ITV On Verge of Extending Reduced FA Rights Deal
October 26, 2011
British public service TV Network ITV is expected to renew their rights deals for live FA Cup games and home England internationals, according to the Guardian.
The network’s current deal expires at the end of this season and they appear to be the only credible bidder for the new rights deal, which will last until 2014.
The BBC facing major cuts to its sports budget while both Channel 4 and Channel 5 are reluctant to bid, this means any deal with ITV would likely be around 20% less than the current £65 million ($104m) agreement.
ESPN’s contract will be unaffected and runs until the summer of 2014, from this point competitive England internationals will be sold centrally through UEFA.