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GRADE TV COUP SPELLS DOOM FOR BEEB

Michael Grade has outbid both Sky and the BBC

Friday March 30,2007

By Harry Harris

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MICHAEL GRADE last night pulled off the ITV ‘Snatch of the Day’ he had threatened as he spectacularly won the rights for England games and FA Cup ties for the network in a crushing defeat for Sky and the BBC.

Grade, the newly-installed executive chairman of ITV, has outbid the combined muscle of their rivals in a joint bid with TV new boys Setanta worth £435million.

The record-breaking deal will be announced in the next 24 hours, confirming the Daily Express exclusives on the new deal and coup over the past week.

The next round of rights take in the period from summer next year, after the Euro 2008 finals, until 2012. It means the FA have more than matched their target of £400m despite the England team’s woeful form.

It is desperate news for the BBC and their Match of the Day team who will lose their flagship live coverage of both England and FA Cup ties.

It leaves presenter Gary Lineker and Co with only recorded Premiership highlights.

It marks the return of ITV as one of the leading players in the screening of major football events, and also elevates Irish-owned channel Setanta into the big league. Their link with ITV tipped the balance in terms of the amount Grade was able to slap down on the table to persuade the FA to move away from their traditional BBC home.

There will, after next season, be wall-to-wall FA Cup ties, starting on Friday evening, with coverage on Saturday, three slots on Sunday, and Monday night.

GRADE TV COUP SPELLS DOOM FOR BEEB

31.03.07, 10:55am

well done ITV its about time sky and its bed buddy bbc had there so called rights to the whole of football taken off them ,know people will watch football without paying mega amounts for it the BBCis just a burden on the tv network .
It addvertise mega amounts on its tv programs so ehy have a tv licence only dedicated to one channel when there are more than one on tv its just crazy .

• Posted by: melmorris • Report Comment

GRADE TV COUP SPELLS DOOM FOR BEEB

30.03.07, 1:11pm

Does this mean the Blair Broadcasting Corperation will go the same way as New Labour and disapear down the plughole?. What do we pay the licence fee for? OH! I know its just another tax and that is why we get threatened if we dont buy one!.

• Posted by: kenherts • Report Comment