ITV Sport snaps up joint FA Cup broadcast rights in four-year deal

BBC and ITV to share coverage from 2021-2022 competition

ITV has picked up the joint TV rights for the FA Cup in a deal that will see it share coverage with BBC Sport, meaning that the entire competition will be available free-to-air.

The new four-year deal with The Football Association (The FA) will include matches from the First Round through to the Final and takes in live coverage of more than 20 games per season from 2021-22 through to 2024-25.

The deal also includes live coverage of The FA Community Shield each year.

Sharing coverage with the BBC, ITV will have first pick and fourth pick of matches in the Second Round, Fourth Round and the Quarter Finals, as well as second and third picks for the First, Third and Fifth Rounds and second pick of the Semi-finals.

The TV rights for the FA Cup are currently held jointly by BBC Sport and on the pay-TV channel BT Sport.

Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, said: “We are particularly pleased that we shared The FA’s vision of a completely free-to-air competition and look forward to bringing new viewers all along the road to Wembley Stadium.”

Mark Bullingham, FA chief commercial and football development officer, said: “The FA Cup continues to capture the public’s imagination, drawing millions of viewers at every stage. This agreement with ITV is fantastic news and means that we will reach the broadest possible audience across the country.

“ITV has been a great broadcast partner with the England Men’s Internationals and will do a brilliant job with the coverage of the world’s most historic cup competition.”