The Sport Thread

Looks like the days of single camera coverage with a blatantly off-tube commentary for shocks in the FA Cup are now a thing of the past - there were thirteen commentary edits on Match of the Day last night, and they also used snippets of three other commentaries, presumably for the world feed, in the round-up. Looks like every match now has multi-camera coverage as well.

The new staggered kick-off times have been a bit controversial but seemingly it's creating a better Match of the Day at the end of it.

Well the third round results have decimated (in my view - I'll agree) the value of the 2018-9 FACup rights.

Seeing Liverpool knocked out in the third round makes it value for money IMO.

And think they're the only team of the top six to go really - most of the "upsets" have been of teams in the lower half of the Premier League.

The replays not to exciting - guess Blackburn v Newcastle and Southampton v Derby will get the TV slots.

Arsenal v Manchester United

Crystal Palace v Tottenham

are the clear first and second choices in R4.

Will definately confirm who has first choice for this round.

I am pretty sure the BBC have first pick for every round, it's only the replays where BT have alternate first picks.

That’s correct - BBC have first pick in every round, BT have second, fifth and six pick. Third and fourth picks alternate round by round, as does first pick of replays in third and fourth rounds.


(Replays have now been abolished from the fifth round onwards and with the winter break coming in next season the fifth round will move to midweek.)

I think it’s the case in the third and fourth rounds that whoever has third pick from the main draw gets second pick of replays, whoever has fourth pick in the main draw gets first pick of replays.

Hopefully BBC Wales show Newport again. I quite enjoyed our coverage last year!


The BBC gets first pick - but yet they showed two matches in the Third Round? So they get first picks or?

The BBC get first and third pick in one round, plus second pick of replays. In the following round they get first and fourth picks plus first pick of replays.


BT always get second, fifth and six picks plus either third pick and second choice of replays or fourth pick and first choice of replays.

IMO it could be a national pick, you guys just took out Leicester, and Middlesbrough beat Peterborough 5-0.

"Giant" killing for Newport if they beat Middlesbrough, or the chance of lots of goals if Middlesbrough play the same way as they did in the previous match.

Bring on the Transporter Bridge derby.

As promised Sky Sports Racing has been added to NOW TV today.

Round 5 and a European Champions Cup game has finally slipped into the schedule: Clermont v Northampton is on BT Sport on Saturday night.