BBC sweeps presenters, punditry team fails to improve - TNT Nightmare Scenarios

The departure of Gary Lineker from Match of the Day could see a shake up across leading sports broadcasters including TNT Sports.

The presenter's seat on the flagship football show MOTD is one of, if not the most prestigious positions in sports television. When it was announced that the ex-Tottenham forward would be leaving the show, the floodgates opened for speculation on which sports TV personality would be fit to take his place.

When the departure was first hinted at, regular host of MOTD 2 Mark Chapman was the man touted to be Lineker's successor. However, now heads have turned to TNT Sports presenter Reshmin Chowdhury. Hailed as one of the top sports presenters in the country, TNT will surely try their greatest not to lose one of their best. If she does go, what would that do to the credibility of the broadcasting giant?

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We took a look at some of the nightmare scenarios that TNT could face.

Reshmin Chowdhury moves

Chowhury is a powerhouse when it comes to sports presenting. Having worked for the BBC in the past, she can now be seen following the Champions League with TNT and heard on talkSPORT where she is a lead presenter on Saturday Gameday.

What makes the speculation on Chowdhury more reliable is her favourability within the Beebs. The Mail had reported that BBC director of sport Alex Kay Jelski had previously tried to hire the presenter at The Athletic. It is said that she has many admirers within the organisation.

Even though TNT pay over £300m a year for it's Premier League rights, it would be difficult for the broadcaster to find anything that is worth the same as Gary Lineker's empty seat.

If Chowdhury was to leave to present MOTD, it would be a loss of credibility for TNT Sports. Whether you buy the rights to the Champions League, Premier League, Formula E etc. the BBC will always have something more special.

Pundits don't change

Although this point may seem hypocritical, sometimes change is needed. But this time, we are focusing on the punditry team who support the presenters.

When players look to retire, punditry has now become a clear avenue for them to walk up, and sports broadcasters are paying lots to have the best ones. MOTD has the Premier Leagues top goalscorer Alan Shearer, and Sky Sports has an endless list of names. With TNT being the 'newest' streamer, they had fewer to pick from.

Although the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes are some of the Premier League all time greats, the others aren't high achievers. The likes of Peter Crouch, Robbie Savage and Owen Hargreaves were not top tier players.

They don't quite compare to the Roy Keane's or Gary Neville's that their opposing paid streaming rivals have. It was only a few years ago when Lineker himself worked for TNT (then BT Sports) presenting the Champions League. He left, sticking with MOTD.

Laura Woods challenges

Chowdhury and Laura Woods lead TNT's coverage of the Champions League. The pair have had similar career paths with both having worked on talkSPORT; Woods previously hosted the breakfast show.

The 37-year-old has been one of the most prominent sports presenters recently. Starting at Sky Sports and powering her way through football, darts, NFL and more, she is someone who TNT would dread to lose. Where Wood's would excel is her personality. Similar to Lineker, she carries a sense of humour with her when covering football.

TNT have shone when it comes to picking out the top presenters across the country. Yes, big contracts certainly helped with Woods reportedly pocketing £400k when she took lead presenter role with TNT.

But sometimes visibility is more important, especially to TV presenters. Match of the Day averages around 4m viewers per Saturday showing - hard numbers to contest with.