Source: Telegraph
ITV to cling on to FA Cup rights
Bookmakers Ladbrokes were yesterday offering odds of 5-1 that ITV would lose their FA Cup rights before the end of the channel's deal in 2012, after a "technical error" caused live coverage to be interrupted moments before 19-year-old Dan Gosling's dramatic extra-time winner. [LNB]Some viewers just managed to catch the goal after a number of ITV regions and digital channels returned to the game seconds before the teenager's strike. But for others the adverts continued and the first fans knew of the goal was when they saw pictures of the Everton team's frenzied celebrations.[LNB]It was enough to prompt the Football Association to issue a statement yesterday. "Clearly we are seeking a full explanation from ITV as to why this happened," it read. "It is important that lessons are learned and that this does not happen again."[LNB]Earlier this season an embarrassed ITV made repeated apologies after a second-round match between Histon and Leeds prompted a flurry of complaints when a naked Histon player was caught on camera in the dressing room. During the match, pitch-side microphones also picked up foul-mouthed insults from a section of the Leeds support. This time ITV were keen to stress that the problem was not the fault of the on-site production team.[LNB]It is understood that an automated system for broadcasting advertisements, which should be used only on "regular schedule" nights, kicked in as the game continued in extra time. The system was not designed for live events, which can over-run and delay the schedule.[LNB]It is not yet known whether heads will roll but Michael Grade, ITV's executive chairman, issued an apology yesterday after the channel received in the region of 1,000 complaints.[LNB]"As a football fan myself I was glued to the match and was as disappointed as anyone to miss the goal," Grade said. "We have years of experience in dealing with the changes in ad break patterns when games go into extra time and sometimes penalties – this we have done faultlessly through the Champions League, World Cup and European Championships.[LNB]"Last night's glitch was inexcusable and we are awaiting the results of our technical inquiry so we can put in place stringent and immediate procedures to address this."[LNB]While the FA may be deeply unhappy about the negative publicity the competition is garnering, there is little they can do. After signing a four-year deal worth £425million with ITV and Setanta as their UK broadcast partners for FA Cup and England matches, the FA have already ploughed roughly half that sum back into grassroots football. [LNB]
