Glasto, BBC Extend Partnership

The British Broadcasting Company is to continue to cover the iconic Glastonbury Festival through 2022. 

Jonathan Short/Invision/AP – Mud & Glastonbury
Festivalgoers pose for photographs in front of the Glastonbury sign at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England.

With Glastonbury taking a break in 2018, the deal amounts to five years of additional festival coverage, including Glasto’s 50th anniversary in 2020 as well as during BBC’s centenary in 2022.

In 2016, the broadcaster’s coverage of the festival reached 18.9 million people – or 31.9 percent of the UK’s population – which marks a record, according to the BBC.

Last year a total of 25 hours of TV coverage were spread across BBC One (The One Show), BBC Two and BBC Four.

An additional 60 hours of content could be seen across BBC Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 4.

“Digital coverage included live-streams from six key music stages including the BBC Music Introducing stage which supports unsigned and under the radar musicians,” BBC stated.

Festival organizer Emily Eavis said: “We have worked closely with a fantastic team at the BBC since 1997, it has become an integral part of what we do at Glastonbury.”

Bob Shennan, BBC Director of Radio and Music, added: “This partnership confirms our ongoing commitment to placing music centre stage on the BBC, and presenting our programmes to a global audience via radio, online, television and BBC Red Button.”