On the Ball axed.

No big surprise - I expect ITV1 will run Champions League Weekly in it's slot, while although ITV News Football Extra may continue, the interviews are conducted as part of the Premiership rights, so they may be lost. However, with a round up of the highlights from all divisions and a discussion based format with guests it could be a neat little programme.

Now I think the BBC's monopoly on terrestrial football rights need to be looked at. Premiership highlights (and bidding for the live 8 games), plus LIVE FA Cup, LIVE England games, LIVE Old Firm Derbys and LIVE UEFA Cup is quite a package when ITV1 just has the Champions League and Nationwide Highlights and five the odd Scottish Cup & UEFA Cup match.

Hopefully ITV1 will take the opportunity to look at other sports - especially club Rugby Union, which I've said before deserves a regular highlights spot, perhaps taking The Premierships 11pm slot on Monday.

Personally, BBC can have their football - they make it so bloody boring - I would rather watch adverts than see Lineker and his farts talking ****. I have enjoyed ITV's coverage of the Premiership, although I agree that the BBC is it's rightful home.

UEFA Cup is crap and are only one-game bankers, the FA Cup is alright, but the drama that the BBC are banking on has been miminal this season, apart from two early shock exits, which lets face it won't go down in history.

I think ITV won't bother going for the 8 games as they will be at a loss if they do. I'm a big big sports fan and enjoy ITV's coverage of events, but agree that football isn't everything, and I'd rather they used their money more wisely.

England games can be on the BBC - got no qualms with that - but the Old Firm - LOL - Scottish football is the biggest joke in the world. Not even a funny one, any more. Oh my God, Rangers 6 Aberdeen 0. Celtic 8 Dundee 1. 1! Shock, horror, they actually scored. There must've been three short minutes of excitement when they went into the lead, then normal service was resumed, and they got twatted. It hurts me so much even watching the games on TV, never mind actually going to watch this ****. Seeing all the Rangers and Celtic fans getting really excited every time they score, as if it's some major achievement. But no, the standard is appalling, the games excruciatingly boring and even the Old Firm games (which we are treated to four times a season) end up with ridiculous scorelines and supposedly "classic" games.

Give me a break.In ITV's interests, the Champions League is all they need. Ratings bankers (when an English team is involved), and its very exciting football. The quality of the footy too between the non-English teams is great, and from a performance aspect it is exhilarating, however, ITV want the English teams in there obviously.

Having said that, as long as footy is on terrestrial, don't care what channel its on, I thankfully have the choice of not sitting through any half-time carp!

I think it'll be on after the news. Since they have decided to put the news on at decent times, we could get it on about the same time as now, i.e. 10:30pm.

I'm pretty sure the BBC have already said MotD will have a regular time of 10.30pm, except in special circumstances. There will also be a Sunday night edition.

With hindsight, ITV were mad to go for Premiership highlights. But then, of course, the football rights market was mad in the late 1990s, and their idea that people in their hundreds of thousands would subscribe for live Nationwide League football was also mad.

They would have been well advised to stick with the live FA Cup games and live Coca Cola Cup games contract that they secured - relatively inexpensively - between 1999-2001.

By the way, what happened to Barry Venison? I don't think I've seen him in ages.

Just remember ITV still have highlights to the Nationwide League and the Worthington Cup - so they really should make more of them.

It's also a damn big shame that ITV couldn't secure a Wednesday night highlights programme for the Champions League.

Yes, and that Sky can't show anything from ITV's two Tuesday games. It means neither broadcatser tells the complete picture of the week's games or "match-days" as UEFA insists on calling it.

The BBC lose the Old Firm game rights (and all other Scottish Premier League football) next season.

Also other channels have some of the UEFA Cup rights - e.g. ITV have the next home Newcastle game (albeit on ITV2).

Some people out there think the BBC won the rights of off ITV. They didn't ITV didn't bother bidding this time round as it was finacially good for them.

Shame the Premiership is going as you get quite mixed views on there.

Match of the Day can be biased, especially Hansen (thanks for tipping us to win yesterday, every time he tips a team to win they lose). I can just imagine what smug gits they are going to be when it comes back on in september "welcome back after that long commercial break"

The only way I will be watching Match Of the day again is if Des Lynman returns or Dickie Davis takes over from Gary Linker

ITV were outbid actually. BBC paid £105m for the Premiership highlights, ITV didn't value the rights as highly as that and so were outbid.

Yeah something like that some of the BBC Presenters can be like that. Take Jonathan Ross for instance big fan of his but he is so biased towards the BBC like yesterday when he was interviewing Des Lynam
he kept on saying ' We want you back on the BBC' Jesus Christ let him make up his own mind.

That's right ITV did bid but didn't bid so high which was a very wise decision. It's a shame the only football they have now is the Tuesday Champions League games hopefully they'll get the 8 live Premiership Matches that will almost even the score.

Oooh, where abouts did you find this out? :