Live Football On Bbc Virtually At An End,

[redrus]

Live football on BBC virtually at an end as ITV scoops FA Cup

30.03.07

ITV has poached the rights to the FA Cup

The BBC's live football coverage was in crisis today after ITV won the rights to screen FA Cup matches.

In a massive blow, the corporation was outbid by its rival for the last remaining regular live football it broadcasts. The deal also covers England's home international games.

The BBC now faces the prospect of losing big-name presenters such as Gary Lineker as ITV looks for hosts for their coverage.

A media insider said: "People like Gary live for the big matches and are hardly likely to stay to present highlight shows."

The new four-year deal, which will run from August 2008, is said to be worth up to £440 million - about £100 million more than the existing contract with the BBC and Sky.

ITV struck the deal with the Football Association along with Irish-based pay television group Setanta. BBC bosses are said to have struggled to match the bid because of the lower-thanexpected licence fee settlement the corporation received from the Government this year.

The loss of key live fixtures puts the future of Match Of The Day stars Lineker and Alan Hansen in doubt, along with that of other pundits such as Alan Shearer and Graham Taylor.

It is understood that, in a last-ditch effort to persuade the FA to stick with their current partners, BBC director general Mark Thompson and Lineker fronted a joint presentation with Sky's Richard Keys at the BBC's White City HQ earlier this week.

But it now looks increasingly likely that ITV could make a serious swoop to poach the Match Of The Day talent, who will want to continue presiding over high-profile international and cup games.

While the BBC licks its wounds, ITV will be celebrating its coup.

New executive chairman Michael Grade is understood to have championed the broadcaster's sports bid as he attempts reverse a fall in viewers and declining advertising revenue.

It is the first major blow Mr Grade has struck for ITV since he defected from the BBC's chairmanship last November.

ITV currently shares the rights to screen Champions League football with Sky but the FA Cup will dramatically strengthen its sports output. It is also a boost for f ledgling pay- TV company Setanta, which has been buying sports rights including Premiership-football. Setanta and Sky both won a £1.7 billion auction to screen Premiership games last year. The deal broke Sky's monopoly on the fixtures.

The new deal gives Setanta 17 live FA Cup matches and ITV 13. ITV will get the first choice game in each round plus the majority of England qualifiers and friendlies.

The deal also gives ITV the rights to screen England home qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro Championships.

The BBC, meanwhile, will only be able to screen major international tournaments and Premiership highlights from August 2008.

It is seven years since the BBC won back the rights to screen live FA Cup games, promising to revive the fortunes of BBC sport.

They had been snatched from the BBC by ITV in 1998, ending 35 years of the traditional head to head between the two major terrestrial channels.

redrus

[kayo]

Euhm.... <deleted> is ITV...? Such an irrelevant channel!!

Interesting to note that it was the former BBC chairman who fiddled this one.

If the BBC had been private, their would have been all kinds of contractual things preventing this sort of action. Doesn't that apply to the BeeB?

[scousemouse]

at least the have got match of the day !!!! , the old-guards fav