[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank will go head-to-head in TV studios this summer as World Cup pundits for different broadcasters. It is understood that Frank has signed with BBC Sport to serve as one of its lead analysts, while Postecoglou has agreed to work with ITV. BBC and ITV share the United Kingdom broadcasting rights for the World Cup, with the final being the only match simulcast live by both networks. Following pre-tournament negotiations between the two broadcasters, the BBC has decided on a bold strategy to secure priority pick of more fixtures in the knockout stages. This means ITV will be guaranteed to air England’s group-stage matches in the early part of the tournament. As a commercial broadcaster, ITV is believed to have allocated a far larger budget for this World Cup than the BBC. This is evident from its decision to rent a studio in Brooklyn overlooking the Manhattan skyline for the entire duration of the tournament.
The editor believes that historically, BBC has usually achieved stronger viewing figures when going head-to-head with ITV. In the 2022 final between Argentina and France, BBC recorded a peak audience of 15 million, compared with just 4.3 million on ITV. Both the BBC and ITV have declined to comment ahead of their planned World Cup coverage launch events next week.