BBC shoe-in for BAFTA gong

Summer 2012, a period best remembered for Andy Murray crying in front of the nation following his Wimbledon final defeat, the magical golden hour on Super Saturday, and the timeless choreography of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games stick long in the memory. Let’s not forget the Paralympics, which added to the sports portfolio of Channel 4.

BBC Sport lead the nominations in the Sports & Live Events category, with no less than three broadcasts up for the award, two of which formed part of their already multi-award winning Olympics coverage.

The opening ceremony, so brilliantly fronted by Clare Balding forms the first of the Beeb’s three chances of silverware. At odds of 4/5, it’s the clear favourite to take the gong, and few can argue that it certainly set the tone for a sensational summer.

Following closely behind, is the only nomination for Channel 4 in the category. At 11/4, there may be some value in this selection which not only encompasses the golden achievements of David Weir, Hannah Cockcroft et al, but the complete coverage of the commercial broadcaster’s summer sporting output.

Whilst the opening ceremony set the tone for the BBC’s coverage, Super Saturday was certainly the stage which showcased the best of British sporting talent, as BBC impartiality flew out of the window, with Colin Jackson, Denise Lewis and Michael Johnson summing up the voice of the nation. Despite odds of 3/1, this event could be the dark horse in the category.

The summer all began at Wimbledon, and at a 7/1 outsider, the BBC’s third and final nomination in the category is likely to echo the achievements of home favourite Andy Murray in the final – gallantly losing to a superior opponent.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing