THE BBC has lost the rights to show The Boat Race to Channel 4.
The event has predominantly been shown by the BBC since first being broadcast in 1938.
AFPThe Boat Race will be shown on Channel 4 from next year[/caption]
It was also shown on ITV between 2005 and 2009.
But it will now have a new home on Channel 4 after the broadcaster secured a five-year deal.
It is the latest major sporting event to be lost by the BBC, despite its viewing figures pipping other sports.
A peak audience of 2.82million watched The Boat Race in April this year.
That made it the most-watched sporting event that weekend across free-to-air and paid TV, beating The Masters golf tournament and the Bahrain grand prix.
The women’s race brought it a peak audience of 2.18m – a 14 per cent hike compared to last year.
Channel 4’s deal will see them broadcast the 100th year anniversary of the women’s race and the 200th anniversary of the men’s.
The 2026 edition of the race will take place on April 4.
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Channel 4’s head of sport Pete Andrews told City AM : “It is so much more broader than Oxford versus Cambridge.
“People are just used to watching what is an unbelievable event.
“It is a free party for London, costs nothing to watch and it’s something that is quintessentially British.”
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