The FA Confirms New Round of International Broadcast Deals

LONDON, October 31: The FA
has concluded a range of new global broadcast deals for FA Cup and England
matches, worth more than $300 million for the four-year period from 2008 to
2012.

The identity of the
successful bidders will be announced once all contracts are finalized. The new
round of deals represent a 275-percent increase over the current four-year
deal, which is worth $80 million. The overseas deals run in parallel with The
FA's new U.K. TV deal with ITV and Setanta, worth £425 million over the same
2008 to 2012 period, a 42-percent increase over the current contract.

Brian Barwick, the chief
executive of The FA, commented: "This new deal is excellent news for the
organization, following on the back of opening Wembley Stadium, passing the
Structural Review of the organization, finalizing our commercial partner
program and securing a strong domestic broadcast agreement. It means that The
FA will be in its strongest-ever financial position, allowing us to
substantially increase our investment back into all levels of the game. The new
deal also underlines the enormous popularity of the England team and The FA Cup
around the world, at a time when FIFA have opened the way for a possible
English bid for the 2018 World Cup."

—By Irene Lew