ESPN has reached a multi-year agreement for exclusive TV and digital rights to the Emirates FA Cup, the oldest and longest-running domestic cup competition in soccer.
The agreement grants ESPN exclusive rights across Australia, Latin America (Spanish-speaking) and the Caribbean, effective from 2019.
The new agreement will bring 79 Emirates FA Cup matches – beginning with the First Round and running through the Finals – to ESPN networks in Australia via Foxtel, Kayo Sports and Fetch.
The deal kicks off this Sunday, April 7 with the 2019 semi-finals featuring Manchester City F.C. facing Brighton & Hove Albion LIVE at 2.25am AEDT, followed by Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Watford F.C Monday April 8 LIVE at 12.55am AEDT.
ESPN had been the previous broadcaster for FA Cup, but a lengthy negation period has led fans to miss much of this season.
“As the oldest national football competition in the world, the Emirates FA Cup holds some of the most storied moments in the history of soccer,” said Tim Bunnell, ESPN’s senior vice president of programming. “Adding such an iconic tournament to ESPN’s unparalleled soccer content reinforces the company’s steadfast commitment to serving fans across our international networks.”
Additional content will be featured across ESPN platforms, including Emirates FA Cup highlights and the FA Community Shield, the annual football match between Emirates FA Cup and Premier League titleholders to start the English football season, which is also part of the deal.
The Emirates FA Cup, also called The Football Association Challenge Cup, is the annual knockout competition in English soccer. First played in the 1871-72 season, the competition is open to all registered – professional and non-professional – teams in England. The 2018-19 season featured more than 700 clubs. While all finalists are current Premier League clubs, Manchester City, who seeks its 6th FA Cup championship, is the only finalist that has won a title in the last 50+ years.
Over the years, the competition has grown as fans of lower-division teams anxiously root for their clubs to become “giant-killers” that upset higher-ranked teams. The “Magic of the FA Cup,” replete with Cinderella runs by teams and stirring scenes as clubs from lower levels of English soccer challenge Premier League clubs, has turned the competition into the world’s most famous knockout Cup in domestic soccer.
Emirates FA Cup 2018-2019 Semi-finals on ESPN (AEDT)
Sun, April 7 2:25am Manchester City F.C. vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
Mon, April 8 12:55am Watford F.C. vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sun, May 19 TBC Emirates FA Cup Final ESPN
Co-Creator and Editor of the TV Blackbox website, Kevin Perry is an experienced media commentator focused on TV Production, Consumer Tech, SVOD & Sports Broadcasting.
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