Inside 'extreme Cold War' negotiations between the BBC and ITV (2024)

Beore Euro 2024 kicked off, fans were privy to the full list of TV picks for the tournament this summer.

Every single game has and will be free-to-air for fans in the UK as they are broadcasted across the BBC and ITVs channels.

With the exception of the final, only one of the broadcasting companies will be the sole host of a game.

The process of deciding who gets a game is equal measures simple and complex as the TV schedule begins to take shape.

But just how exactly does it come about and what is the thinking behind the process?

Well fans of American sports may be familiar with the format as it is decided in a rookie draft type format.

As Marina Hyde explained on the Rest is Entertainment podcast, each broadcaster gets to pick a game on the schedule.

They can do this based on a predicted outcome, so in this instance ITV decided they wanted the first choice of the semi-finals.

And that set the stage for the chess match that would follow, as each one tries to ensure they can get the best viewership.

For the most part they seem to be targeting England games, with the semi-final decision based on the projection of England to do well and make a run deep into Euro 2024.

Speaking on the podcast, Hyde said: 'ITV and the BBC share out games at the Euros and in fact all tournaments.

'They take it in turns to pick matches, but this time round it was ITV's turn to pick first.

'So they thought, well, - you can choose anything right from the start, it is like a draft - but they thought, we'll do semi-final pick one. Because we think England will do well in this tournament.

'So when this line up for the semi-finals is decided, ITV will get to choose the first choice of that, hopefully with England in it.

'So the BBC then counter their next thing, and this is what happened in the room for this particular Euros.

'The BBC then countered with quarter-final pick one and the ITV are like what next, it is like Game Theory like extreme Cold War.

'They are thinking we are going to do round of 16 first pick because that is not a risky choice because England's group is manageable.

'The BBC then go England Serbia that is 8pm sunday night maximum possible audience we will have that.

'ITV next England v Slovenia that is also a peak time game but that is a the third match in the group so if England have already qualified then it could be dead but people always watch England games.

'But it could really be a knockout if they haven't done well, so you have got to have that.

'Then, the BBC took the one remaining England game that's 5pm on a Thursday that's not too bad because we have had games where you have had to watch football at 7am which is terrible.

'But then the big dilemma and ITV could have had the second semi-final and the BBC would have been shut out from the final week of the tournament until the actual final.

'But if England are already gone then the level of interest is already gone, so ITV have gone we will have game one of the whole tournament.

'We'll have Germany and by the way the data shows that English people love to watch Germany for whatever reason, not necessarily sympathetically but they love to watch them.

'And of course Scotland are a home nation and it is peak time on a Friday night and that has paid off brilliantly for them because so many players watched that.'

The first round-of-16 game selection by ITV has turned out to be England vs Slovakia as Gareth Southgate's side have been handed a favourable draw for the knockout phases.

Finishing top of their group means they have managed to avoid Portugal, Spain, Germany and France until a potential final.

And nobody could blame Three Lions fans for feeling optimistic or that they have had a favourable draw in the knockout phases.

And that could also bode well for the BBC and ITV as they look to capitalise on a strong run by Gareth Southgate's side.