BBC presenter, the former England captain, Gary Lineker
The BBC and BT Sport will each continue to have a hand on The FA Cup – the two have reached agreement to extend their shared covered of the competition through to 2023.
The freemium channel BT Sport will add matches in the Ultra HD format.
Delia Bushell, managing director of BT TV and BT Sport, says: “The FA Cup is a fantastic competition which is loved the world over, and we are delighted to be extending our partnership with the FA. We will continue to support the FA with more live matches and ground-breaking Ultra HD and digital coverage. BT Sport audiences are up nearly 50 per cent this season, which demonstrates how popular our coverage has become with sports fans.”
A joint statement issued by the Football Association, BT and the BBC emphasises both broadcaster’s support for women’s football.
BT will remain the exclusively live broadcaster of The FA Women’s Super League and, from 2018, will show both Women’s FA Cup semi-finals exclusively live, the Women’s FA Cup Final and England Senior Women’s home friendlies.
The BBC will offer live coverage of international qualifiers, the Women’s FA Cup final, plus one England Women’s friendly match per season alongside additional live matches and The FA Women’s Super League highlights.
On the BBC, Gary Lineker, whose former club Leicester City are surprise Premier League leaders, will continue to anchor the coverage. Lineker also has an association with BT Sport as its Champions League presenter.
