FA Television Rights 2014-

loyalsinceloyalsince Posts: 6,006
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I appreciate that there are numerous FA Cup TV threads, but all refer to match selection for this season.

I thought I would set up a thread for what will happen post 2014 when all rights are up.

-How will FA structure them?
- Who will bid?
-How much are the rights worth

Provisionally in 2013-14:
ITV

All home internationals and away friendlies
FA Cup- 1st picks per round and first pick replay
FA Cup- 4th pick in R3+4, 3rd pick in R5+6 (QF)
FA Community Shield + FA Youth Cup + FA Womens Cup Final

ESPN

England U21 Homes Matches
FA Cup Final (shared) and 2nd pick per round and 2nd pick replay
3rd pick in R1 and R2 (and 1st pick replay)
3rd and 5th pick in R3 and R4
4th and 5th pick in R5 and R6 (Q-F)
Womens Super League

I'd imagine that the FA will tender at the end of the season.

Good opportunity for the likely secondary rights holder (BT or Sky) to agree to take over ESPN's final season if they pull out.
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Comments

  • Zac QuinnZac Quinn Posts: 5,172
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    Obviously the first thing to mention is that the contract will almost certainly exclude England matches.
  • BenFranklinBenFranklin Posts: 5,814
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    Qualifiers are no longer part of the FA deal which will impact on their value.
  • loyalsinceloyalsince Posts: 6,006
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    Zac Quinn wrote: »
    Obviously the first thing to mention is that the contract will almost certainly exclude England matches.

    Yes, likely that qualifiers will be centrally sold.

    Will FA retain friendly and away friendly rights?

    If so its tricky for the FA as ITV/BBC won't want a lot of 'filler content,' i.e. 4th and 5th picks, but to maximise value FA would probably want to mix 1st and 4th picks etc
  • Zac QuinnZac Quinn Posts: 5,172
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    loyalsince wrote: »
    Yes, likely that qualifiers will be centrally sold.

    Will FA retain friendly and away friendly rights?

    I can't see any of the broadcasters wanting just the friendlies.

    More likely as I see it is that the FA buy the qualifiers from the 'central' seller to sell on as a package of their own, but on the promise that the package doesn't include anything other than England matches.
  • Mark.Mark. Posts: 84,804
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    Zac Quinn wrote: »
    I can't see any of the broadcasters wanting just the friendlies.

    More likely as I see it is that the FA buy the qualifiers from the 'central' seller to sell on as a package of their own, but on the promise that the package doesn't include anything other than England matches.
    That won't happen. The rights are being sold like the Champions League, on a pick basis - so (e.g.) ITV can't buy England's qualifiers, but they can buy the 1st pick which will essentially be the same.

    The point being that it won't be possible for The FA to buy England's rights. Indeed, they've been given a fair chunk of money for them to be sold centrally.
  • blueisthecolourblueisthecolour Posts: 20,123
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    Mark. wrote: »
    That won't happen. The rights are being sold like the Champions League, on a pick basis - so (e.g.) ITV can't buy England's qualifiers, but they can buy the 1st pick which will essentially be the same.

    The point being that it won't be possible for The FA to buy England's rights. Indeed, they've been given a fair chunk of money for them to be sold centrally.

    If it means that all of the home nations' games, home and away, are definitely televised i'm sure that will make a lot of people happy.
  • mlt11mlt11 Posts: 21,065
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    The FA will obviously prefer that England games and FA Cup 1st picks remain FTA.

    ITV extended its FA contract (ie England games + FA Cup) for 2012/14 for approx £45m per year - an approx £25m per year saving on what it paid for 2008/12.

    This was a fantastic deal for ITV - and it was made possible because there was no other serious bidder. BBC, C4 and C5 didn't have the funding to bid and Sky weren't really interested as they have more than enough football already.

    But it could be different for 2014 /18:

    BT could launch an aggressive bid to give it more top quality content - we know BT bid for all 7 PL packages so wanted more than the two PL packages it got.

    Sky could bid seriously this time for two reasons:
    i) to stop BT getting it
    ii) to provide a hedge in case it loses substantial PL content post 2016 - ie Sky doesn't need this extra FA content for 2014/16 (for same reason it didn't need it for 2012/14) but it could be very valuable to Sky for 2016/18.

    So the FA may well have a big decision to make. If BT or Sky substantially outbids ITV for the England games or FA Cup 1st picks (or both) does it stick with ITV or take the extra money from BT / Sky?

    NB. Exactly the same situation could arise with the UEFA central selling of EC / WC qualifiers. Though in this case I suspect UEFA would be more likely to just take the highest bid as they are less likely to be concerned about maintaining FTA availability than the FA.
  • Gray77Gray77 Posts: 1,317
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    I think England games and the best FA Cup games need to stay FTA. There are enough other apples on the tree for the likes of Sky and BT to pick (Premier League, European Leagues, Copa America, Europa League, etc), and the three preserves of FTA football should be the national team, Match of the Day, and our oldest domestic Cup tournament.

    I think the FA Cup needs FTA coverage. It had been diluted over the years and national FTA games have helped it regain a little of its image, today being a great example.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,954
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    Gray77 wrote: »
    I think England games and the best FA Cup games need to stay FTA. There are enough other apples on the tree for the likes of Sky and BT to pick (Premier League, European Leagues, Copa America, Europa League, etc), and the three preserves of FTA football should be the national team, Match of the Day, and our oldest domestic Cup tournament.

    I think the FA Cup needs FTA coverage. It had been diluted over the years and national FTA games have helped it regain a little of its image, today being a great example.

    Agree 100%
  • wolvesdavidwolvesdavid Posts: 10,856
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    Anyone think there is a chance of the BBC getting the FA Cup rights?

    I would have thought with no Premier League rights that ESPN will not be showing the FA Cup from the 2014-2015 season.
  • Glenn AGlenn A Posts: 23,794
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    Anyone think there is a chance of the BBC getting the FA Cup rights?

    I would have thought with no Premier League rights that ESPN will not be showing the FA Cup from the 2014-2015 season.

    I think the BBC will put in a serious bid. ITV don't seem that keen on the FA Cup and would sooner do without having to cover a lower league match for two weekends, where interest is minimal.
  • The WandererThe Wanderer Posts: 5,238
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    Didn't the BBC bid for PL live games? I think they could well put in a bid, not sure they'd get them though over ITV at this moment in time

    I would think the FA and UEFA would want some live FTA coverage
  • Andy23Andy23 Posts: 15,921
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    Glenn A wrote: »
    I think the BBC will put in a serious bid. ITV don't seem that keen on the FA Cup and would sooner do without having to cover a lower league match for two weekends, where interest is minimal.

    In what way do ITV not seem keen on the FA Cup? The coverage is just as extensive as if the BBC were showing it.

    I'm sure ITV don't mind showing the 1st & 2nd round if the choice is between that and showing nothing at all :rolleyes:
  • sn_22sn_22 Posts: 6,460
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    mlt11 wrote: »
    So the FA may well have a big decision to make. If BT or Sky substantially outbids ITV for the England games or FA Cup 1st picks (or both) does it stick with ITV or take the extra money from BT / Sky?

    NB. Exactly the same situation could arise with the UEFA central selling of EC / WC qualifiers. Though in this case I suspect UEFA would be more likely to just take the highest bid as they are less likely to be concerned about maintaining FTA availability than the FA.

    It's going to be fascinating how these two bidding processes influence each other. Both in terms of how bidders prioritise their cash, and how one organisations decision re. FTA could effect the other.

    England games are presumably the priority for ITV - but if UEFA insist on selling Home & Away qualifiers together with the pick system, then it's going to cost them some serious money. That's not going to help the FA if their main FTA player has exhausted most of it's resources on other matches. Could force them into selling more to Sky or BT than they'd like - perhaps with the BBC sweeping up some knock-down price FTA pieces.

    Mind you, the other outcome could be worse in terms of political pressure being placed on the FA. If UEFA sell all England qualifiers to Pay TV, after a huge BT/Sky war, it would create one hell of a storm. F1-style, but way, way worse... and it'd probably be the FA taking the stick for opting to sell centrally in the first place. I'm sure the FA would sell their packages FTA in that event, but it's going to be seen as chicken-feed in the grand scheme of things.

    Do we have any idea which set of games are likely to be sold first? Could prove very relevant.
  • eljmayeseljmayes Posts: 1,096
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    I suspect that the FA would like to see the status quo remain fiscally/PR wise which would likely mean that ITV retain the FTA rights to the FA Cup, Internationals and the Community Shield. As for the secondary partner I'd imagine that BT would want slightly better FA Cup picks and everything that is currently is on ESPN. I don't see the BBC or Sky going after the FA Cup for financial reasons.

    Is there any way that England's away games could be behind the pay wall or are the new guidelines just for a first pick for a match day?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 52
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    sn_22 wrote: »
    It's going to be fascinating how these two bidding processes influence each other. Both in terms of how bidders prioritise their cash, and how one organisations decision re. FTA could effect the other.

    England games are presumably the priority for ITV - but if UEFA insist on selling Home & Away qualifiers together with the pick system, then it's going to cost them some serious money. That's not going to help the FA if their main FTA player has exhausted most of it's resources on other matches. Could force them into selling more to Sky or BT than they'd like - perhaps with the BBC sweeping up some knock-down price FTA pieces.

    Mind you, the other outcome could be worse in terms of political pressure being placed on the FA. If UEFA sell all England qualifiers to Pay TV, after a huge BT/Sky war, it would create one hell of a storm. F1-style, but way, way worse... and it'd probably be the FA taking the stick for opting to sell centrally in the first place. I'm sure the FA would sell their packages FTA in that event, but it's going to be seen as chicken-feed in the grand scheme of things.

    Do we have any idea which set of games are likely to be sold first? Could prove very relevant.

    I often wonder do the FA ever regret letting ITV and Setanta steal the rights from the BBC and Sky? It's never really felt as prestigious since that deal was struck. I would personally like to see a return to the BBC for FA Cup action, however, given that they felt hard done by when they last lost coverage and also given their financial contraints, I doubt we will see the FA Cup on the BBC for a while yet.
  • Mark.Mark. Posts: 84,804
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    OswaldBar wrote: »
    I often wonder do the FA ever regret letting ITV and Setanta steal the rights from the BBC and Sky?
    Is this a new definition of stealing where money changes hands?
  • BenFranklinBenFranklin Posts: 5,814
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    Would ITV want to keep the rights under any circumstances? Say they didn't get England qualifiers, and then BT/Sky came in with a bid which gave them exclusive live coverage of most of the FA Cup (leaving ITV with say one live game per round - not first pick either), would ITV walk away from that?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 52
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    Mark. wrote: »
    Is this a new definition of stealing where money changes hands?

    Ok perhaps not worded correctly, what I meant was, when ITV and Setanta outbid the BBC and Sky originally in 2007. ITV had various technical difficulties with Ad Breaks and power losses coupled with Setanta going under. I wonder if the FA ever thought...."Why didnt we leave things as they were!!"
  • arunan22arunan22 Posts: 1,450
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    Not saying this will happen but this is what I'd LIKE to see happen


    FA Cup - split between BBC (first pick etc) and Sky

    I think Sky would value the opportunity of having a top club team on every weekend, plus it gives them the opportunity to own all Eng domestic football (PL, FA Cup and League cup). I also think Sky Sports do a lot to raise the profile of games (vs ESPN) through things like SSN etc (if you watch SSN half the time - you'd think the FA Cup doesn't exist!)

    The BBC would also want some live football back on - and whilst I'm sure they would prefer England games - am I right in thinking these would be far more expensive than FA Cup games?

    England games (and other UEFA int rights) - ITV and BT

    I think BT seem keen to get their hands on as much football content as possible. ITV will want (and will get England games) and think BT will get the rest of the games (Scot, Ireland, Wales etc) as well as big Euro nations (Spain, France, Holland etc) to possibly put on their on-demand/IPTV platform? Think this would work well for them.
  • bluesdiamondbluesdiamond Posts: 11,360
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    loyalsince wrote: »
    I appreciate that there are numerous FA Cup TV threads, but all refer to match selection for this season.

    I thought I would set up a thread for what will happen post 2014 when all rights are up.

    -How will FA structure them?
    - Who will bid?
    -How much are the rights worth

    Provisionally in 2013-14:
    ITV

    All home internationals and away friendlies
    FA Cup- 1st picks per round and first pick replay
    FA Cup- 4th pick in R3+4, 3rd pick in R5+6 (QF)
    FA Community Shield + FA Youth Cup + FA Womens Cup Final

    has that been announced?
    Last I saw this was on Sky, but the contract finished last season.
  • Mark.Mark. Posts: 84,804
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    arunan22 wrote: »
    England games (and other UEFA int rights) - ITV and BT

    I think BT seem keen to get their hands on as much football content as possible. ITV will want (and will get England games) and think BT will get the rest of the games (Scot, Ireland, Wales etc) as well as big Euro nations (Spain, France, Holland etc) to possibly put on their on-demand/IPTV platform? Think this would work well for them.
    There's no rights on offer for "England games". The rights will be based on picks.

    Would ITV really be so narrow-minded as to (for instance) show already qualified England v San Marino over a game such as Scotland v Italy which has qualification riding on it?
  • bluesdiamondbluesdiamond Posts: 11,360
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    If it means that all of the home nations' games, home and away, are definitely televised i'm sure that will make a lot of people happy.

    Except if they are live on BT Sports Channel and Sky Sports fans moan if their are no FTA highlights, :D
  • stevvy1986stevvy1986 Posts: 7,060
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    Mark. wrote: »
    There's no rights on offer for "England games". The rights will be based on picks.

    Would ITV really be so narrow-minded as to (for instance) show already qualified England v San Marino over a game such as Scotland v Italy which has qualification riding on it?

    More than likely yes. They know already qualified England v San Marino would get more viewers than Scotland v Italy where the winner qualifies.
  • mlt11mlt11 Posts: 21,065
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    sn_22 wrote: »
    It's going to be fascinating how these two bidding processes influence each other. Both in terms of how bidders prioritise their cash, and how one organisations decision re. FTA could effect the other.

    England games are presumably the priority for ITV - but if UEFA insist on selling Home & Away qualifiers together with the pick system, then it's going to cost them some serious money. That's not going to help the FA if their main FTA player has exhausted most of it's resources on other matches. Could force them into selling more to Sky or BT than they'd like - perhaps with the BBC sweeping up some knock-down price FTA pieces.

    Mind you, the other outcome could be worse in terms of political pressure being placed on the FA. If UEFA sell all England qualifiers to Pay TV, after a huge BT/Sky war, it would create one hell of a storm. F1-style, but way, way worse... and it'd probably be the FA taking the stick for opting to sell centrally in the first place. I'm sure the FA would sell their packages FTA in that event, but it's going to be seen as chicken-feed in the grand scheme of things.

    Do we have any idea which set of games are likely to be sold first? Could prove very relevant.

    Yes, very good post - very interesting thoughts.

    I'm sure the FA and UEFA would prefer England games to be FTA. But I would caution as to just how strongly they would feel on the matter and also as to how big a storm there would be if they aren't (or at least some of them aren't).

    It's worth remembering:

    - England away qualifers have not been live FTA for most of the last decade. I can't be bothered to double check precise dates but from memory they were on Sky for 2 years, then Setanta for 2 years and then back on Sky for another 2 years before only switching to ITV this season (and that's only because Sky is sub-licensing them).

    - The FA sold the live rights to England home friendlies to Setanta for 2008/12. They only then got picked up by ITV when Setanta went bust.

    So within very recent history large numbers of England games have not been live FTA and the FA has been willing to sell a large number of friendlies to live Pay TV.

    I certainly agree that there would be a big difference between 50% of England games (ie away qualifiers + home friendlies) only being live on Pay and all England games only being live on Pay.

    But I certainly would not rule out the chances of a significant number of England games going Pay again IF BT/Sky bid high.
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