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FA Cup set to be aired exclusively on free-to-air TV after ITV deal
Matt Hughes, Sports News Correspondent
May 14 2019, 5:00pm,
The FA Cup is set to be broadcast exclusively on free-to-air television for an extended period for the first time since the late 1980s with ITV close to joining the BBC as rights holders.
In a boost for the tournament before Saturday’s final between Manchester City and Watford at Wembley, it is understood that ITV has reached an agreement with the FA over a four-year package from the start of the 2021-22 season that will guarantee larger television audiences for the oldest cup competition in the world.
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n March the BBC won the rights to broadcast up to 18 live FA Cup matches a season, in addition to highlights and online highlights, with ITV set to gain a larger package of up to 30 games as the senior partner. Under the terms of the new deal, it will share coverage of the FA Cup for the first time since 1988.
ITV was briefly the sole broadcaster during the 2009-10 season — after the collapse of fellow rights holders Setanta Sports — but otherwise much of the live FA Cup coverage has been available only on satellite television since Lawrie Sanchez’s unforgettable header gave Wimbledon a 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Wembley 31 years ago, in arguably the biggest cup final shock of all time.
While the contract has yet to be signed it is believed that it contains provision for the BBC and ITV to share live coverage of the final, as they did from 1955 until 1988. The package for which ITV is believed to have bid successfully is held by BT Sport, which has shared the rights with the BBC since 2014. An announcement of the deal is expected in the next few weeks.
The ITV deal is the first major contract agreed by Mark Bullingham, who was announced as the FA’s chief executive in March, and builds on the work of his predecessor Martin Glenn, who obtained a record £800 million for the overseas TV rights for the FA Cup from 2018 to 2024. While the BBC and ITV made competitive bids, the overseas TV income has given the FA greater flexibility in negotiating the domestic rights, rather than simply selling to the highest bidder.
Bullingham is a supporter of grassroots football and the FA’s priority in the broadcast negotiations has been to preserve the FA Cup’s status as a national treasure, hence its decision to go with two free-to-air broadcasters which are expected to deliver large audiences.
FA Cup viewing figures on the BBC have been particularly impressive this season even during the early stages of the competition, with 7.6 million watching Manchester United’s fourth-round win over Arsenal, which compares favourably with BT Sport’s figures for last week’s thrilling Champions League semi-final victories for Liverpool and Tottenham, which peaked at 2.7 million and 2.4 million respectively.
ITV has not held the rights for the FA Cup since 2014 when a six-year run in which it shared coverage with Setanta, ESPN and BT Sport came to an end. Its successful bid will consolidate its football offering after it began screening live La Liga matches earlier this season. It has exclusive live rights for England’s European Championship and World Cup qualifiers until 2022, which it will seek to retain when that tender process is reopened next year.
After concluding the ITV deal the FA will turn its attention towards obtaining a new naming-rights sponsor for the FA Cup, as Emirates is not planning to renew,
as The Times revealed last week. The FA is in the market for a headline sponsor for England as Vauxhall opted not to renew its contract after last summer’s World Cup.
www.thetimes.co.uk
