New four-year deal means only a selection of FA Cup games will be available on a free-to-air or free-to-stream basis from next year.
- FA and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) sign deal that also includes the FA Community Shield and the FA Youth Cup semi-finals and final.
- TNT Sports will show the games on its pay TV channels, but a selection will be broadcast free-to-air.
- Only the FA Cup Final needs to be more widely available, with broadcasting rules stipulating it must appear on one of the main channels.
Thursday afternoon brought a shock announcement for football fans, with TNT Sports becoming the new home of the FA Cup. Under the terms of the deal, more games will be available than ever before.
WBD’s TNT Sports channels will showcase games from the first round, followed by coverage of the third round through to the finals. 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. This arrangement will run until May 2029.
Streamers will be able to follow the action through Discovery+ or any eventual successor platform. WBD is expected to roll-out its all-in-one streaming service Max in the UK, once a content deal with Sky expires.
Free-to-air coverage
According to the FA, selected matches will be ‘free-to-air’ or free-to-stream.
The FA has said further details about the free-to-air broadcaster will be “confirmed in due course”.
Free-to-air highlights will also be made available.
The deal with TNT Sports ends the relatively brief revival of an arrangement that saw both BBC and ITV screen FA Cup matches. That was the norm in the pre-multichannel era which saw the FA Cup Final reach substantial audiences in the 1970s and 80s.
The current BBC/ITV deal will end with the 2024-25 FA Cup Final, scheduled for May 2025.
Final must still be shown on a main channel, free-to-air
Broadcasting rules only stipulate the FA Cup Final must be shown free-to-air.
The event is officially listed as a ‘Group A’ sporting fixture that must be broadcast on one of a restricted number of TV channels (full list below).
There is no legal obligation to make other games available for free. However, the FA will continue to do so, although there will be fears that the most interesting fixtures will be withheld from free-to-air coverage.
FA comment
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.”
▶ Channels that are allowed to carry listed sports events in the UK
Source: Ofcom
- BBC One
- BBC Two
- BBC Three
- BBC Four
- BBC News
- BBC Parliament
- CBBC
- CBeebies
- Channel 3 network (broadcast as ITV, STV, UTV)
- ITV2
- ITV3
- ITV4
- Channel 4
- Film 4
- More 4
- Channel 5
Marc Thornham