[Soccer] ITV scores in FA Cup rights fight

[Rappy Veteran]

ITV and Irish broadcaster Setanta have secured the rights to show the FA Cup and England home internationals in a ?425m four-year deal.

The Football Association confirmed the deal, beginning in August 2008, saying that it was "delighted" at the outcome.

The deal is worth ?125m more than the existing contract held jointly by the BBC and BSkyB.

Snatching the FA Cup and England rights is a major coup for ITV and its executive chairman Michael Grade.

Mr Grade made boosting ITV's coverage of live sporting events a priority when he left the BBC to join ITV in December.

ITV already has the terrestrial rights to the Champion's League, which it shares with BSkyB.

'Sporting highlight'

From August 2008, ITV and Setanta will broadcast FA Cup and England home games, with ITV having exclusive terrestrial rights and Setanta having exclusive pay-TV coverage.

The BBC and BSkyB have held the FA Cup rights since 2001.

BSkyB and Setanta are involved in an increasingly fierce battle for pay-per-view sports rights.

In a statement, Setanta Sports said it would be showing 25 FA Cup matches a year as well as eight England friendlies over the lifetime of the contract.

"The FA Cup is a great highlight in the English football calendar and will help to strengthen our offering even further," said Mark Mohan, the firm's group commercial director.

Last year the Irish broadcaster secured a six-year deal to televise the PGA golf tour featuring 40 leading tournaments, rights previously held by Sky.

Setanta also holds the rights to broadcast the Scottish Premier League.

BSkyB and Setanta won a ?1.7bn auction to screen Premiership games last year.

(BBC News[/b]/b>)

I hate ITV Commentary te:( :(

[samg]

Kick in the shins for BskyB though. Thats karma for stopping sky one to Virgin.

[acnpt]

Thats Ok, football always seems better on ITV for me, but yeah the commentry team is a bit naff.

Whats with the soccer tag? :( its soooo american

[Rappy Veteran]

Thats Ok, football always seems better on ITV for me, but yeah the commentry team is a bit naff.

Whats with the soccer tag? :( its soooo american

:laugh:

If I put football people will complain so Soccer is good enough and hopefully no one will complain....

[snyper]

ITV and Irish broadcaster Setanta

Setanta, are catching up on Sky as an alternative...

They are opening up in Canada soon i believe

[Martyn]

Dreadful news...ITV just fill the whole of it with adverts and the commentators and analysts are not as good as the ones on MOTD :(. It is bad enough watching Champions League games on ITV.

We are stuck with Gabby Logan and Alex McLeish instead of likes of Gary Linekar, Alan Hansen, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer...

:cry:

[Brodel]

Dreadful news...ITV just fill the whole of it with adverts and the commentators and analysts are not as good as the ones on MOTD :(. It is bad enough watching Champions League games on ITV.

We are stuck with Gabby Logan and Alex McLeish instead of likes of Gary Linekar, Alan Hansen, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer...

:cry:

Agreed, especially when they talk on the side of the pitch with that stupid stand they have.

[red.]

Dreadful news...ITV just fill the whole of it with adverts and the commentators and analysts are not as good as the ones on MOTD :(. It is bad enough watching Champions League games on ITV.

We are stuck with Gabby Logan and Alex McLeish instead of likes of Gary Linekar, Alan Hansen, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer...

:cry:

i agree with you. the BBC coverage is a lot better than ITV even after i take in account how annoying John Motson is.

btw Gabby Logan is now on BBC.

[Rappy Veteran]

David Pleat also...he cant pronounce any of the players names correctly...ok not that important but still...

[leesmithg]

David Pleat also...he cant pronounce any of the players names correctly...ok not that important but still...

Well will their be a reduction in tv licence fees?

NOPE.

As for David Pleat, his voice is so annoying, when I watch football when he is on, I listen to someone elses commentary.

Problem is with satellite and the radio they are not quite in sinc.

Wish ITV would get rid of him, he is a blah blah blah.

[Shibby]

Of course you won't get a reduction in your tv licence. Money that would of been used for the rights will now be given to an area that needs it the most. Like the switch over to digital, upgrades. Cost of living is high and they can't pay people peanuts.

[Brodel]

Well will their be a reduction in tv licence fees?

NOPE.

As for David Pleat, his voice is so annoying, when I watch football when he is on, I listen to someone elses commentary.

Problem is with satellite and the radio they are not quite in sinc.

Wish ITV would get rid of him, he is a blah blah blah.

His voice is really annoying but sometimes his descriptions are so funny, for example he can't just say they have gone for two strikers up front, he has to say they have chosen a dual spearhead formation, lol.

[Shibby]

Today some more information has been shed on the situation. The FA only did it for pure money purposes. No mention of how the viewer will benefit. I can't stand ITV football. The adverts and people that present it our just useless, no personality what so ever. At least with the big headed people on MOTD know something about football and can put a joke in.

[+BeLGaRaTh Subscriber¹]

Don't Setanta only broadcast in 4:3 and not 16:9? Apologies if I'm wrong on that, but if its right, it would be like going back to the dark ages, I mean most people have WS TVs now so it would be a waste of time :(

[Shibby]

ITV broadcast in widescreen, but football matches are 4:3

Work that one out!

[Mike]

ITV broadcast in widescreen, but football matches are 4:3

Work that one out!

that only happens on games that arent in the uk, bloody europeans :p

only good side i can see of this deal is i wont have to put up with motson for much longer :D downside is i now have to put up with the muppets on itv :(

who is this yon arne riise or this masherano (what happened to mascherano from west ham)? :p

[Rappy Veteran]

that only happens on games that arent in the uk, bloody europeans :p

only good side i can see of this deal is i wont have to put up with motson for much longer :D downside is i now have to put up with the muppets on itv :(

who is this yon arne riise or this masherano (what happened to mascherano from west ham)? :p

LOL...after watching the game last night it was funny to hear Pleat talk....he called Kon? from PSV Cone like a traffic cone...I lol'd:laugh::