TV
The Football Association is expected to announce today that ITV and Setanta have signed a four-year deal to broadcast the FA Cup and England's home games from August 2008.
According to reports, Setanta and ITV bid around £100 million more than the £400 million Sky and the BBC offered.
Sky and the BBC have held the FA Cup rights since 2001.
With no regular live football outside international tournaments, BBC sports presenters like Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen will see their commentating duties severely cut.
The deal, which also includes England's home qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and England under 21 matches, will be a major coup for ITV and Michael Grade. Boosting ITV's coverage of sport has been a priority for the network's executive chairman since he joined in January.
ITV already has the terrestrial rights to the Champion's League, which it shares with Sky. Last year, Setanta and Sky won a £1.7 billion auction to screen Premiership games. Setanta also holds the rights to broadcast the Scottish Premier League.
According to reports, Setanta and ITV bid around £100 million more than the £400 million Sky and the BBC offered.
Sky and the BBC have held the FA Cup rights since 2001.
With no regular live football outside international tournaments, BBC sports presenters like Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen will see their commentating duties severely cut.
The deal, which also includes England's home qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and England under 21 matches, will be a major coup for ITV and Michael Grade. Boosting ITV's coverage of sport has been a priority for the network's executive chairman since he joined in January.
ITV already has the terrestrial rights to the Champion's League, which it shares with Sky. Last year, Setanta and Sky won a £1.7 billion auction to screen Premiership games. Setanta also holds the rights to broadcast the Scottish Premier League.
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