ITV4 is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television stationA television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of
ITV plcITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
, and is part of the
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
action series of the 1960s and '70s. ITV4 is broadcast on Freeview,
digital cableDigital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
,
IPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
and
satellite televisionSatellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
.
ITV4 is a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television stationA television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of
ITV plcITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
, and is part of the
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
action series of the 1960s and '70s. ITV4 is broadcast on Freeview,
digital cableDigital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
,
IPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
and
satellite televisionSatellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
.
History
It was expected that ITV4 would replace the existing
Men & MotorsMen & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by the former Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, set up by Granada Television and satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting in 1996...
channel in the same way Granada Plus was rebranded into ITV3, until ITV plc stated that the two channels would run alongside each other, forcing the ITV News Channel on Freeview to timeshare with ITV4. ITV replaced the failing News Channel with CITV. Both channels were on Freeview until ITV plc took Men & Motors off Freeview (although it remained on other platforms for some time until April 2010) and replaced it with the live quiz channel
ITV PlayITV Play was a 24/7 participation television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV plc. The ITV Play name continued on the ITV Network until December 2007....
. Some programming from Men & Motors were transferred to ITV4. ITV4 was the first channel to use the new on-screen look that was rolled out across the rest of ITV plc's channels on 16 January 2006.
Red Bee MediaRed Bee Media Limited is a media management company.Headquartered in west London, United Kingdom at the Broadcast Centre, with international offices in Scotland, Australia, France, Germany and Spain, Red Bee Media has 1500 employees worldwide including homeworkers and revenues of £153m in...
designed the new logos and presentation for the entire corporation that saw the end of the yellow and blue squared look designed for
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
,
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
and the cube look for
ITV3ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
. An ITV annual report revealed that an old style logo was designed for the channel but was never used on air.
ITV4 was launched on
UPC IrelandUPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
in the
Republic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on 4 January 2010, marking the first time the channel has been officially available in the country. The channel had already been (and remains) available to Irish viewers on
free-to-airFree-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
satellite for some time, however it has not been listed in the Sky
electronic programme guideElectronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
since its removal on 25 January 2006. On 1 April 2011, ITV4 was removed from UPC Ireland along with ITV2 and ITV3 due to the expiry of a carriage agreement between UPC and ITV. UPC Ireland claim that ITV is not in a position to renegotiate the deal because ITV had struck a deal with another channel provider to provide it with exclusive rights to air certain content from the channels. Conversely, UPC Ireland also claims to have been in discussions right up to the last moment in order to continue broadcasting the channels.
TV3 IrelandTV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
and its sister channel
3e3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
already hold carriage agreement to air certain ITV content within the Republic of Ireland, alternatively
UTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
is available within the Republic. ITV2 is available along with ITV3 and ITV4 within
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, all three channels are available on UPC Cablecom.
Launch
ITV4's launch night was on Freeview channel 30. Although it was broadcast on the
Astra 2DAstra 2D is one of a group of Astra communications satellites operated by SES, located at 28.2° east in the Clarke Belt. It is a Hughes HS-376 craft, and was launched from the Guiana Space Centre in December 2000....
satellite used by Sky, so users could manually tune it in. It was launched on Sky channel 120, after
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
and
ITV3ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
in the listings, on 7 November. Prior to this date, some sporting content was simulcast on
Men & MotorsMen & Motors was a men's lifestyle television channel in the UK. It was the last remaining station operated by the former Granada Sky Broadcasting joint venture, set up by Granada Television and satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting in 1996...
in an ITV4 on M&M strand.
ITV4 +1
It was announced in late October 2008 that ITV4 would get a +1 channel by the end of 2008. ITV4 +1 was launched on Sky on 1 December 2008 and on Freesat on 9 December 2008. The timeshift channel arrived on Virgin Media on 25 March 2010. It was removed from Sky on 11 January 2011, due to the launch of
ITV1 +1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
taking up space on the EPG. Sky viewers will need to tune the channel in manually, using 'other channels' if they still want it. The channel continues to be available on Freesat and Virgin Media.
ITV4 HD
A
high-definitionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcastSimulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of ITV4,
ITV4 HD, was launched on 15 November 2010 on Sky. The channel is available through Sky's pay subscription in a non-exclusive deal, ITV has held talks with other providers including Virgin Media. ITV4 HD's high definition content includes premium sports events such as the
British Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
, 2010-11 Ashes Series,
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
,
Grand Slam of DartsThe Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invites the best performing players from its rival the British Darts Organisation...
, UEFA Europa League, and
Indian Premier League CricketThe Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
as well as films.
Freeview
As Freeview announced plans for a retune on 30 September 2009, ITV4 moved to an alternative
multiplexA multiplex or mux is a group of TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast over a digital TV channel and separated out again by the receiver...
. Viewers in areas that have completed switchover who receive their signal from a local relay transmitter and receive 'Freeview Lite', are no longer able to receive ITV4.
Some programmes shown on ITV4
- Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
- Big Match Revisited
- The Force
- Jericho
Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
- Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
- Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors
Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors is a 2011 British reality show featuring action star Jean-Claude Van Damme and was being shown on ITV4 in the United Kingdom..-Plot:...
- LAPD: Life on the Beat
LAPD: Life on the Beat , was an American reality television series which aired in syndication, about the Los Angeles Police Department that aired from 1995-1999,...
- Martial Law
Martial Law was a TV crime drama that ran on CBS from 1998 to 2000, and was created by Carlton Cuse. The title character, Sammo Law, portrayed by Sammo Hung, was a Chinese law officer and martial arts expert who came to Los Angeles in search of a colleague and remains in the US.The show was a...
- Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
- Millennium
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
- Minder
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
- Police Camera Action!
Police, Camera, Action! is a police video programme made by Optomen Television for ITV and broadcast on the ITV Network and ITV4. The program was originally commissioned through Carlton Television....
- The Professionals
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
- Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
- Real Prison Breaks
Real Prison Breaks is a British television series currently shown on ITV4 which documents famous prison escapes from around the world. In each episode three prison escapes are documented and reconstructed, usually one from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or Ireland. It is narrated by...
- Richard Bacon's Beer & Pizza Club
Richard Bacon's Beer & Pizza Club is a British comedy panel show produced by Talkback Thames for ITV4. The programme is presented by Richard Bacon. The programme is currently showing its second series.-Overview:...
- The Saint
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
- The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
- UFO
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
- Used Car Roadshow
Used Car Roadshow is a car programme that was originally aired on the Men & Motors channel, but now it is also shown on ITV4. The show is presented by Penny Mallory and Jason Dawe...
Past programmes on ITV4
A number of shows from the
ITCThe Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
catalogue were shown, such as
The SaintThe Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
and
The Persuaders!The Persuaders! is a 1971 action/adventure series, produced by ITC Entertainment for initial broadcast on ITV and ABC. It has been called "the last major entry in the cycle of adventure series that had begun eleven years earlier with Danger Man in 1960", as well as "the most ambitious and most...
.
In a change of pace, in June 2007, ITV4 aired
The WinnerThe Winner, stylized on the title card as the winner, is an American television series that premiered on Fox on March 4, 2007. It is a comedy about a successful man named Glen Abbott looking back to the time when he was in his thirties and living with his parents in 1994 Buffalo, New York.Other...
.
ITV4 used to air the
Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
from 1 November 2005 until it was dropped by the channel on 27 October 2006 and replaced with
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
from 4 November 2006.
Sports coverage
Before ITV4s launch in 2005 ITVs digital sports coverage was on ITV2 but after its launch all sports coverage has moved to itv4
ITV4s
Sporting coverage includes:
FOOTBALL
- UEFA Europa League (Live and Highlights 2005 until at least 2015)
- UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(2nd exclusive match on itv4 2005-2008) (Now just 1 match on itv1 and highlights on itv4)
- Exclusive FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
replays (2009-2010) (Because ITV only broadcaster after collapse of Setanta)
- FA Community Shield
The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Highlights (Since 2008)
- FA Trophy Final - (2009) - Now on Sky Sports
- 2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
- Live and highlights
- Euro 2008 - Live and Highlights
- 2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
- Live and highlights
- International Friendlies and Play-Offs - 2010-present
- Champions League, England internationals and FA Cup (highlights and reruns of matches shown on ITV1)
- Legends Football - 2008-present
BOAT RACE
- The Boat Race (2005-2009 highlights) (Now on BBC SPORT)
CYCLING
- Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
(from 2005 until at least 2013)
- Tour of Ireland
The Tour of Ireland is a bicycle stage race held in August. The first race debuted in 1953 and ran until 1957. It was revived in 1965 and ran until 1985. In 1985 the 5 day Nissan International Classic took over as the Tour of Ireland. This lasted for 8 years until 1992...
- Tour of Britain Cycling (Until 2013)
- Vuelta de Espana (2011-present)
- Tour of California (2011-present)
POKER
- World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
MOTORSPORT
- Isle of Man TT
The International Isle of Man TT Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man and was for many years the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world...
(from 2009-present)
- British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
(from 2005-present)
- British Superbikes (from 2005-2007 Live) and (from highlights from 2009-present) (Live on British Eurosport)
- Motorsport UK (Highlights 2005-present)
- F1 (2005-2008 - Highlights and reruns) (Now on BBC SPORT)
- GP2 (2005-2008 Live and highlights) (Now on British Eurosport)
- World Rally Championship (2005-2008 - Highlihts) (Now on ESPN)
DARTS
- Grand Slam of Darts
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes. The PDC also invites the best performing players from its rival the British Darts Organisation...
(2007-2010) from 2011 on Sky Sports
- European Championship (darts)
The European Championship is a PDC darts tournament which allows the top European players to compete with the highest ranked players from the PDC Order of Merit. The tournament takes place in late July to early August and features a field of 32...
- 2008, 2011-present
- Players Championship Finals
The Players Championship Finals is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation...
(2009-2010, 2011-present)
CRICKET
- Indian Premier League Cricket
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
(From 2010 until 2014 at least)
- Ashes Cricket (Highlights 2010-2011)
BOXING
- Big Fight Live
- Frank Warren fights 2005-2008 (Now on BoxNation)
- Hennessey fights 2008-2010 (Now on Channel 5 and Primetime)
- (Undercard of main fight usually shown on itv4 with main event on itv1)
- From 2008-2010 all fights on itv4
TENNIS
- French Open Tennis (From 2012)
- Masters Tennis from the Royal Albert Hall
RUGBY UNION
- Rugby World Cup in 2007, 2011 and 2015
- Rugby union's Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
highlights (2008-present)
- Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
highlights (2010-present) (Live on Sky Sports)
- LV Cup Highlights (2010-present) (Live on Sky Sports)
SNOOKER
- Power Snooker 2010-present
Indian Premier League
In a deal announced on Thursday, March 4, 2010, ITV secured UK broadcast rights to the 2010
Indian Premier LeagueThe Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
(IPL) cricket competition, to be shown exclusively on ITV4.
The deal, for the third season of IPL, will see ITV4 broadcast 59 live, free to air, matches over the 45 day season, beginning on Friday, March 12. Live coverage, produced by ITV Sport, will be presented by Matt Smith alongside Bollywood actress and presenter
Mandira BediMandira Bedi is an Indian actress, model and television presenter who gained celebrity status playing the title role in the 1994 television serial, Shanti, shown on India's national channel, Doordarshan which was the first ever daily soap on Indian television.She followed up her career in TV...
, who hosted Cricket World Cup coverage in India. They will be joined by renowned analyst Simon Hughes, with more guest experts to be announced.
The IPL will have a bespoke section of the ITV.com website. The tournament will be supported by a prominent marketing campaign on ITV.
Announcing the deal, ITV’s Director of Digital Channels and Acquisitions, Zai Bennett said: “In only two years, the Indian Premier League has already established itself as one of the world’s most high profile and exciting sports events which attracts some of the very best cricketers from around the globe. It’s an exciting acquisition for one of the UK’s fastest growing digital channels and we’re delighted to be able to offer the whole tournament free-to-air to our viewers.”
Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL said: “This is a hugely significant deal for the IPL. It is a truly global competition unlike any other, ideally suited to the British passion for both cricket and entertainment. As such, we are delighted that ITV have recognised the game’s appeal and that the glorious spectacle of every game will be available in full, free to air, throughout the UK.”
External links