CityAM: Channel 4 and TNT Sports sign Adobe FA Cup broadcast deal

Story from CityAM:

More Adobe Women’s FA Cup matches than ever will be broadcast on television after the English FA agreed a first-ever stand-alone broadcast deal beginning next season.

The three-year agreement will see Channel 4 and TNT Sports broadcast matches – between them – from every round of the tournament for the very first time.

Involved parties claim “the three-season deal will deliver a significant uplift in the number of matches that are broadcast with a guarantee of live coverage from the First Round onwards”.

The paywall broadcaster will show 19 matches, including one in Round One and another in Round Two.

Channel 4 will show one match per round from the third round onwards, including the final – which will be co-exclusive on TNT Sports.

Mark Bullingham, chief executive of the FA, said: “This is a significant moment for the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. We have two broadcast partners who are deeply committed to growing the competition and taking it to new audiences over the next three seasons.

“Channel 4 and TNT are brilliant sports broadcasters and are the perfect combination for this very special tournament. We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to continuing to grow women’s football together.”

It means TNT will now broadcast both the men’s and women’s FA Cups. TNT Sports agreed a four-year deal for the men’s FA Cup earlier this year, with the broadcaster also showing the FA Youth Cup.

Pete Andrews, head of sport at Channel 4, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the incredible talent and dedication of women’s football teams nationwide. By offering free-to-air coverage, we can reach wider audiences, inspire the next generation of footballers, and celebrate the rising prominence of women’s sport.”

Scott Young of Warner Bros Discovery added that the addition underlines TNT Sports’ “ongoing commitment to partner with and grow women’s sport across the sporting calendar – from football to rugby, cycling, tennis and more”.