FA Cup 2020-21

Both the BBC and BT have made their picks for the first round of the FA Cup.

Friday 6th November

Harrogate Town v Skelmersdale United: BT Sport 1 (7.45 PM)

Saturday 7th November

Tonbridge Angels v Bradford City: BBC iPlayer/Sport Website and BT App (12:30 PM)

Ipswich Town v Portsmouth: BBC iPlayer/Sport Website and BT app (3 PM)

Colchester United v Marine: BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (3 PM)

Banbury United v Canvey Island: BBC iPlayer/Sport Website

FC United of Manchester v Doncaster Rovers: BBC Two (5:15 PM)

Sunday 8th November

Maldon & Tiptree v Morecambe - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website and BT app (12:45 PM)

Hampton & Richmond Borough v Oldham Athletic - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website and BT app (12:45 PM)

Eastleigh v MK Dons - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (12:45 PM)

Barnet v Burton Albion - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (12:45 PM)

Wigan Athletic v Chorley - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (12:45 PM)

Torquay United v Crawley Town - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (12:45 PM)

Hayes & Yeading United v Carlisle United - BBC iPlayer/Sport website (12:45 PM)

Havent & Waterlooville v Cray Valley Paper Mills - BBC iPlayer/Sport Website (12:45 PM)

Eastbourne Borough v Blackpool: BT Sport 1 (2:30 PM)

Monday 9th November

Oxford City v Northampton Town: BT Sport 1 (7:45 PM)

All other 24 matches will be screened on club websites.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54737562

https://www.bt.com/sport/football/fa-cup/bt-sport-to-broadcast-seven-fa-cup-first-round-ties-including-ipswich-portsmouth

So the BBC have 13 of the 16 games, mainly by making the matches they'd use for the Final Score special available to view in full.

Significant numbers seem to be being simulcast on both BBC iPlayer and BT Digital. Wierd, people wont be happy to see many of these games will be single camera jobs too. Brave try nevertheless.

I disagree, people won’t expect much more given what they do with their coverage of the qualifying rounds. And many fans of these clubs will be chuffed that they’re being featured in such a way at all.

It entirely depends how the two broadcasters advertise the offering, This is the First Round Proper not a qualification stage.

The hoo-hah over the PPV shows that football fans are never happy, or satisfied, with anything that's offered to them in mitigation against the situation we're in now. They seem to have completely unrealistic expectations of clubs and broadcasters and those with budgetary and logistical restrictions making the decisions. Take the Premier League: Sky only paid for 5 games per TV weekend, BT 1, so for a few months football fans were given 100% extra free TV soccer, including FTA coverage. Didn't hear them complaining about that. Unfortunately if you carry on giving away your product at a 50% reduced value rate, the numbers are going to crunch sooner or later. So a nominal £15 - way lower than any Premier League matchday ticket or ancilliary costs - open to all folks including non-Sky and non-BT subscribers - seems fair enough if you *really* *desperately* *must* see the game and aren't willing to break the law.

Football fans are a particularly peculiar, overly entitled breed of human. Everyone else in the country - nay the world - has had to compromise their lives and their lifestyles while we await the outcome of the pandemic. The bottom line is football is happening and there is accessible TV coverage. Anything on top of that is a bonus and I think folk need to just wind their necks in a bit. They appear to be under some kind of delusion that COVID is a mere inconvenience, not a life-threatening life-limiting silent insipid threat to us all.

I don't think anyone is expecting the full works for these and broadcast wise I think only BT have an extra game (have 1st & 2and round replays been scrapped as well?) I thought the BBC might show an extra game on TV but a Final Score style show probably suits them more and costs less.

We'll see. There'll certainly be complaints and whinging from the usual quarters afterwards. I expect the phrase "I pay my license fee for this rubbish" will come up in despatches.

NB ,,,,

NEW | FA confirms that all FA Cup first round ties will go ahead this weekend as planned after Government agrees that the 10 non-elite clubs that remain in the competition will be able to play their matches under elite protocols.

— Dan Roan (@danroan) November 2, 2020

Just the Eight selected for R2

There are 8️⃣ huge televised games over the second round weekend!

Here’s your #EmiratesFACup TV schedule, brought to you by @Deliveroo 🤩

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) November 12, 2020

Three on BT Sport 'Channels'
One on BBC TWO
Remaining Four on BT and BBC Digital Platforms.

Was notable the extra BBC matches were just on the iPlayer this weekend - not even the multi-camera games were on the red button.

Ahh

Another Eight yet to be selected single camera matches will be shown on the BBC Digital Platforms.

The BBC will show 13 live FA Cup second-round ties!

Full details: https://t.co/HB2hjSDgek pic.twitter.com/TVhXicHopS

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 12, 2020