• Hockey, swimming and basketball biggest beneficiaries of shake-up • BBC promises ‘huge expansion in the availability of free-to-air sport in the UK’

The BBC will increase its live sport coverage by up to 1,000 hours a year in what the director general, Tony Hall, claims will be the biggest shake-up in the corporation’s sport output strategy this century.

The increase in free-to-air sport will be seen through the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer. The early rounds of the FA Cup will be streamed live as well as more matches from Wimbledon and women’s football Super League fixtures.

Olympic sports including hockey, swimming and basketball could be the biggest beneficiaries, with users receiving alerts when their favourite sports are due to feature online. A BBC insider claimed it would be a “personalised” service and help raise the profile of minority sports alongside making the most of the events the BBC has existing rights to.

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The BBC has been forced to evolve its sporting rights strategy after years of dwindling live coverage owing to cost-saving measures. Over the past decade, the corporation has given up half of the Six Nations, which is now shared with ITV, lost the Open golf to Sky and a host of other rights, although cricket is to return to BBC TV in 2020 for the first time in more than 20 years.

Hall said: “This shows how we’re reinventing the BBC for a new generation. We’re giving people more of what they love by working in partnership with the sports industry and making the most of digital technology.”

The BBC has tied down the rights to the Olympic Games, Wimbledon, World Cup and FA Cup on long-term deals. The extra coverage will take advantage of low-cost streaming technology the BBC has developed since London 2012. The BBC will work with sporting bodies to share knowledge of production, technical and editorial standards.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the International Tennis Federation, British Swimming and British Basketball have given it their backing and the plan is to provide live coverage from more than 30 additional sports or sporting events every year.

Barbara Slater, the head of BBC Sport, said: “We want to use BBC Sport’s live streaming service to showcase more of those moments that inspire people to take part. Put simply, it’s a huge expansion in the availability of free-to-air sport in the UK.”

Hall admitted the BBC has been forced to evolve as a result of the budget for live sport being slashed. “As we have shown time and time again, we will not stand still,” he said. “Not if we want to meet the changing demands of sports fans, not if we want to remain relevant in the media’s most competitive marketplace.

“While we’re privileged to be funded by the licence fee, it’s no secret we don’t have the same deep pockets as those we must now compete against but we have unique qualities that are essential for those sports who want to ensure their events are available to – and able to inspire – the widest possible audience.”