LONDON: Free-to-air UK broadcaster ITV has confirmed it has secured a four-year broadcast deal for the FA Cup, English football’s premier knockout cup competition, from 2021-22 through to 2024-25.
Under the deal, ITV will air matches from every round of the competition and will have first pick for matches in the second and fourth rounds and the quarter-finals.
ITV will also air English soccer’s traditional pre-season curtain raiser, the FA Community Shield, a fixture between the Premier League champions and the winners of the FA Cup.
It thus takes over from pay-television broadcaster BT Sport, meaning the FA Cup will be entirely free-to-air for viewers come 2021, as the BBC already has rights to the competition.
BT Sport has been scaling back its rights portfolio since last year, having already given up rights to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Italian top flight soccer league Serie A.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “We are particularly pleased that we shared The FA’s vision of a completely free-to-air competition.
Mark Bullingham, incoming FA Chief Executive, added: “This agreement with ITV is fantastic news and means that we will reach the broadest possible audience across the country. ITV has been a great broadcast partner with the England men’s internationals and will do a brilliant job with the coverage of the world’s most historic cup competition.”
Manchester City defeated Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final this season, securing a domestic treble of trophies.
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