FA forced to clarify details of TNT Sports’ new broadcast deal for FA Cup after backlash

The FA have been forced to clarify details of TNT Sports’ new broadcast deal for FA Cup after receiving backlash from fans.

TNT Sports has reached a four-year agreement with the Football Association to broadcast the FA Cup starting from the 2025-26 season.

Previously known as BT Sport, TNT Sports will share the broadcasting rights with a free-to-air broadcaster, with additional information to be provided by the FA at a later time.

Currently, the rights for the FA Cup are shared between BBC and ITV. All matches except those scheduled for 3pm kick-offs will be aired live, and the final will be available on both TNT Sports and the free-to-air channel.

The @FA and @tntsports have agreed a new four-year broadcast deal for the #EmiratesFACup, starting from the 2025-26 season.

Swipe for details ➡️

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 15, 2024

Further details on today’s announcement. https://t.co/gcsU1QNmZ5 pic.twitter.com/Rgnil7T3LY

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 15, 2024

FA STATEMENT:

• Selected matches will be live on TNT Sports and on free-to-air from the first round to the final
• New deal will see more Emirates FA Cup ties broadcast than ever before, with every game from the third round outside of 3pm kick offs to be shown live
• Further details of the free-to-air broadcaster will be confirmed in due course.
• The Emirates FA Cup final will be available on TNT Sports and free-to-air.
• The deal enables The FA to provide valuable investment into grassroots football

The Football Association [The FA] and TNT Sports have agreed a new four-year broadcast deal for the Emirates FA Cup, starting from the 2025/26 season, which will see more games available than ever before, across both TNT Sports and free-to-air, from the world’s oldest national football competition.

The new partnership between The FA and Warner Bros. Discovery, which operates TNT Sports, will ensure that the world’s longest-running national knockout football competition continues to be as broadly available as possible across the UK.

TNT Sports will showcase live matches from the first round, with every game from the third round outside of 3pm kick offs on display through to the final at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.

Selected matches from every round will be available free-to-air, and highlights of every game will be made available. Further details of the free-to-air broadcaster will be confirmed in due course.

In addition to the Emirates FA Cup ties, TNT Sports will also broadcast the English football season’s traditional curtain raiser, the FA Community Shield, and the FA Youth Cup semi-finals and final. They join the Vanarama National League, which TNT Sports also has the rights to in a long-standing commitment.

The Emirates FA Cup captures the imagination of clubs, communities, and the general public each season, with unrivalled stories written into English football folklore, and all of them will be told across TNT Sports’ channels on EE TV, Sky and Virgin Media, as well as on its streaming platform discovery+.

Mark Bullingham, FA chief executive, said: “The Emirates FA Cup is our crown jewel, and it helps us to provide vital investment across every level of English football, supporting clubs, communities, facilities and the wider grassroots game.

“Every season, and across every round, the Emirates FA Cup creates incredible moments and unforgettable memories for fans, and this new partnership will see selected matches shown live on TNT Sports, as well as free-to-air, from the first round of the competition through to the Final at Wembley Stadium.

“TNT Sports are an outstanding broadcaster with an impressive record of showing some of the biggest and best sporting events around the world, so we are delighted to be working with them on our shared commitment and long-term vision that will ensure the Emirates FA Cup continues to thrive over the coming years.”

Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland and WBD Sports Europe, said: “TNT Sports is proud to partner with The FA to present more matches of the world’s most prestigious domestic cup competition than ever before alongside our great line up of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League and club competitions, bringing even more live football to our TNT Sports customers.

“The Emirates FA Cup and the incredible stories it creates every season goes well beyond football, making TNT Sports the perfect home as we continue to tell the stories that matter most to the fans.

“We have a huge amount of respect for the place that this world-famous competition has in the hearts of football fans and that’s why continuing to ensure we maintain a level of free-to-air coverage is important for us and The FA.”

Twitter users reacted with the FA forced to clarify details of TNT Sports’ new broadcast deal for the FA Cup after receiving backlash…

@league1and2: £££

@FulhamTransfer: Interest in the FA cup was waning anyway. This will be the final nail. ⚰️

@Matt_MFC_Dawson: Ahhh yes, I’m looking forward to watching Crystal Palace vs Brentford as an FA Cup tie when there’ll be a game like Kidderminster Harriers v West Brom you’ll completely look over

@rik_may: Disgusting remember when you said football without fans is nothing didn’t last long hey joke

@SouthBankMatt: Selling your soul.

@Davysom71: The FA Cup has a new lease of life the last couple of seasons being in ITV & BBC, you’ve just killed it

@LD1878: Are people fucking blind it literally says free to air from the first round to the final

@ChorizoPete: Oops! What a terrible decision. Totally out of touch with fans. Contrary to what many would say, my observation is that there is still a huge amount of love for the FA Cup, among many many fans. It’s just that most of them don’t support Premier League clubs.

@adamf_99: These corporate wankers trying to tell us how they’re only doing what’s best for the FA Cup. No, you’ve sold it down the river. Go Fuck yourselves. But you’ll still advertise it as an old man taking his grandson to the football, what normal pensioner can afford it anymore? Shame.

@CFCKaz6_: It’s free to air and everybody’s still moaning 🤣

@BurneyMcr1: Actually enjoyed BBC and ITV sharing the coverage in recent years. It felt the right thing.

@bennymufc: The FA single handily destroying the oldest most famous knockout competition in the name of greed. Now watch this also screw match going fans even more with shocking kick off times. For the greed not the love. The FA ladies & gentleman

@jstokes44: Created by the poor, stolen by the rich. Spineless decision from the FA.

@21stringer: Honestly the @FA doesn’t deserve to run The FA Cup. Utter contempt for the competition, the clubs and the fans. Once again @FA have abandoned the traditions that bind the football community and chased the money. Embarrassing.

@neilhay3s: Totally sorry for this being on my mind, but who the fuck thought this was a good deal. The FA cup is the most important competition in the UK. It needs preserving for all clubs at every level that benefits, it keeps clubs going for years, it doesn’t need putting out to pasture

@_liamcash1: Every week there’s a new idea to ruin football even more

@JwilliamC89: Does anyone else remember FA Cup final day on BBC with coverage on all day ❤️ What a terrible day for English football 💔

@rookie7: Well this just isn’t true is it ‘ensure that the world’s longest-running national knockout football competition continues to be as broadly available as possible across the UK.’ Keeping it on the BBC and/or ITV would have meant the cup was more broadly available

@jamiekay1613: Let’s hope the free to air games are lower league teams and not the mid table premier league gash we have been getting from bbc and ITV