ITV and Setanta will be hoping that the fourth-round draw of the FA Cup results in some box-office match-ups to help them recover some of the £425 million they spent on securing the rights to cover the competition.
An article in yesterday's Guardian highlighted the financial pressures that the broadcasters have been under since snatching the FA Cup rights from the BBC.
The feature also drew attention to the hard act ITV has to follow in terms of improving upon the ratings that the BBC enjoyed with its coverage of the world's most famous domestic club competition.
The BBC has been given much credit for reviving interest in the competition following Manchester United's controversial decision to opt out of the tournament in the 1999-2000 season to play in a World Club competition.
Noticeable changes to the way the FA Cup has been run have been witnessed over the past 30 years.
One of the biggest has been the alterations made to kick-off times, with many matches now taking place at tea-time rather than at 1500 GMT in a bid to attract larger TV audiences.
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21 October 2010
21 October 2010
21 October 2010
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
