ITV Sport (partially found coverage of English football matches; 2001-2002)

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Merch
Discord
Patreon
Forums
Itvsport1.png

ITV Sport logo.

Status: Partially Found

ITV Sport was an ITV Digital-exclusive television channel which operated from 11th August 2001 to 11th May 2002. Its main premise, as well as its sister services ITV Sport Plus and ITV Sport Select, was to provide live coverage of football matches primarily from the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Football League, and League Cup. However, the channel was terminated less than a year later because of ITV Digital's collapse triggered by the service's disastrous £315 million deal with the Football League, which also consequently put many Football League clubs in dangerous financial situations. Ultimately, most of the channel's football coverage has become lost media.

Background

ITV Digital had originally launched as ONdigital, becoming a terrestrial television service on 15th November 1998.[1][2][3] Its main competition was satellite television service Sky Digital, which arose when Sky was blocked from becoming part of the ONdigital venture as per competition laws.[1][2][3] Having launched earlier in October 1998, Sky soon began outperforming ONdigital, primarily thanks to its cheaper subscription cost, free and more reliable digital boxes, greater security against piracy, and enjoying a deal to provide exclusive coverage of Premier League matches starting in May 1992.[4][2][3] Whereas Sky continued growing in the early-2000s, ONdigital suffered stagnation in its subscriber count by early-2001, making it unlikely to reach the two million target by 2002.[5] Thus, a consensus emerged within ONdigital that a relaunch was mandatory if the service had any chance of survival.[5][1]

ITV had secured exclusive live broadcasts of UEFA Champions League matches in February 1999.[4] Some matches were broadcast on ONdigital platforms, indicating the viability of football in attracting digital television customers.[6][7][4] Thus, an extensive and lucrative auction commenced for football television rights from 2001 to 2004.[2][7][4] Ultimately, securing Premier League broadcasts proved cost-prohibitive, especially as Sky reached a deal worth £1.1 billion to maintain its largest draw.[2][7] However, ONdigital identified a possible market: live coverage of Football League and Football League Cup matches.[2][7] Considering the extensive fan loyalty in clubs belonging to Divisions 1 to 3, it was felt within both ONdigital and the Football League that viewing figures would justify a rather lucrative deal.[2][7] Thus, on 17th June 2000, a £315 million deal was struck, which would see ONdigital provide exclusive coverage of Football League and League Cup games starting from the 2001-02 season, for approximately £105 million per season.[8][9][10][11][2][7] Additionally, ITV also successfully outbid the BBC for the rights to provide Premier League highlights, broadcasting them on The Premiership starting from the 2001-02 season for £183 million.[12][8][7][4]

ONdigital was then rebranded to ITV Digital in July 2001, thus capitalising on the prominent ITV name.[5][7][2] By this point, all was seemingly set for the relaunch, with ITV Digital set to cover 65 Division 1, 15 Division 2 and 3, and 15 League Cup matches alongside its earlier deal to broadcast 40 UEFA Champions League games.[13][14][15] Its major expansion into football programming encouraged the creation of ITV Sport.[14][13][11] Launching on 11th August, ITV Sport was an ITV Digital-exclusive channel, though negotiations for it to be carried by Sky Digital were ongoing.[13][14] Outside of its football coverage, ITV Sport also lived up to its name by broadcasting other sports like snooker and tennis.[14][8][7][13] In addition to ITV Sport, ITV Sport Plus and ITV Sport Select were established; the latter provided buyers with exclusive access to around 40 Premier League and 20 Football League matches for about £3 per month.[13][7] This arose when ITV acquired a package fellow service NTL was unable to pay for.[7] Meanwhile, ITV Sport Plus enabled one to continue watching football broadcasts even if coverage was pre-empted for other sporting events on the main channel.[15]

Football League clubs rejoiced upon learning of the deal, as they were set to gain a lucrative share of ITV Digital revenue.[2][10][11] Division 1 teams were expected to receive £3 million per season, Division 2 sides would obtain £600,000, while Division 3 clubs gained £400,000.[10][2] For teams that only recently entered the Football League structure, like Macclesfield Town and Rushden & Diamonds, the revenue they seemingly would obtain was unprecedented in their histories.[2][10] Meanwhile, bigger teams like Sheffield Wednesday and Watford budgeted themselves on the expected ITV Digital money, bolstering their line-ups with larger contracts in an attempt to reach the Premier League.[16][9][2][11] It was reported that Watford's wage budget was subsequently the fourth highest within the Football League.[16] Little did Watford and other Football League teams realise at the time that this crucial revenue would not actually be forthcoming.[16][2][10]

The Collapse

The first match ITV Sport covered live was newly-relegated Manchester City's 3-0 Division 1 win over Watford on 11th August 2001.[17][18][14][9][7] With the broadcast presented by Gabby Logan, and Clive Tyldesley and Ron Atkinson commentating on it, reviews were generally positive though not overwhelmingly.[19][9][7] Grimsby Town fansite The Fishy deemed the coverage better than the BBC's, but criticised the extent of commentary and technical errors, which it claimed made it inferior to Sky's broadcasts.[19] It nevertheless felt the game's exciting nature made it ideal for the inaugural broadcast.[19] On 20th August, ITV Sport aired its first League Cup game, which saw Nottingham Forest win away 2-0 against Hartlepool United.[20][18] A day prior, ITV Sport Select televised a 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Newcastle United.[21][18] Aside from being broadcast on ITV Sport, some Football League matches also became ITV regional exclusives.[18][8] For instance, Crystal Palace's 3-2 victory against Norwich City on 28th October 2001 was broadcast on ITV London Weekend Television and Anglia platforms, reflecting how Palace and City were based in London and East Anglia respectively.[22][18]

However, it did not take long before ITV Digital's Football League deal was declared a doomed venture.[9][2][7][11] Several factors contributed to its failure; firstly, ITV Digital's offering paled in comparison to Sky's, as Football League coverage lacked the mainstream appeal the Premier League boasted.[9][7][11] While Division 3 clashes like Rushden & Diamonds vs Lincoln City were no doubt compelling to fans of the respective clubs, this did not translate on a national basis.[7][9][11] ITV Sport likely realised this, and so scheduled its coverage to avoid clashing with Sky's broadcasts, especially on "Super Sunday".[2][9][13][7] However, this infuriated most Football League club fans, as this resulted in late kick-offs on Thursdays and Sundays, making travelling to and from games difficult when considering work commitments the following day.[9][7][2] Late kick-offs also meant the coverage clashed with soap dramas like Coronation Street and EastEnders, competing in a new ratings battle the matches were never going to win.[7][9] Pay-per-view games also proved unsuccessful, with some barely reaching even two digit numbers due to lack of interest in paying for leftover Premier League and Football League matches.[23]

Another contributing factor was ITV Digital's failure to reach a broadcasting deal with Sky.[9][2] As Sky had significantly more subscribers, it was hoped ITV Sport would enjoy a share of Sky's growing football-passionate subscriber base.[7][2] Alas, a deal never emerged due to concerns non-exclusivity would further hurt the channel's appeal.[2][7] Additionally, Sky felt ITV Sport's offering was lacklustre outside of its Champions League coverage.[2] Ironically, ITV Digital was carrying Sky Sports 1, 2, and 3, which likely drove its own subscriber base away from its channels.[13][7] Additionally, ITV Digital was never able to tackle widespread piracy of its services, caused by a failure to prevent 100,000 cracked smart cards from being circulated.[3][2][7] All these issues contributed towards the Nottingham Forest-Bradford City match on 20th September 2001 reportedly drawing around just 1,000 viewers.[2][9] Further reputational damage emerged following the first leg of a League Cup Semi-Final match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday, which television ratings organisation BARB claimed obtained a zero audience rating.[24][25] While reality was kinder, as BARB's technical issues during a transition period caused it to underestimate the coverage's real rating of 85,000, it symbolised ITV Sport's failure to justify its £315 million deal.[24][2][7] This subsequently reduced ITV Digital's advertising revenue.[2]

Consequently, ITV Digital became a money pit, despite the success of its advertising campaign featuring Al and Monkey.[26][11][2] In a last-bid attempt to avoid disaster, ITV Digital tried to renegotiate its contract with the Football League, claiming it could now only pay £50 million for the remaining seasons.[27][9][11] The Football League refused, stating that most of its affiliated clubs were counting on the original deal and that sudden payment reductions would trigger a major financial crisis within the three divisions.[27] Just six days later, ITV Digital entered administration, admitting it could no longer pay the Football League at its current rate.[28][9][11] By April 2002, ITV Digital was losing £1 million per day, with a last-ditch £74 million offer being rejected by the Football League.[29][26][11] Thus, the service was put up for sale, but ultimately no viable buyer was found.[30][29] On 1st May 2002, ITV Digital was no more, though ITV Sport became a free-to-air platform so that playoff coverage could commence.[31][30] Alas, on 11th May, the channel also shut down, with the Division 1 playoff Final between Birmingham City and Norwich City instead airing on ITV1, ensuring a larger viewership in the process.[32][33][34]

Aftermath

The Football League attempted to recuperate the £178.5 million it was owed by suing ITV Digital's main owners, ITV subsidiaries Carlton and Granada. However, as long-form contracts with the two corporations had not been signed, the Judge ruled in favour of both, as no guarantee was present in the final signed contract.[35][2][9] This resulted in most clubs not receiving the expected revenue heading into the 2002-03 season, kick-starting a financial crisis within the three divisions.[2][16][9][31] For newly promoted clubs Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, and Birmingham City, this was of little concern, for all three were to gain a share of the lucrative Sky revenue the Premier League promised.[36][37] In contrast, 14 Football League clubs went into administration by December 2004 primarily as a result of lost ITV Digital revenue, including Barnsley, Bradford City (twice), Bury, Darlington, Derby County, Halifax Town, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Notts County, Oldham Athletic, Port Vale, Wimbledon, Wrexham, and York City.[38][39][2][9][11] Barnsley's troubles proved especially shocking, as it ran debts of £2.5 million despite reportedly being routinely profitable for over a decade before ITV Digital's collapse.[11] Others, like Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday, and Watford, avoided administration by conducting ruthless cuts, including releasing high-priced players and imposing wage reductions.[40][39][7][11]

A small lifeline emerged when the Football League landed a £95 million broadcast deal with Sky for four seasons.[9][2][7] While this did not prevent most of the above clubs from entering administration, it ensured others reached an even keel earlier than anticipated.[2][9] Ultimately, no clubs went bust as a result of ITV Digital's collapse.[2] However, the Football League, in wanting to avoid a possible repeat of clubs overbudgeting on prospective revenue streams, added a new rule declaring that any team that enters administration will incur at least a ten points deduction.[2][39] But ultimately, the financial gap between Premier League mainstays and their Football League counterparts greatly widened following the ITV Digital fiasco, and serves as a cautionary tale concerning overdependence on television revenue.[2][11] Some clubs like Grimsby Town even took decades to fully recover from the fallout.[23][11] None felt it worse than Halifax Town, who by May 2008 completely folded as a result of an inescapable financial situation.[11]

Availability

Because of the low viewership most ITV Sport broadcasts obtained, the majority have since become lost to the public. ITV Sport likely holds copies of every broadcast, as it notes that it contains full matches or highlights of Football League matches from 1968 to 2009.[41] However, its archive can only be accessed for business and production usage, making it impossible to obtain anything for personal or archival purposes.[42]

ITV Sport did provide a list of upcoming broadcasts from August to December 2001.[18] Full coverage has since resurfaced for some of these matches on YouTube, albeit a few coming from other sources such as from clubs' own dedicated coverage. Other matches currently can only be viewed in highlights form, with some clips having originated in club season review videos. Fixtures beyond December 2001 are harder to verify, with a full match list having not been made available. Still, viewable television advertisements and confirmation from various news and fan sites have helped to determine the existence of some 2002 broadcasts.[31][23] This includes the Division 1, 2, and 3 playoffs, all of which are known to have been covered by either ITV Sport or ITV1.[31][33] Of these, only the Division 1 and 3 playoff Finals, as well as the second leg of Rochdale and Rushden & Diamonds' Division 3 semi-final clash, are currently available in-full. Meanwhile, only a portion of UEFA Champions League matches were shown on ITV Sport, with most coverage being prioritised by ITV1 instead.[7]

Perhaps the most coveted media originates from ITV Sport Select, especially when considering how most matches generated low pay-per-view buys.[23] Most known broadcasts were of Premier League clashes, some of which can be found in-full, including via Select's own coverage or via other sources like Sky's Premiership Plus that was launched around the same time as Select and also covered forty 2001-02 Premier League clashes.[43] Additionally, it is confirmed that Grimsby Town's Division 1 matches against Birmingham City on 26th October, Burnley on 24th November, and Wolverhampton Wanderers on 7th December 2001 were also broadcast on Select.[44][45][46][47][23] Likely stemming from the poor commercial reception each broadcast received, only highlights from each game have publicly resurfaced.[23]

List of Known Broadcasts

Match Competition Date Status
Manchester City 3-0 Watford Division 1 11th August 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Burnley Division 1 12th August 2001 Partially Found
Rushden & Diamonds 0-0 Lincoln City Division 3 16th August 2001 Found
Coventry City 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Division 1 19th August 2001 Partially Found
Hartlepool United 0-2 Nottingham Forest League Cup, Round 1 20th August 2001 Found
Cambridge United 1-1 West Bromwich Albion (3-4 pens) League Cup, Round 1 22nd August 2001 Partially Found
Rotherham United 1-1 Sheffield United Division 1 23rd August 2001 Found
Burnley 2-4 Manchester City Division 1 27th August 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Bristol City Division 2 30th August 2001 Lost
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers Division 1 2nd September 2001 Lost
Watford 3-0 Wimbledon Division 1 9th September 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Manchester City 3-0 Birmingham City Division 1 15th September 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Bradford City Division 1 20th September 2001 Found
Birmingham City 0-1 Preston North End Division 1 23rd September 2001 Partially Found
Barnsley 1-4 Portsmouth Division 1 28th September 2001 Partially Found
Watford 1-1 Preston North End Division 1 30th September 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Tranmere Rovers 4-0 Blackpool Division 2 4th October 2001 Lost
Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Sheffield United Division 1 7th October 2001 Partially Found
Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Nottingham Forest League Cup, Round 3 8th October 2001 Found
West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Millwall Division 1 11th October 2001 Partially Found
Walsall 0-1 Coventry City Division 1 14th October 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Norwich City 2-0 West Bromwich Albion Division 1 19th October 2001 Partially Found
Coventry City 1-0 Crewe Alexandra Division 1 21st October 2001 Partially Found
Preston North End 2-1 Manchester City Division 1 21st October 2001 Partially Found (Granada broadcast)
Swindon Town 0-3 Cardiff City Division 2 21st October 2001 Found (HTV broadcast)
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Manchester City Division 1 28th October 2001 Found
Crystal Palace 3-2 Norwich City Division 1 28th October 2001 Partially Found (Anglia/LWT broadcast)
Bristol Rovers 1-2 Plymouth Argyle Division 3 28th October 2001 Lost (HTV/West Country broadcast)
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Nottingham Forest Division 1 4th November 2001 Partially Found (Central broadcast)
Wrexham 1-3 Cardiff City Division 2 4th November 2001 Partially Found (HTV Wales broadcast)
Walsall 2-0 Nottingham Forest Division 1 11th November 2001 Found
Stockport County 2-1 Norwich City Division 1 15th November 2001 Partially Found
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday Division 1 18th November 2001 Partially Found Partially Found (Central/YTV broadcast)
Birmingham City 2-0 Coventry City Division 1 25th November 2001 Found Found Found Found (Central broadcast)
Portsmouth 1-2 Norwich City Division 1 2nd December 2001 Partially Found Partially Found (Anglia/Meridan broadcast)
Coventry City 0-2 Watford Division 1 9th December 2001 Partially Found Partially Found (Central/LWT broadcast)
Manchester City 3-1 Bradford City Division 1 16th December 2001 Partially Found Partially Found (Granada/YTV broadcast)
Wimbledon 1-0 Nottingham Forest Division 1 16th December 2001 Partially Found (Central/LWT broadcast)
Birmingham City 0-2 Nottingham Forest Division 1 1st January 2002 Found
Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Blackburn Rovers League Cup Semi-Final, First Leg 8th January 2002 Partially Found
Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur League Cup Semi-Final, First Leg 9th January 2002 Found
Blackburn Rovers 4-2 Sheffield Wednesday League Cup Semi-Final, Second Leg 22nd January 2002 Partially Found
Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Chelsea League Cup Semi-Final, Second Leg 23rd January 2002 Partially Lost Partially Lost
Watford 2-0 Grimsby Town Division 1 10th February 2002 Partially Found (LWT and YTV broadcast)
Swindon Town 0-0 Reading Division 2 14th February 2002 Partially Found
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur League Cup Final 24th February 2002 Found
Nottingham Forest 0-1 West Bromwich Albion Division 1 22nd March 2002 Found
Manchester City 5-1 Barnsley Division 1 6th April 2002 Partially Found Partially Found
Gillingham 1-3 Manchester City Division 1 13th April 2002 Partially Found Partially Found
Millwall 3-1 Grimsby Town Division 1 21st April 2002 Partially Found Partially Found (ITV London broadcast)
Watford 2-3 Gillingham Division 1 21st April 2002 Partially Found
Hartlepool United 1-1 Cheltenham Town Division 3 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 27th April 2002 Lost
Rushden & Diamonds 2-2 Rochdale Division 3 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 27th April 2002 Partially Found
Huddersfield Town 0-0 Brentford Division 2 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 28th April 2002 Lost
Stoke City 1-2 Cardiff City Division 2 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 28th April 2002 Partially Found
Birmingham City 2-1 Millwall Division 1 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 28th April 2002 Partially Found
Norwich City 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Division 1 Playoff Semi-Final, First Leg 28th April 2002 Partially Found Partially Found
Cheltenham Town 1-1 Hartlepool United (5-4 pens) Division 3 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 30th April 2002 Partially Found
Rochdale 1-2 Rushden & Diamonds Division 3 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 30th April 2002 Found
Brentford 2-1 Huddersfield Town Division 2 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 1st May 2002 Lost
Cardiff City 0-2 Stoke City Division 2 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 1st May 2002 Partially Found
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Norwich City Division 1 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 1st May 2002 Partially Found Partially Found
Millwall 1-1 Birmingham City Division 1 Playoff Semi-Final, Second Leg 2nd May 2002 Partially Found Partially Found
Cheltenham Town 3-1 Rushden & Diamonds Division 3 Playoff Final 6th May 2002 Found
Brentford 0-2 Stoke City Division 2 Playoff Final 11th May 2002 Partially Found (final ITV Sport broadcast)
Birmingham City 1-1 Norwich City (4-2 pens) Division 1 Playoff Final 12th May 2002 Found (ITV1 broadcast)

List of Known Pay-Per-View Broadcasts

Match Competition Date Status
Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United Premier League 19th August 2001 Found
Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Manchester United Premier League 22nd August 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United Premier League 26th August 2001 Partially Found
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Southampton Premier League 9th September 2001 Partially Found
Everton 1-3 Liverpool Premier League 15th September 2001 Found
Charlton Athletic 0-2 Leeds United Premier League 16th September 2001 Found
Leeds United 3-0 Derby County Premier League 23rd September 2001 Found Found
Newcastle United 0-2 Liverpool Premier League 30th September 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Blackburn Rovers 7-1 West Ham United Premier League 14th October 2001 Found
Newcastle United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 21st October 2001 Partially Found
Grimsby Town 3-1 Birmingham City Division 1 26th October 2001 Partially Found
Unknown (listed as TBA on ITV website) Premier League 28th October 2001 Unknown
Arsenal 2-4 Charlton Athletic Premier League 4th November 2001 Partially Found
Leeds United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 4th November 2001 Partially Found
Burnley 1-0 Grimsby Town Division 1 23rd November 2001 Partially Found
Grimsby Town 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Division 1 7th December 2001 Partially Found Partially Found
Charlton Athletic 0-2 Manchester United Premier League 24th February 2002 Found
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Charlton Athletic Premier League 18th March 2002 Found

Gallery

Videos

Tifo Football detailing the fall of ITV Digital and its impact on the Football League.

The Money Programme documentary on ITV Digital's collapse.

BBC News report on ITV Digital going into administration.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ONhistory summarising the timeline of ONdigital, from its launch to relaunch as ITV Digital. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 Four Four Two detailing ONdigital's "too good to be true" deal with the Football League and the far reaching consequences it had. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Guardian reflecting on whether Sky's battle with ONdigital was fair, noting the issue of piracy in particular. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Guardian providing a timeline of football television rights in the United Kingdom. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 BBC News reporting on ONdigital's relaunch and rebranding to ITV Digital. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  6. ↑ Transdiffusion noting the coverage of Champions League matches on ONdigital channels. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 Off the Telly documenting the bidding war for football television rights in June 2000, and how it led to disaster for ITV Digital. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Scotsman reporting on the £315 million deal between ONdigital and the Football League. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 From the Back Page to the Front Room detailing ITV Digital's Football League deal and how it was doomed from the beginning. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 The Athletic detailing the revenue clubs were expecting from the deal, which never materialised. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 Football Pink detailing the financial consequences several Football League clubs had in the years following ITV Digital's demise. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  12. ↑ The Athletic documenting ITV's £183 million deal to broadcast Premier League highlights as part of The Premiership. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 The Fishy providing ITV Sport's FAQ heading into its launch. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 ONhistory providing a press release concerning ITV Sport's first planned programming. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Digital Spy reporting on the inaugural coverage and ITV Sport Plus' purpose. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Watford Observer reporting on Watford's financial difficulties following the collapse of ITV Digital. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  17. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Manchester City's 3-0 win over Watford on 11th August 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Archived ITV Football providing a list of matches to be broadcast on ITV Sport and regional channels up to December 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 The Fishy reviewing ITV Sport's coverage of the Manchester City-Watford match. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  20. ↑ 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the Hartlepool United-Nottingham Forest League Cup match on 20th August 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  21. ↑ Archived BBC Sport reporting on the Chelsea-Newcastle United match on 19th August 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  22. ↑ 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the Crystal Palace-Norwich City match on 28th October 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 The Fishy discussing Grimsby Town matches televised by ITV Sport, and the financial toll ITV Digital's collapse put on the club. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 The Guardian reporting on BARB measuring ITV Sport's League Cup match between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday at a zero audience rating, which was later declared inaccurate. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  25. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on the first leg League Cup Semi-Final clash between Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Citywire reporting that ITV Digital was losing £1 million per day by April 2002. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 The Guardian reporting on the Football League rejecting ITV Digital's £50 million deal. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  28. ↑ ZDNet reporting on ITV Digital entering administration. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Independent reporting on ITV Digital being put up for sale following the failed £74 million offer to the Football League. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 BBC News reporting on ITV Digital's closure. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Independent reporting on the playoffs being set to air for free on ITV Sport following ITV Digital's collapse. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  32. ↑ The Guardian reporting on ITV Sport's impending closure. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 The Guardian reporting that the First Division playoff Final would air on ITV1. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  34. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Birmingham City winning the Division 1 playoff Final. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  35. ↑ Evening Standard reporting on the Football League losing its £178.5 million lawsuit against Carlton and Granada Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  36. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Birmingham City and other Premier League-bound clubs being set to gain a share of Premier League revenue, thus avoiding the ITV Digital collapse fallout. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  37. ↑ English Football Stats detailing the 2001-02 Premier League and Football League tables. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  38. ↑ Sports Quotes and Facts listing English clubs that went into administration. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 From Orient to the Emirates detailing the financial consequences most football clubs experienced following ITV Digital's collapse. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  40. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Watford imposing a 12% universal wage cut. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  41. ↑ ITV Sport Archive catalogue noting it has highlights or full match broadcasts of English Football League from 1968 to 2009. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  42. ↑ ITV Sport Archive noting its footage cannot be utilised for personal use. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  43. ↑ Digital Spy reporting on the establishment of Premiership Plus Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  44. ↑ The Fishy reporting on Grimsby Town's matches with Birmingham City and Burnley being set for broadcast on ITV Sport Select. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  45. ↑ 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the Grimsby Town-Birmingham City match on 26th October 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  46. ↑ 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the Burnley-Grimsby Town match on 23rd November 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
  47. ↑ 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the Grimsby Town-Wolverhampton Wanderers match on 7th December 2001. Retrieved 9th Aug '23
Retrieved from "https://lostmediawiki.com/w/index.php?title=ITV_Sport_(partially_found_coverage_of_English_football_matches;_2001-2002)&oldid=235595"