The Paralympics coverage on Channel 4 was a wake-up call for the BBC, said presenter Clare Balding.
She said the programming was so successful that Channel 4 may even win a Bafta for it, and it showed that other broadcasters could cover a major sporting event without licence fee money.
Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the presenter, who worked on both the Olympics and Paralympics, said the BBC did not bid as much money as Channel 4 for the Paralympic Games.
She added: “And actually for the BBC it might not have been the worst thing in the world to realise that other people can come in and do these things. Obviously I know that means you get it with adverts. But the coverage, the quality of the commentary, the camera shots, were really good. They invested in disabled presenters and brought new faces through. I thought they did a terrific job.”
