Gelsenkirchen here we come
A quick update to confirm that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ will have exclusive terrestrial television and broadband coverage of the England quarter-final at 4pm next Saturday in Gelsenkirchen --- along with our usual radio service on Five Live.
People have asked again for the headlines of our agreement with ITV on the split of televised matches, and it's like this...
Group stages: ITV had two England games (Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago) and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ had one (Paraguay).
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ then had first pick of the second round (England v Ecuador), with ITV taking picks 2, 3, 5 and 7 - leaving the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ with 4th, 6th and 8th choices.
In the quarter-finals the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ has first choice (which we now know to be the England game) and 4th choice - with ITV taking 2nd and 3rd. The reason it was done like this is that second round and quarter-final games were hypothetical at the time we did the main carve-up agreement early in the year, and ITV had two guaranteed birds-in-the-hand to balance our hopes of England making progress.
In the semi-finals, if England get there both ITV and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ will show the match. The other semi-final will be on ITV. If England don't make the semis, ITV has first choice of game and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ will broadcast the other.
Both broadcasters will show the final. So every England game from now on will be on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ television and broadband, and every remaining game in this World Cup will be live on Five Live.
