Manchester City impacted by major TV scheduling changes as part of new four-year broadcasting deal

Redaction Willow Austin with City Xtra
Published on 2024-02-22 14:30:00

Manchester City is about to be impacted by changes in the broadcasting of the Emirates FA Cup and Community Shield Final. The team has been active in both finals recently, winning the FA Cup against Manchester United and losing to Arsenal in the Community Shield. Manchester City has had a strong presence in the Community Shield fixture and has consistently reached the latter stages of the FA Cup under the management of Pep Guardiola.

The upcoming fifth-round match against Luton Town will see Manchester City face off on Tuesday, after victories against Huddersfield Town and Tottenham in the previous rounds. The team is aiming to retain the FA Cup, as part of a bid to defend the historic treble they achieved last year, which included winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

While the previous two matches were available on freeview TV in the UK, future Manchester City fixtures in both the FA Cup and Community Shield may move away from the BBC and ITV.

The FA and TNT Sports have announced a new four-year deal to broadcast the FA Cup and FA Community Shield from the 2025/26 season. TNT Sports will show live matches from the first round, with every game from the third round outside of the 3pm kick-off slot available on television in the UK. This new partnership aims to ensure that the FA Cup remains widely accessible across the UK.

In addition to the live matches, selected matches from every round will be available free-to-air, and highlights of every game will be made available.

TNT Sports will also broadcast the English football season’s traditional curtain-raiser, the FA Community Shield, as well as the FA Youth Cup semi-finals and final. The broadcaster also has rights to the Vanarama National League in a longstanding commitment. This marks a significant change in the broadcasting landscape for both the FA Cup and the Community Shield, with implications for Manchester City and their fans.

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