David Farnor | On 02, Mar 2020

BBC iPlayer is bringing back its FA Cup Channel for the fifth round of the football tournament.

Fans can watch two additional live matches on BBC iPlayer for the FA Cup’s fifth round, as well as the games that will be shown on BBC One. On Tuesday evening iPlayer will stream West Bromwich Albion vs Newcastle live, as well as Chelsea vs Liverpool from BBC One, and on Wednesday will stream Tottenham Hotspur vs Norwich City live, alongside BBC One’s coverage of Sheffield Wednesday vs Manchester City.

All four matches will be available live on the FA Cup Channel, a pop-up channel that first debuted during the fourth round, as the Beeb followed Amazon’s lead, after the online giant streamed Premier League football for the first time. The BBC One matches will once again offer fans the ability to choose between the commentary from BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live or to watch the match with no commentary at all. As well as the live games the channel will feature classic ties from the past between the clubs set for fifth round fixtures, including Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Liverpool in 1997 and Manchester City’s 2-1 result against Sheffield Wednesday in the third round in 2007. Each day will feature all the goals from that day, plus a look at classic moments from the fifth round in years gone by.

Steve Rudge, BBC lead executive, football at the BBC, says: “The FA cup roars back into action for this mid-week fifth round, and it’s great to have the FA Cup channel back for it with two extra games. There’s nothing like watching live football, and we’re thrilled that West Brom, Newcastle, Spurs and Norwich fans can watch their teams live as well as those who’ll be watching the BBC One coverage.

“Once again, the FA Cup Channel gives football fans far more FA Cup action than they could ever get on our linear channels, plus the added bonus of Des Lynam back on the box for the 1997 match between Chelsea and Liverpool.”

FA Cup: BBC iPlayer launches pop-up player for fourth round

25th January 2020

Football fans can enjoy two full days of FA Cup fourth round action this weekend, with live games, classic matches, highlights and all the goals through a new pop-up channel on BBC iPlayer.

A first for BBC iPlayer, the FA Cup channel will see the fourth round take over for the whole weekend, with a live stream of FA Cup action all day on Saturday and Sunday. All the live games will feature on the channel, including Brentford vs Leicester on Saturday and holders Manchester City vs Fulham and Shrewsbury Town vs Liverpool on Sunday.

Taking a leaf from Amazon Prime Video, which created a similar dedicated portal for its Premier League games, iPlayer is also offering a choice between the commentary from BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live or to watch the match with no commentary at all. On Saturday, fans will also have the option to turn over to watch the Women’s FA Cup fourth round derby as Manchester United take on their local rivals Manchester City.

The channel will feature some classic FA Cup matches taken from the BBC archive too, including Luton’s famous 2006 tie against Liverpool, and Manchester City’s iconic 2004 fourth round replay against Tottenham Hotspur. There will also be edited highlights of Bradford’s 2015 fourth round upset against Chelsea.

Fans will also be able to enjoy the highlights on Match of the Day, all the goals on Final Score, and FA Cup Rewind Round 4, which revisits the incredible moments the fourth round has thrown up in years gone by.

The result is a one-stop shop for the FA Cup this weekend, but also a sign of how sports is starting to be embrace the potential that streaming platforms offer compared to traditional live, linear broadcasts.

Steve Rudge, BBC lead executive, football at the BBC, says: “This new pop-up channel on iPlayer will give us the ability to give football fans far more FA Cup action than they could ever get on our linear channels, plus we’ve chosen some pretty tasty games from fourth rounds in the past for fans to sink their teeth into too.”

Dan McGolpin, controller of BBC iPlayer, adds: “The FA Cup pop-up channel will be available exclusively on BBC iPlayer all weekend and is a great example of the Total TV experience that you find there. It will be the place to enjoy all of the build-up and all of the goals, the live 4th round ties with your chosen commentary feed and some classic matches from the world’s original cup competition. Whatever kind of drama you are passionate about, BBC iPlayer is a great place to watch.”

Here’s the line for the weekend:

Saturday

10am FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 1
11am FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 2
Noon>/strong> Round 4 Cup Classic from 2015: Chelsea 2 Bradford City 4
12.10pm MOTD FA Cup Fourth Round Preview
12.15pm Live: Brentford v Leicester City
12.40pm Live (Women’s FA Cup): Manchester United v Manchester City
2.30pm FA Cup Final Score
5.30pm Round 4 Goals Loop
10.30pm Match Of The Day