BBC resolves SPOTY complaint with two sports indies

The BBC has resolved a complaint from two sports producers over the Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) tender process, Broadcast understands.

The corporation has given both Tinopolis-backed Sunset + Vine and live events firm Done and Dusted a small amount of compensation for their travel costs associated with each of their bids in the tender, which concluded in June with the BBC’s in-house sports unit retaining the coverage.

It is understood that the complaint, lodged collectively by the two indies with the BBC Content unit, has now been officially closed.

Broadcast exclusively revealed in July that the two indies had complained over a variety of issues associated with the tender process, including the make-up of the selection panel.

This panel consisted of BBC director of sport Barbara Slater, head of TV sport Phillip Bernie, entertainment head of business Matthew Travers, entertainment commissioning editor Jo Wallace and independent sports consultant Jackie Myburgh.

The tender process kicked off in February with a call for ideas that broaden the show’s appeal to “younger and more diverse audiences” and asked indies to partner with a digital content producer to “maximise collaboration with BBC Sport’s digital team”.

The in-house sports team is soon to produce coverage for this year’s 66^th SPOTY ceremony, which will take place in Aberdeen on Sunday 15 December.

The complaints were not the first time the BBC had landed itself in hot water over a tender process.

In a reverse move from the sports indies’ challenge, BBC Studios lodged a complaint with BBC Content over the outcome of the Mastermind bid, which the commercial producer/distributor lost to a joint bid from Hat Trick Productions and Hindsight Productions.

The BBC declined to comment.