Sports On Telly

News and updates on UK sports rights broadcasting deals and fixture scheduling.

FIFA World Cup 2018 – ITV and BBC reveal match splits

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Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

Following the FIFA World Cup 2018 draw on Friday, BBC and ITV have confirmed which broadcaster will show which matches of next summer’s much anticipated event in Russia.

The BBC will show England’s opening two games, which will see them face Tunisia (Monday 18 June, 7pm) and Panama (Sunday 24 June, 1pm). The BBC will also have the first two choices of quarter final games, including England’s match if they progress. Both BBC and ITV will show the final.

ITV will show the last England group game against Belgium and will have first pick in the round of 16.

In the Group games, the BBC will also show the hotly anticipated clash between Spain and Ronaldo’s Portugal – the European Champions, two peak time matches with Lionel Messi’s Argentina and two of the games with World Champions Germany.

Philip Bernie, BBC Head of TV Sport, says: “We’re delighted with our selection of matches, which sees the BBC bring England’s first two games of the competition live to our audiences – as well as their potential quarter final.

“We are also very pleased to be showcasing the skills of the world’s best players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in five of their Group matches.

“The BBC is proud to be offering such an enticing array of games on football’s biggest stage, as we look to deliver to audiences unprecedented, extensive access to World Cup content across TV, radio, online and social media.”

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, says: “The build up to the World Cup has now begun and we’re looking forward to bringing viewers entertaining and comprehensive coverage on ITV, ITV4 and the ITV Hub, as well as on social media.

“Once again, the World Cup starts on ITV with the host country’s opening game on 14 June and we have live coverage of some of most outstanding matches drawn from the group stages with England v Belgium as well as all three of tournament joint favourites Brazil’s games.

“ITV will have the first two picks of the first knock-out phase and the first pick of the semi-finals.

“ITV’s on and off screen team will be busy during the next six months preparing to bring our viewers all the best action and insight and all the stories that will shape the World Cup in Russia.”

World Cup 2018 – Group stage game split

Date Match Kick Off (BST) Location Broadcaster
14th June Russia v Saudi Arabia 16:00 Moscow – Luzniki Stadium ITV
15th June Egypt v Uruguay 13:00 Ekaterinbrug Arena BBC
15th June Morocco v Iran 16:00 St Petersburg – SP Stadium ITV
15th June Portugal v Spain 19:00 Sochi – Fisht Stadium BBC
16th June France v Australia 11:00 Kazan – Kazan Arena BBC
16th June Argentina v Iceland 14:00 Moscow – Spartak Stadium ITV
16th June Peru v Denmark 17:00 Saransk – Mordovia Stadium BBC
16th June Croatia v Nigeria 20:00 Kalingrad – Kalingrad Stadium ITV
17th June Costa Rica v Serbia 13:00 Samara – Samara Arena ITV
17th June Germany v Mexico 16:00 Moscow – Luzniki Stadium BBC
17th June Brazil v Switzerland 19:00 Rostov – Rosov Arena ITV
18th June Sweden v South Korea 13:00 Nizhny Novgorod – NN Stadium ITV
18th June Belgium v Panama 16:00 Sochi – Fisht Stadium BBC
18th June Tunisia v England 19:00 Volgograd – Volgograd Arena BBC
19th June Colombia v Japan 13:00 Saransk – Mordovia Stadium BBC
19th June Poland v Senegal 16:00 Moscow – Spartak Stadium ITV
19th June Russia v Egypt 19:00 Saint Petersburg – SP Stadium BBC
20th June Portugal v Morocco 13:00 Moscow – Luzniki Stadium BBC
20th June Uruguay v Saudi Arabia 16:00 Rostov – Rosov Arena BBC
20th June Iran v Spain 19:00 Kazan – Kazan Arena ITV
21st June Denmark v Australia 13:00 Samara – Samara Arena ITV
21st June France v Peru 16:00 Ekaterinbrug Arena ITV
21st June Argentina v Croatia 19:00 Nizhny Novgorod – NN Stadium BBC
22nd June Brazil v Costa Rica 13:00 Saint Petersburg – SP Stadium ITV
22nd June Nigeria v Iceland 16:00 Volgograd – Volgograd Arena BBC
22nd June Serbia v Switzerland 19:00 Kalingrad – Kalingrad Stadium BBC
23rd June Belgium v Tunisia 13:00 Moscow – Spartak Stadium BBC
23rd June South Korea v Mexico 16:00 Rostov – Rosov Arena ITV
23rd June Germany v Sweden 19:00 Sochi – Fisht Stadium ITV
24th June England v Panama 13:00 Nizhny Novgorod – NN Stadium BBC
24th June Japan v Senegal 16:00 Ekaterinbrug Arena BBC
24th June Poland v Colombia 19:00 Kazan – Kazan Arena ITV
25th June Uruguay v Russia 15:00 Samara – Samara Arena ITV
25th June Saudi Arabia v Egypt 15:00 Volgograd – Volgograd Arena ITV
25th June Spain v Morocco 19:00 Kalingrad – Kalingrad Stadium BBC
25th June Iran v Portugal 19:00 Saransk – Mordovia Stadium BBC
26th June Denmark v France 15:00 Moscow – Luzniki Stadium ITV
26th June Australia v Peru 15:00 Sochi – Fisht Stadium ITV
26th June Iceland v Croatia 19:00 Rostov – Rosov Arena BBC
26th June Argentina v Nigeria 19:00 Saint Petersburg – SP Stadium BBC
27th June South Korea v Germany 15:00 Kazan – Kazan Arena BBC
27th June Mexico v Sweden 15:00 Ekaterinbrug Arena BBC
27th June Serbia v Brazil 19:00 Moscow – Spartak Stadium ITV
27th June Switzerland v Costa Rica 19:00 Nizhny Novgorod – NN Stadium ITV
28th June Senegal v Colombia 15:00 Samara – Samara Arena BBC
28th June Japan v Poland 15:00 Volgograd – Volgograd Arena BBC
28th June England v Belgium 19:00 Kalingrad – Kalingrad Stadium ITV

Amazon to screen Manchester City behind the scenes series

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 14: Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal with Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Stoke City at Etihad Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)

A new series taking sports fans behind the scenes of Manchester City is coming to Amazon Prime Video next year.

The series will follow the team through the 2017/18 season and promises fans a glimpse into the historic Club, coach Pep Guardiola and the week-on-week stories that unfold within the lives of the players currently sitting top of the English Premier League table.

“This new Amazon Prime Original series will give Prime members extraordinary insight into Manchester City, the top English Premier League Football team and one of the most exciting and respected teams globally,” said Heather Schuster, Head of Unscripted, Amazon Originals.

“The story behind the coaches and players is fascinating and we are very excited to work with the Manchester City team to deliver an exclusive all access experience to our Prime members.”

Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City, said: “We are delighted to begin this strategic relationship with Amazon, one of the world’s leading companies.

“Amazon Prime Video is the perfect home for a ground-breaking project that will offer a unique and authentic inside view into Manchester City’s season like never before.

“This is an extremely exciting time for Manchester City and through Amazon’s world-class service, we will be able to share it with football fans all over the world.”

Amazon Prime Video can be accessed on selected Smart TVs, via smartphone and tablet apps and via Amazon’s Fire TV stick and Fire TV and is free to Amazon Prime customers. 

The service is also available with a stand-alone subscription.

BBC sets out plans to show an additional 1,000 extra hours of live sport every year

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BBC Director General Tony Hall says the broadcaster plans to boost its sports coverage. Image: BBC/Guy Levy
The BBC has announced it’s “working closely” with sport authorities including the FA, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the International Tennis Federation, British Swimming and British Basketball, with the aim of boosting its sports coverage.

Audiences will be able to watch more matches from the early rounds of the FA Cup, Rugby League Challenge Cup, Women’s Super League Football, the British Basketball League, Wheelchair Tennis and many more.

This expanded online offer complements the BBC’s extensive TV and radio portfolio, which includes the Olympic Games to 2024, the Wimbledon Championships to 2024, the Football World Cup to 2022, Euro 2020 plus the 6 Nations and FA Cup to 2021.

Upto 1,000 extra hours of live sport could be available for audiences to watch online every year through BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer, with fans able to personalise the service to make sure they can watch all the live sport they love, whenever it’s on the BBC, across computers, mobiles, tablets and connected TVs.

Tony Hall, BBC Director-General, said: “This shows how we’re reinventing the BBC for a new generation.

“We’re giving people more of what they love by working in partnership with the sports industry and making the most of digital technology.”

The extra coverage has been made possible by low-cost streaming technology developed by the BBC. Since London 2012, the BBC has evolved how it streams live events – from Olympic Games and World Cups, to Glastonbury and national elections.

“The technology can now be used to cover hundreds more hours of live coverage, and a wider range of events, every single day.

Barbara Slater, Head of BBC Sport, said: “We’ve seen the nation get behind by a whole host of sports in recent years, especially at major events.

“We want to use BBC Sport’s live streaming service to showcase more of those moments that inspire people to take part. Put simply, it’s a huge expansion in the availability of free-to-air sport in the UK.”

BT Sport Score to stream each week on Twitter

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Football results show BT Sport Score is coming to Twitter, allowing all UK users of the social media platform to stay up to date with the football action.

A deal between the two firms will see the show live streamed on the platform via @btsportscore, significantly boosting its reach and allowing “millions” of potential subscribers a free taste of BT’s sport offering.

With coverage typically starting on Saturdays at 2.30pm, the show is presented by Mark Pougatch, plus Jules Breach, and features a host of BT Sport pundits including former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, former Wales international Robbie Savage and former England international Rachel Brown-Finnis.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be showing BT Sport Score live on Twitter.

“This provides Twitter users a great chance to sample our strong programming, who will be able to watch football news and scores as they come in, whether they are at home or on the move.

 

“Innovation is at the heart of BT and we look forward to working with Twitter.”

Theo Luke, Director of EMEA Sports Partnerships, Twitter, said: “BT Sport’s innovative approach continues to transform the experience for fans on Twitter, a place where football conversation is happening live in real time every day.

“We’re extremely excited to collaborate with them to ensure fans on Twitter don’t miss a moment of the Saturday afternoon action.”

BT Sport Score continue be broadcast on BT Sport channels each week.

UKTV partners with David Haye to bring boxing fans five subscription-free fight nights each year

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Image: Hayemaker Boxing / UKTV

Boxing fans are being promised five subscription-free fight nights each year after UKTV signed a deal with Hayemaker Boxing, David Haye’s promotions company and and world renowned promoter Richard Schaefer.

News of the exclusive three year deal was announced alongside the signing of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Qais Ashfaq, Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce and Michael Page, a 10-time World Kickboxing Champion, to Hayemaker.

The fights will be screened on UKTV’s subscription-free channel Dave which is available to Freeview and Freesat homes. A High Definition version of the channel is available on pay-TV platforms.

In January 2016 Dave broadcast Haye’s highly anticipated comeback fight, an event which broke network records by attracting an peak audience of over three million viewers.

Confirming the broadcast deal, Haye said: “I’ve personally enjoyed huge success with UKTV, smashing viewer records on previous live broadcasts.

“As a result, I am thrilled to announce a long-term partnership to introduce the next generation of boxing stars to their audience.

“An incredible 40 million people tune into UKTV’s programme offering every month which without question provides the Hayemaker Ringstar stable with an incredibly strong platform for a rapidly growing fan base.”

Richard Watsham, UKTV director of commissioning added: “David Haye’s excitement for his brilliant new line up of emerging stars is infectious.

“He’s signed some thrilling prospects and I know Dave’s audience will get behind them and support them as they build up towards leading their divisions.

“I frequently hear fans call for a bit of a shake up in the world of boxing; we’re proud to be part of that and to give so many people the chance to watch.”

Schaefer commented: “We’re delighted to be working alongside UKTV, taking the sport back to the masses where it belongs.

“I enjoy building prospects and champions into superstars that transcend the sport of boxing and become global household names, just like I have done with Floyd Mayweather, Canelo and many more.”

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