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FA Cup to go free to air

The FA Cup is to go free to air for the first time since the 1980s with ITV close to joining the BBC as rights holders. In March the BBC won the right to broadcast up to 18 live FA Cup matches a season, in addition to highlights. ITV is set to gain a larger package of 30 games as the senior partner. It will share coverage of the FA Cup final from the 2021-22 season for the first time since 1988.

The package which ITV is understood to have bid successfully for is held by BT Sport, which has shared the rights with the BBC since 2014. ITV has not held the rights since then when a six year shared coverage arrangement came to an end.

For the FA, it's a question of funding versus coverage in making the choice between subscription and free to air television. Viewing figures on the BBC have been impressive since the early rounds of the competition. 7.5 million watched Manchester United's fourth round win over Arsenal. BT Sports could only get 2.7 and 2.4 million respectively for the Champions League semi-final victories of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

My personal impression is that BT Sport is limping along. Friends who have Sky resent paying more for extra games. I live in a conservation area and the local Council bans Sky dishes, but I don't have BT sport even though I am a BT customer. One or two people get round the dishes ban by having large arrays in their back gardens which look as if they could contact the international space station.

The FA now has to turn to finding a new naming rights sponsor for the FA Cup as Emirates Airlines is not renewing its contract. The free to air deal could help as it offers scope for better global coverage.

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