’s BAFTA Television Awards.

She will be recognised for her ‘Outstanding Achievement in Factual Presenting’ at the ceremony to be held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on May 12.

The BAFTA committee described her work covering London 2012 – on the BBC for the Olympics and on Channel 4 for the Paralympics – had made her ‘a national treasure’.

AWARDS: Olympics, Paralympics and Wimbledon nominated for 2013 BAFTA TV sport award

The shortlist for the 2013 Arqiva BAFTA Television Awards have been announced with London 2012-related programmes and events dominating the main sports category.

The ‘Sport and Live Event’ nominations include the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, the BBC’s coverage of Olympic ‘Super Saturday’ and the 2012 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final, as well as Channel 4’s Paralympic Games coverage.

Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening ceremony, which was broadcast live on BBC One to a record 30m viewers, is also nominated in the Radio Times Audience Award category, which is the only award decided by the public.

TV: BBC Three to air Oscar Pistorius documentary

BBC Three will screen a fast-turnaround one-off documentary on the murder of Reeva Steenkamp who was allegedly shot to death by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius.

The South African superstar, who won two gold medals and a silver at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, is accused of murder, though pleads not guilty.

Rick Edwards, who recently made his debut fronting BBC Three’s Free Speech and presented Channel 4’s breakfast show during the Paralympics last summer, will present the new BBC Three documentary entitled ‘Oscar Pistorious: What Really Happened?’.

PARALYMPICS: Channel 4 retains Paralympics rights for 2014 and 2016 Games

Channel 4 has secured the rights to screen the Paralympic Games in a historic deal with the International Paralympic Committee for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games and Rio 2016 Summer Games.

The deal, believed to be worth about £7m, includes multi-platform broadcast rights within the UK and will see the broadcaster build on its acclaimed coverage of London 2012 which broke UK viewing records for Paralympic sport and reached 69 per cent of the population.

As part of the agreement Channel 4 will screen over 45 hours of coverage from next year’s Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, the most ever by a British broadcaster, plus comprehensive coverage of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games, screening a minimum of 200 hours.

REVIEW 2012: A Golden Year of Sport

Sport On The Box looks back at 2012 – A Golden Year of Sport.

It was the greatest of all years for British sport, with unparalleled success in so many fields and a home Olympics which the rest of the world hailed as one of the best ever.

The images from a memorable 2012 will linger long in the collective consciousness and SOTB reviews a year that was sprinkled gold by so many unforgetable TV moments.

XMAS WATCH: Christmas Specials on Sky Sports

Sky Sports presents a bumper line-up of programming this festive season with a host of Christmas specials and review shows looking back at the some the memorable moments that have enlightened viewers throughout 2012.

The Gillette Soccer Saturday team return to the pitch for their Christmas special as the show’s pundits pair off to battle it out again for the Soccer Saturday Cup, and stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment are welcomed onto the Soccer AM sofa for a special Christmas Day edition.

There’s also a chance to relive the drama of some of the biggest sporting moments of the year, including Chelsea’s sensational UEFA Champions League triumph in Munich and Europe’s remarkable comeback at the Ryder Cup in Medinah.

LONDON 2012: Channel 4 Paralympics campaign wins major awards

Channel 4’s ‘Meet The Superhumans’ tag-line for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has emerged as one of the most successful marketing campaigns of the year after winning a host of awards.

As well as sweeping the board at the Promax Awards and the British Television Advertising Awards, Channel 4’s innovative work on promoting the Paralympics has also been given the prestigious Campaign of the Year award by Campaign magazine.

ATHLETICS: Channel 4 hands 2013 World Championships rights to the BBC

Channel 4 have offloaded the live rights to the 2013 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow to the BBC.

Both broadcasters reached a “commercial agreement” which will see the transfer of the broadcast rights to next year’s showpiece athletics event pass to the corporation.

The last World Championships in Daegu in 2011 were covered by Channel 4, but the broadcaster has decided to pull the plug on their agreement with the IAAF a year early after losing out to the BBC for the next term.

The corporation were due to take back the showcase track and field contract from Channel 4 in 2014 on a four-year deal that includes the World Championships coming to London in 2017.

AWARDS: BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 – Live on BBC One

After one of the greatest years in British sporting history, Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding host the 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, live from London’s ExCeL on BBC One and BBC One HD.

In front of a crowd of over 15,000 people, the star-studded event will feature some of the greatest names in world sport, with the evening culminating in the presentation of one of the most coveted awards in sport, which is chosen by viewers live on the night.

There are 12 contenders for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award this year to reflect such an extraordinary year, and with so much to look back on from the last 12 months, the show has been extended by an extra half-an-hour.

The 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year will bring down the curtain on a historic 12 months of sport and you can enjoy the entire ceremony live on BBC One from 7.30pm on Sunday, December 16.

AWARDS: BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 shortlist unveiled

Following an unprecedented year of sport, the BBC has announced the final shortlist of 12 sportspeople who make up the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012.

This year’s list, revealed live on the BBC’s One Show programme by presenter Gary Lineker, reflects the success of a truly remarkable year and the exceptional achievements of British sportsmen and women.

The 12 shortlisted contenders will now compete for the public vote on the night of the live show, which will be presented by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding, on BBC One and BBC One HD on Sunday, December 16, starting at 7.30pm.