Ange Postecoglou is set to appear in the TV studio this summer as a World Cup pundit for ITV. He will be going head to head with Thomas Frank, who has agreed to work for BBC Sport.
Postecoglou’s Return to the Screen
Postecoglou has kept his silence since a 39-day spell at Nottingham Forest. His time there ended with his dismissal 18 minutes after a home defeat by Chelsea in October.
Frank Joins BBC Sport
Frank has not spoken publicly since being sacked by Tottenham in February. His first appearance on the BBC should make compelling viewing, particularly for the club’s fans. The 52-year-old won 13 out of 38 games in charge at Spurs after seven successful years at Brentford. His win ratio of 34.2% was the worst of any permanent manager in the club’s history, although the dismal record of his successor, Igor Tudor, who lost five and drew one match in 44 days as interim manager, has put the Dane’s struggles in context.
TV Coverage of the World Cup
The BBC and ITV share UK rights for the World Cup, although the only game they will both broadcast live will be the final on 19 July. After pre-tournament negotiations with their rivals, the BBC has gambled by opting to have more first-pick games in the knockout stages, giving ITV guaranteed coverage of England games earlier in the tournament.
- ITV will show England’s first game against Croatia on 17 June.
- ITV will show England’s final group game against Panama.
- ITV will broadcast England’s quarter-final if Thomas Tuchel’s side reach that stage of the competition.
The BBC will have live coverage of England’s second group game against Ghana and any knockout fixtures in the last 32, last 16 and semi-finals, as well as two of Scotland’s group matches against Haiti and Brazil in their first World Cup appearance since 1998. The BBC will broadcast 54 games and ITV 51, with all of the tournament’s 104 matches available live.
Punditry Line-ups
The BBC is also understood to have added the former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud to their regular punditry panel. This panel includes Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Alan Shearer. ITV recruited Andros Townsend to join Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane.
ITV’s World Cup Studio in Brooklyn
ITV’s budget for the tournament is believed to be far greater than the BBC’s. This is demonstrated by the fact that they have booked a studio in Brooklyn with views of the Manhattan skyline for the duration of the tournament. ITV will be basing all of its World Cup coverage, to be presented by Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods, from its New York studio, whereas the BBC team of Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates will be in their Salford studios until at least the quarter-finals.
The BBC’s decision to stay in the UK was based on a combination of financial and environmental factors, with the corporation committed to limiting air travel in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.
The expansion of the World Cup is also a factor.