Despite being billed as iPlayer-only, FA Cup fixtures involving Everton, Leeds United and Newcastle United are still available on regular broadcast TV.
- The BBC is promoting some FA Cup games as streaming only
- However, all FA Cup games are available on regular TV platforms, including Freeview, Sky and Freesat.
Football fans can tune into the BBC Red Button channel on Freeview, Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media for full coverage of all FA Cup games not on the main channels.
But the BBC isn’t actively promoting the option to viewers who currently struggle to access broadband streams. TV listings magazines and other publicity refer to iPlayer only coverage.
The BBC Red Button currently splits into two types of service. On newer devices connected to the internet, pressing red will take you to the iPlayer stream of the games. For older and non-connected devices, the BBC Red Button broadcast channel has full coverage.
Watch the following games on BBC Red Button
- Everton v Peterborough United (Thursday 9th January 19:45)
- Leeds United v Harrogate Town (Saturday 11th January 17:45)
- Newcastle United v Bromley (Sunday 12th January 15:00)
How to watch BBC Red Button
If you or your friends or relatives have an older device, or don’t have a suitable internet connection, you can access the traditional broadcast version of BBC Red Button (known as BBC RB1) directly from the channel list on the following platforms:
- Freeview channel 601
- Sky satellite & Freesat channel 970
- Virgin Media cable channel 991
Viewers in the Republic of Ireland will need to manually tune Sky to access BBC RB1.
If you’re watching TV via a streaming platform like Sky Stream or Freely, you’ll be directed to the iPlayer stream when pressing red on BBC channels. You won’t find BBC RB 1 listed on these platforms.
Why isn’t the broadcast option promoted?
Of all the BBC’s TV services, the BBC Red Button is a likely candidate to be the first to go online-only aka streaming only. We won’t call it digital-only, as some outlets do, because platforms like Freeview are digital, albeit first generation digital TV services.
As viewers upgrade devices and connect them to the internet, the BBC Red Button seamlessly switches to an internet feed delivered through the iPlayer. Therefore, if the broadcast version of BBC Red Button closed tomorrow, not everyone would notice.
However, research has indicated that older adults as well as vulnerable and disabled adults, plus those from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to remain reliant on traditional broadcast TV platforms. Research commissioned by Ofcom indicates a quarter of traditional TV viewing will still take place via traditional TV platforms in 2035. As a result, some more vulnerable audiences may miss out on watching their favourite team due to lack of promotion.
Therefore, if you know of a friend or relative who doesn’t use the internet and who might be interested in watching any of the above games on traditional TV, pass it on.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: BBC