NFR - ESPN Bringing Back The 12 Hour Cup Final Show

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ESPN plan 12-hour FA Cup Final marathon


Published 23:00 18/04/11



By Akhil Vyas


ESPN are rolling back the years with their FA Cup final coverage next month.

Their broadcast for the Manchester City-Stoke match on May 14 will last 12 hours - and be commercial-break free from 30 minutes before kick-off until after the trophy is presented.

Older viewers will remember Cup finals from the 1960s and 1970s, when rivals BBC and ITV competed for viewers with extended hours, in the days when the showpiece was one of the few live games covered.

While the BBC supplemented their coverage with programmes such as Cup Final It's A Knockout, ITV countered with interviews from Wembley with manic personalities such as comedian Freddie Starr.

ESPN's coverage will start at 8am and will feature a number of special programmes including Breakfast at Wembley hosted by Mark Durden-Smith and MirrorSport columnist Robbie Savage, plus special live editions of Pardon the Interruption and Talk of The Terrace .

There will also be exclusive interviews in a one-hour special at noon with members of the all-time FA Cup XI, including Ian Rush and Ashley Cole, plus Sir Alex Ferguson, voted the greatest Cup manager of all time.

Selected schedule:

8am: Breakfast at Wembley live with Mark Durden-Smith and Robbie Savage.

9am: FA Cup's Greatest Goals.

9.30am: Pardon The Interruption live with Mark Chapman and Steve Bunce.

10am Road To Wembley.

10.30am Talk of the Terrace with Nat Coombs, Kelly Cates and Chris Cohen.

11.30am FA Cup Legends.

12.30pm FA Cup Final build-up live with Ray Stubbs, Rebecca Lowe and Darrell Currie plus guests Kevin Keegan, Robbie Savage, Steve McManaman and John Barnes.

2.30pm FA Cup final live - commercial free from this point.

5.15pm Post-match show live.

6pm Talk of the Terrace post-match party live with Nat Coombs, Kelly Cates and Chris Cohen.

7.15pm FA Cup highlights



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/ESPN-are-rolling-back-the-years-with-their-FA-Cup-final-coverage-next-month-which-will-run-for-12-hours-from-8am-and-be-commercial-free-from-30-minutes-before-kickoff-article725323.html#ixzz1JwqHJj00