The BBC and ITV face a fight to keep their coverage of the FA Cup alive after TNT Sports secured an historic broadcast deal.
The paid channel has reached a four-year agreement with the FA that will see them show a record number of ties from the start of the 2025-26 season.
The deal includes a commitment to make matches in every round available for free, but there are no guarantees that that will mean the competition being shown on public service television, with TNT also holding the option of making some games free-to-watch on its own platforms.
It is thought that a more likely outcome will see the rights sub-let to either the BBC or ITV, but one of the broadcasters faces missing out entirely. Both have shared the rights in recent seasons, though TNT's predecessor, BT Sport, previously showed the world's oldest cup competition alongside the BBC from 2014-21.
The BBC's latest fight comes only months after its outgoing director of sport, Barbara Slater, warned the corporation faced a battle to keep hold of the rights to rugby's Six Nations.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "TNT Sports is an outstanding broadcaster, so we are delighted to be working with it on our shared commitment and long-term vision that will ensure the FA Cup continues to thrive over the coming years."
TNT's new deal, reportedly worth £66million per year, dictates that at least two matches in every round up to and including the quarter-finals must be made free-to-air, along with one of the semi-finals and the final itself.
