ITV SPORTS ANNOUNCES WEEKEND LINE-UP

THE ITV Sport Channel have announced the schedule for its launch weekend next month and also the first of its presenters.
The channel will kick-off with two live Football League Division One games over its first weekend including the clash between Manchester City and Watford at Maine Road, as well as separate in-depth highlight shows for all three Nationwide Divisions, exclusive tennis from the USA and top quality international snooker.
One of the new presenters who will feature heavily on the new channel is rising star Matt Smith who has been signed from the BBC.
Smith, 32, started his career presenting sports news on Chris Evans’ Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and has also covered the Olympics for 5Live.
He made his TV debut on BBC Choice and has also fronted the Sunday morning ‘Football Fever’ show as well as presenting sports bulletins on the BBC TV news.
The first of 65 live Division One games to be screened on the channel throughout the season will see Gianluca Vialli’s Watford travel to Maine Road on August 11 to take on a Manchester City side playing their first game under former England coach Kevin Keegan.
Saturday night will see the first ever Division One highlights show that will give fans in-depth coverage and analysis of the days games hours after the final whistles have gone up and down the country.
The following day will see similar groundbreaking programmes for Division 2 and 3 fans before the weekend’s second live game sees a War of the Roses clash between Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley.
The ITV Sport Channel, the first premium sport channel to launch in the UK for ten years, will show 40 UEFA Champions League games, 80 Nationwide League matches and 15 Worthington Cup ties as well as a host of wrap around football programming and other top quality sporting action. The channel is only available through ONdigital, soon to be renamed ITV Digital.
As well as the ITV Sport Channel, the ITV Sport Plus overflow channel will appear free of charge enabling viewers to choose which game or sporting event they want to watch when there is a scheduling clash.
(CD)