The FA Cup Channel is the first time iPlayer has ever done a pop-up channel, and will see the fourth round of the competition take over for the whole weekend, with a live stream of FA Cup action all day on both 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. For each match, fans can choose 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 taken on their local rivals Manchester City.
The channel will also feature some classic FA Cup matches taken from the BBC archive, 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.
Steve Rudge, BBC lead executive, football at the BBC, said: “The magic of the FA cup is alive and well in the fourth round, with a cracking game due as Championship high flyers Brentford take on Leicester City, plus a huge potential upset with the Premier League leaders Liverpool travelling to League One’s Shrewsbury. 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, added: “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 4thround 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.”
Full schedule
Saturday
10am – FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 1
11am – FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 2
midday – Round 4 Cup Classic from 2015: Chelsea 2 Bradford City 4
12.10pm – MOTDx FA Cup Fourth Round Preview
12.15pm – Live: Brentford v Leicester City (two alternative audio options available from 5 live and commentary-free, plus the option on iPlayer to watch Women’s FA Cup Round 4 Manchester United v Manchester City live from 12.40pm)
2.30pm – FA Cup Final Score
5.30pm – Round 4 Goals Loop
10.30pm Match Of The Day
Sunday
9am – FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 1
10am – FA Cup Rewind Round 4 Part 2
11am – Round 4 Cup Classic from 2015: Chelsea 2 Bradford City 4
11.10am – FA Cup Heroes Matt Smith
11.15am – Round 4 Cup Classic from 2004: Tottenham Hotspur 3 Manchester City 4
12.45pm – Live: Manchester City v Fulham (two alternative audio options available from 5 live and commentary-free)
3.05pm – Cup Classic from 2006: Luton Town 3 Liverpool 5
4.30pm – Live: Shrewsbury Town v Liverpool (alternative audio option available to watch commentary-free)
7.10pm – Round 4 Goals Loop
10.30pm – Match Of The Day