Gary Lineker remains the highest paid BBC star after the latest figures show the Match of the Day host pocketing £1.35m.
The former England international's salary dropped ever so slightly as he earned £1.36m the year prior, which came after he took a pay cut from £1.75m. Alan Shearer, often one of the pundits on Match of the Day, is also one of the higher earners, sitting third on the overall list.
Lineker has previously had his salary defended by Charlotte Moore, the BBC's chief content officer. She is responsible for controlling the budget of £1.4billion a year. She said in March this year: "Look, I think we know that viewers really value the presenters that we have on some of our bigger shows. And the audience that loves Match of the Day has a huge love for Gary Lineker."
She also told the Radio Times: "It’s about value to the audience in the end, and whether we think that it’s the right person for the job, with the right level of experience, with the right ability to present in a way that is really accessible, enjoyable and entertaining."
Several other individuals who work from BBC's sporting programmes have also seen their salaries published. Jason Mohammad, another presenter, is the 20th highest earner, taking home between £285,000-£289,999. Mark Chapman is 31st on the list, earning around £250,000-£254,999.
Michael Vaughan and Jermaine Jenas earn similar salaries, in and around the £225,000 mark. Gabby Logan is the 48th highest earner - on par with Micah Richards - earning between £200,000-£204,999.
Radio 2 breakfast show host Zoe Ball is second on the new list, earning £980,000. She, like Lineker, previously earned more but took a 28% pay cut at the end of 2020. Ball is one of three women in the top 10 with there being four 12 months ago.The wage bill for all on-air talent is down slightly from £130m to £129.8m.
The total bill for the BBC's executive board, including non-executives, was £4.3m, which is a drop from £4.8m the year prior. Figures were published in the corporation's latest annual report, which also revealed a sharp drop in the time UK adults spend watching TV every day. Average viewing dropped from eight hours 11 minutes in 2020/21 to seven hours 12 minutes in 2021/22, although part of that fall may be explained by people watching less than they did during the height of the pandemic.
Placing and salaries of sports presenters/pundits
1 Gary Lineker £1,350,000-1,354,999
3 Alan Shearer £450,000-£454,999
20 Jason Mohammad £285,000-£289,999
31 Mark Chapman £250,000-£254,999
37 Michael Vaughan £225,000-£229,999
39 Jermaine Jenas £220,000-£224,999
41 Dan Walker £220,000-£224,999
46 Clare Balding £205,000-£209,999
48 Gabby Logan £200,000-£204,999
48 Micah Richards £200,000-£204,999
52 Alex Scott £195,000-£199,999
56 Sue Barker £185,000-£189,999
57 John McEnroe £180,000-£184,999
65 Chris Sutton £155,000-£159,999
