ESPN seal four-year deal to show FA Cup following collapse of Setanta

08 December 2009 20:22
The Football Association have agreed a four-year deal television deal with ESPN, worth in the region of £70million, to broadcast FA Cup ties.[LNB]The deal will begin in the summer of 2010, running through until the end of the 2013-14 season, and will sit alongside the existing contract for The FA Cup and England senior games held by ITV until 2012, filling the void created by the demise of Setanta.[LNB]ESPN will show live, exclusive coverage of up to 25 FA Cup matches per season, including one exclusive semi-final match, while the FA Cup final will simultaneously be broadcast on both ESPN and ITV.[LNB] Their Cup runneth over: Chelsea won the FA Cup last season[LNB]This season's competition, which sees the Barclays Premier Leaguesides enter in the third-round stage on January 2, will continue to bebroadcast on ITV, who will show three live games from the third tofifth round - one additional game - and all games from thequarter-final stage onwards.[LNB]The additional games broadcast by ITV had been due to be shown bySetanta, which collapsed in June, one year into a four-year deal worthin the region of £150million.[LNB]The new contract, which was agreed today, includes rights to showall England Under-21 home fixtures and the forthcoming women's SuperLeague, which launchesin 2011.[LNB]FA chief executive Ian Watmore said: 'We are extremely pleased to have added ESPN to our list of broadcast partners.[LNB]'As a global broadcaster, who have already demonstrated a strongpresence in the UK, ESPN will give our football great visibility and welook forward to an excellent partnership with them.[LNB] Cup clash: The FA's website will show this week's replay between Millwall and Staines[LNB]'Whilst it's a very different market to two years ago, we havenevertheless taken our time and as a result have received some strong,credible bids.'[LNB]Alongside their coverage of The FA Cup, ITV will continue tobroadcast all England home qualifying matches through until the end ofthe 2011-12 season as well as home and away friendly internationals(home friendlies were previously held by Setanta).[LNB]When the agreement begins in 2010-11, ESPN will televise two FA Cup matches inthe first and second rounds (plus up to two replays per round), threematches from the third to fifth rounds (plus up to one replay), two FACup quarter-finals (plus up to one replay) and one semi-final for eachof the next four seasons.[LNB]ITV will continue to broadcast one match in the first and secondround, two matches from the third to fifth rounds, two quarter-finalsand one semi-final.[LNB]Meanwhile, FATV will continue to broadcast one or two games per round up to thefifth round via the Football Association's official website and willcontinue to host games online in the future as the project expands.[LNB] Rafa Benitez defends handling of Alberto Aquilani as £20m man finally wins Liverpool startPulis apologises to Stoke players but Beattie is on his way outMan United in fight to solve defensive crisis as Bayern look to snatch Kjaer[LNB] [LNB]  Explore more:People:Ian WatmorePlaces:United KingdomOrganisations:Football Association

Source: Daily_Mail