Major broadcasting change to FA Cup with decision made between BBC and ITV after TNT Sports bought rights

THE BBC have retained the rights for live FA Cup matches until 2029, according to reports.

But TNT Sports will replace ITV in showing fixtures from the 2025-26 season.

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A new four-year deal for the FA Cup TV rights has been struck[/caption]

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Gary Lineker is the current host of the live BBC FA Cup coverage[/caption]

TNT paid a whopping £264million last month to secure a four-year deal with The FA to become the main broadcaster of the famous cup competition.

That left the BBC and ITV to battle it out for the secondary spot.

And according to the Daily Mail, it is the Beeb who have come out on top.

The new rights package will see the BBC show two FA Cup matches from each round up to the quarter-finals.

They will then get one of the two semi-finals and the final.

In a further boost for fans, any FA Cup ties from the third round that do not kick off during the Saturday afternoon blackout will be televised live.

Part of The FA’s recent contract with TNT stated that a certain number of matches per round needed to be available on free-to-air TV.

And although they could have live-streamed on YouTube or used their Freeview channel Quest, they were open to striking a partnership with a major public broadcaster.

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It is also reported that the BBC will continue to keep its Match of the Day highlights programme for the FA Cup.

TNT will also show the Community Shield and FA Youth Cup final as part of the new deal.

The tournament – on terrestrial TV only from 2021 to 2025 – will return to a subscription channel following previous spells on BT Sport, Sky Sports, Setanta and ESPN.

The BBC have the rights to two of the four FA Cup quarter-finals this month.

Chelsea vs Leicester and Manchester City vs Newcastle will both be on the Beeb, with the ITV having Wolves’ clash with Coventry and the standout tie – Liverpool’s trip to Manchester United.

The new FA Cup contract for the BBC comes after the broadcaster sealed a deal to show live Super League rugby league action on Saturday evenings.