The BBC has struck a deal to show FA Cup matches free-to-air for four years from the 2025-26 season.
The Football Association (FA) has announced that BBC Sport will show 14 games per season in a “co-exclusive” agreement with TNT Sports.
The broadcaster will screen two live matches from each round up to the quarter-finals before showing one semi-final and then the final.
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The deal, which means ITV will no longer broadcast the competition from the 2025-26 season, will also allow the BBC to have highlights and digital clips across its platforms.
“We are delighted that the BBC will continue as one of our Emirates FA Cup broadcast partners, under this new deal with TNT Sports,” FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, said.
“It was always our intention to ensure that this very special competition would be accessible for everyone, and this new broadcast partnership will enable fans to see more of its matches live than ever before from the start of the 2025-26 season, across both TNT Sports and free-to-air on the BBC.
“The BBC has told many of the magical and memorable stories that only the Emirates FA Cup can create, and we look forward to making even more history together in the years ahead.”
Interim director of BBC Sport, Philip Bernie, added: “The BBC has a proud history of bringing fans across the nation together for all the magic and drama of the FA Cup.
“This partnership for the next four years is brilliant news and, alongside our recent Premier League extension and UEFA Champions League highlights coming this year, means that BBC Sport will deliver fans top class analysis, commentary and coverage of the biggest football competitions free to air and accessible for all.”
TNT Sports agreed a new deal to broadcast FA Cup matches in the UK back in February, with the four-year agreement understood to be worth more than £260million — an increase of about 15 per cent on the current deal.
The current domestic TV deal for the FA Cup is shared between public service broadcasters the BBC and ITV, who will continue to televise matches in the competition for the remainder of this season and the 2024-25 campaign
Formerly known as BT Sport, TNT Sports is a 50/50 joint venture between BT Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. The group of pay TV channels was rebranded as TNT Sports last summer. Discovery’s Eurosport channels will be folded into the brand by 2026.
The FA confirmed in April that replays from the first round proper will be scrapped from the 2024-25 season as part of a six-year agreement to restructure the competition.
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FA Cup replays - transformative, memorable, and a thing of the past from next season
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