Emerging subscription channel Premier Sports has signed a deal with the Rugby Football League (RFL) to screen live Co-operative Championship matches from 2012.

Up to 32 matches from the Championship, Championship One and the Northern Rail Cup will be televised on the channel throughout the season, with coverage beginning in early March.

Subscribers will be able to watch at least one live game from the second and third tiers of English rugby league each week during the regular season.

Premier Sports’ on-site presentation team will include regular BBC commentator Dave Woods, rugby league broadcaster Ian Ramsdale, and former Bradford and Great Britain coach Brian Noble.

Three games will be televised in the play-off stages, as well as both the Championship and Championship One Finals.

Live matches will be screened mostly on Thursday evenings, and there will be opportunities for some double headers throughout the season.

As in previous years one game from the Northern Rail Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals will be shown live, as well as the final.

Premier Sports takes over Championship coverage from Sky Sports, who ended their association with the competition in 2011.

This was confirmed in August when Sky renewed its Engage Super League contract for a further five years.

Broadcast rights to all RFL competitions, including Super League, have been sold seperately for the first time, leaving the RFL to negotiate individual TV deals for internationals, the Challenge Cup and the Co-operative Championship.

“We’re delighted to confirm Premier Sports as the broadcaster for the Championships next season and look forward to working with them,” said the RFL’s Commercial Director Paul Kimberley.

“The Championships have provided fantastic entertainment for TV viewers over the past few years and fans will now be able to watch action from the NRL and the Co-operative Championships in the same place.”

Premier Sports executive Richard Webb said: “This is a superb opportunity for the channel to build on the great relationship we have with Rugby League fans in the UK.

“Next season we plan to broadcast 200 Rugby League games between the NRL and Championship which works out at 40p per game if fans take out a 12-month season ticket.

“Viewers can expect extended pre-match build-ups and analysis that will get to the true heart of the game at Championship level.”

Premier Sports broadcasts exclusively on the Sky platform (channel 433). For a fee of £7.99 per month, viewers can enjoy more than 700 events over the next 12 months, including NHL, NRL, NASCAR, South American and Conference football, Boxing and MMA.

Visit www.premiersports.tv or call 0871 663 9000 for information on subscribing.

Premier Sports will broadcast exclusive coverage of the finale to the 2012 Co-operative Championship season.

Live coverage of both the RFL Championship and Championship One grand finals will be shown on Premier Sports Extra this Sunday, forming part of the channel’s Super Sunday Finals Day line-up.

A bumper six-hour celebration of Rugby League gets underway at 1pm, with the full Premier Sports on-screen team of Dave Woods, Ian Ramsdale, Natalie Quirk and Brian Noble guiding viewers through the day’s events.

The programme begins with a review of the 2012 Australian NRL grand final which was played earlier in the day.

At 1.30pm live coverage begins from The Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington with the build up to the Championship One grand final between Barrow and Doncaster, which kicks off at 2.00pm.

The Championship grand final between Featherstone Rovers and Sheffield Eagles begins at 4.30pm.

Between both live games highlights from the Conference final will be shown as well as coverage of the Co-operative Championships awards dinner taking place this evening in Leeds. 

Richard Webb, Operations Director at Premier Sports said: “We look forward to a very special event covering all that is great about Rugby League.

“The day will bring to a close a superb first season’s coverage that has been very successful both on and off the pitch.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the coverage and wish all the finals teams well on Sunday the 30th September.”

The Rugby Football League (RFL) have praised Premier Sports for its “innovative” coverage in its first season screening live Co-Operative Championship games.

The subscription channel is into the first of a two-year deal to screen more than 30 matches per season.

.

Premier Sports has signed an agreement with the European Handball Federation (EHF) to broadcast this season’s Champions League competition to UK viewers.

The channel will show one match live or delayed in full every week from Europe’s premier club handball tournament, as well as an EHF-produced magazine and highlights show ‘Rewind – The Handball Show’ on Monday evenings.

Premier Sports will pick up live coverage of the EHF Champions League on Saturday, October 6, when Hungarian side Pick Szeged take on Kadetten Schaffhausen of Switzerland in the second round of group stage games.

Coverage begins at 4.10pm on Sky channel 428 (subscription only) ahead of a 4.15pm throw-off. Match commentary will be provided by former Irish handball player and coach Tom Ó Brannagáin.

Previously UK fans were only able to watch delayed coverage of the competition on British Eurosport.

Handball received a significant boost to its popularity in the UK during the London 2012 Olympic Games, as matches were played in front of vast and enthusiastic crowds inside the Copper Box and Basketball Arena, with many fans experiencing the sport for the very first time, whether at the venues or watching on television.

Every match was broadcast live on the BBC’s dedicated Olympics channels, with selected highlights and live action from key matches on BBC One and BBC Two during the Games, bringing vital exposure of this fast-paced and energetic sport to wider UK audiences.

Richard Webb, Operations Director of Premier Sports said: “It is great to be able to showcase further a sport that really caught the imagination of UK fans during the summer Olympics.

“The Velux EHF Champions League is a superb competition and we are delighted to be able to offer it on a weekly basis throughout the season.”

Peter Vargo, Managing Director of EHF Marketing, said: “After the successful presentation of handball at the London 2012 Olympic Games we would like to establish the sport on UK television schedules.

“This will be a chance to promote the top product of European club handball and we believe that we can gain a solid foothold for the sport in the UK.”

Handball is hugely popular in Scandinavian countries and continental Europe, and the EHF Champions League tournament, like its football equivalent, is the pinnacle of the sport for professional European club teams, and features some of the world’s best players, great match atmospheres and sell-out crowds.

German side THW Kiel are the defending champions going into the 2012-13 season and will be looking to retain their trophy, but Spanish sides Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are expected to provide a strong challenge.

Comprising of 24 of the best teams from across Europe, the group stages of the competition split them into four groups, consisting of six teams.

After 10 matchdays, the first four ranked teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage, beginning in February 2013 and continues through to the climax of the tournament, the ‘final four’ stage, on 1-2 June 2013.

Premier Sports adds live Handball to its expanding portfolio of sports rights, having started broadcasting in April 2010 on the Sky platform (channel 428) in the UK.

The channel is available in 10 million homes with Sky, and currently focuses on niche sports that have strong and passionate followings, such as conference football, championship rugby league, Top 14 French rugby union, NASCAR racing and Swedish speedway.

Future rollouts will begin shortly on all other platforms.

UK viewers wanting to subscribe to the channel should visit the Premier Sports website and enter ‘handball’ in the promo code section of the subscription page to receive a special offer.

.

For more information on the Velux EHF Champions League, visit the official website - CLICK HERE

.

The road to Brazil continues this week as the latest qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup take place on Friday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 16.

England’s match against San Marino and their away trip to Poland will both be shown live on ITV1, and the highly anticipated home nations clash between Wales and Scotland in Cardiff is exclusively live on Sky Sports.

Full details of how to follow all the action on Matchdays 3 & 4 below:

.

England face minnows San Marino and a challenging away clash against Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland in their latest Group H qualifiers.

Roy Hodgson’s charges required a late penalty from Frank Lampard to salvage a draw in their last match against Ukraine.

But with San Marino considered to be the weakest side in the group, the England coach will expect nothing less than three points and a number of goals on Friday night in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium.

The sides last met in this country in 1993, with England running out 6-0 winners thanks to four strikes from David Platt and goals from Carlton Palmer and Les Ferdinand at the old Wembley.

On Tuesday, England travel to the National Stadium in Warsaw to face Poland, where Hodgson’s men seek a vital victory.

Following their draw at home to Ukraine in their second fixture, England need to ensure they do not lose any ground on their rivals for the sole automatic qualification place, and Poland are expected to be among them.

Like England, the Poles claimed four points from their opening two games after drawing away to Montenegro before beating Moldova on home soil.

They will also be aiming to remain in the hunt for top spot in the group table, as well as overcoming the disappointment of Euro 2012, when they failed to win any of their games in front of a fervent and expectant home crowd.

Adrian Chiles presents live coverage of both games on ITV1 and ITV HD, with commentary by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, and analysis from Roy Keane, Lee Dixon and Gareth Southgate.

UPDATE: England’s World Cup qualifier against Poland has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 17, after the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch in Warsaw on Tuesday.

Heavy rain had been falling in the Polish capital for most of the day and massive pools of water had appeared on the pitch.

Italian referee Gianluca Rocci inspected the pitch at 9pm local time (8pm BST), when the match was due to start at Warsaw’s National Stadium.

In the end, though, with rain continuing to fall, there was no chance of the game being played properly and the decision to postpone was taken.

Poland v England will now take place on Wednesday afternoon, kicking off at 4pm. Coverage on ITV1 from 3.30pm.

.

Friday sees the first of two home nations clashes in Group A as Wales meet Scotland at the Cardiff City Stadium, where both teams are desperate for a victory.

The Scots drew 0-0 with the Serbians and then 1-1 against Macedonia at Hampden Park, and can ill-afford any more slip-ups with the likes of Belgium and Croatia still to play.

Scotland won the last meeting between the two sides in their Carling Nations Cup clash in Dublin in May 2011 but that was the first time they had beaten Wales since February 1984.

While Wales have lost both of their 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Scotland have taken two points from their opening two games, but the Scots have only won once in Cardiff in 50 years.

On Tuesday, Scotland travel to the Koning Boudewijn Stadion in Brussels for their vital clash against Belgium, a match which will be shown free-to-air on BBC One Scotland in Sportscene and also on ESPN.

Craig Levein’s side will face a stern test from a hugely talented Belgian squad featuring Premier League stars Hazard, Kompany, Fellani and Dembele.

The Scots are likely to have to be at their combative best to earn a result against the talented hosts.

Rob Maclean presents BBC Scotland’s live coverage, with analysis from Pat Nevin and Craig Gordon.

.

Chris Coleman’s Wales side began their World Cup qualification campaign in the worst possible fashion.

They lost 2-0 at home to Belgium before suffering a 6-1 thumping away to Serbia, ensuring they are the only nation in the group without a point after two matches.

To add to the anguish ahead of a crucial home nations clash against Scotland, the Wales manager will be without the experienced trio of Neil Taylor, James Collins and Craig Bellamy.

Both Gareth Bale and Adam Matthews are expected to be fit for  despite not yet training fully with the squad.

Wales assistant manager John Hartson confirmed winger Bale and full-back Matthews are suffering from heel and ankle problems respectively.

Coleman has lost his first four matches in charge and Wales have scored just one goal in all internationals so far in 2012.

Can his side bounce back from two straight defeats? Its a must-win World Cup qualifier against Scotland on home turf at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night.

Following the Scotland game, Wales then travel to Osijek to face Croatia on Tuesday. No matter the result from Friday’s match, they already face a difficult battle to progress to the tournament that will be staged in Brazil in two years’ time.

Both games are exclusively live on Sky Sports. Free-to-air highlights of the Wales/Scotland clash will be shown on BBC Two Wales.

.

Northern Ireland’s only World Cup qualifier of this international period sees them face Portugal at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto.

Michael O’Neill’s men face an uphill struggle to retain any lingering hopes of qualification, having drawn with Luxembourg at home in their last fixture.

The home side will go into this match as firm favourites to register a victory over the Northern Irish, who lost 2-0 to Russia in their only previous away match of the campaign.

Portugal have started their campaign strongly, winning 2-1 in Luxembourg and 3-0 at home to Azerbaijan.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in the Portugal squad to face Northern Ireland, despite spraining his left shoulder in the 2-2 draw in the El Clasico clash against Barcelona, but his club has confirmed that the injury is not serious.

.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland side welcome Euro 2012 quarter-finalists Germany to the Aviva Stadium.

The Irish face the favourites to progress from this group and a side packed with star names, including Arsenals Lukas Podolski and Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira.

They will need a much-improved performance than the one that saw them scrape past Kazakhstan in their opening fixture last month, when goals in the closing minutes by Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle salvaged a 2-1 victory.

Republic of Ireland’s away match against the Faroe Islands will not be shown on UK television. It will be broadcast online via pay-per-view service LIVESPORT.TV - CLICK HERE for details.

CLICK HERE for full list of FIFA World Cup Qualifying fixtures (Europe)

.

In addition to the World Cup qualifiers, the play-offs for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship are also taking place.

Both legs of England’s tie with Serbia will be shown exclusively live on ESPN.

Stuart Pearce’s men won seven of their eight group games, while Serbia went unbeaten.

The first leg is at Norwich’s Carrow Road, where England will hope they can establish a lead against a side that was twice held by Norway and once by Macedonia in the group stage.

The pressure will be on England, who have qualified for the past three international tournaments.

.

ITV1′s live England coverage, as well additional video clips, interviews and analysis, is available to watch for free via the ITV football website - CLICK HERE

BBC One Scotland’s live coverage of Belgium/Scotland will be available to watch online via the BBC Sport website.

Highlights of Wales/Scotland on BBC Two Wales will be available to view via BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

Sky Sports subscribers can follow every live match on mobiles, laptops and tablets via Sky Go, as well as live text commentaries and match highlights on the Sky Sports football website.

A selection of live games that do not have UK rights holders from across Europe will be available to watch for free on YouTube – CLICK HERE

Online streaming available to UK users only

The World Bowls Tour and English Indoor Bowling Association have announced a new ground-breaking partnership with Premier Sports which will provide bowls fans with the most comprehensive television coverage in the sport’s history.

Over 260 hours of indoor bowls will be broadcast on Premier Sports in 2013, giving the sport complete all-year-round exposure on one network for the first time.

Premier Sports’ coverage will begin in February and includes a wide range of tournaments and events on the World Bowls circuit.

There will be extensive coverage of the World Bowls Tour International Open, PBA Masters, National Under-25s, EIBA Singles Finals, England Internationals, World Pairs and the brand new Premier Threes events.

Horizon Solutions, who have a strong track record in producing Bowls events on television, will handle the year-round coverage for Premier Sports.

The subscription sports channel is available on Sky channel 428, making it accessible to over 10 million homes in the UK.

Since inception in 2010 the broadcaster has focused on identifying sports that are not covered in-depth on mainstream UK television but have a loyal and passionate following.

Bowls will now sit alongside the channel’s existing coverage of Blue Square Bet Premier football, RFL Championship rugby league, French Top 14 rugby union, NASCAR racing, boxing, handball and ice hockey, with subscribers able to enjoy top quality live action every week of the year.

Richard Sweeney, CEO of Premier Sports, said: “We look forward to delivering the best Indoor Bowls from around the UK all year long.

“We have been very impressed with the loyal following Bowls has in the UK and the commitment and passion of its players and administrators.

“Now they have the opportunity to really get behind the weekly TV coverage that will become even more extensive if the support is there.”

Peter Thompson, Chief Executive, EIBA Ltd said: “We are delighted to be part of this major initiative for the sport of Indoor Bowls.

“It provides weekly exposure for our top competitive bowlers and showcases the sport, including the new shorter and faster format of Premier Threes, to a far wider audience than ever before.

“This will introduce the sport to new audiences and encourage them to become part of the sport.

“The promotion of the sport is a key strategy for the EIBA on behalf of its Clubs and with the same vision being shared by Premier Sports, Horizon and the World Bowls Tour this partnership will only strengthen this objective.

“I would ask that members and clubs take up the offers available to subscribe so that we can continue to grow and develop bowls on television.”

Bowls has a tradition of attracting strong TV audiences and Richard Maddison, CEO of World Bowls Tour Ltd, speaking from the recent Scottish Open event in Perth added: “World Bowls Tour are really pleased to be a part of this exciting and bold initiative that gives the sport of bowls a weekly, all year round presence on television for the first time in history.

“With Premier Sports, Horizon and the EIBA this partnership in events, TV hours and regular programmes will truly develop and strengthen all aspects of the sport.

“As WBT add to the professional circuit over the ensuing months we believe that the sport of Bowls has never been better placed to face the future.”

A special website www.lovebowls.com has been commissioned to provide fans with all the information on the Premier Sports coverage including, dates, schedules, venues and times.

Special launch offers including money back to clubs, for every subscription, to develop youth players will be published on the site in the coming weeks.

In addition to the new Premier Sports deal, bowls will continue to receive exposure on terrestrial television as the BBC will again broadcast live coverage of the World Indoor Championships on BBC Two and Red Button, with the 2013 tournament starting on January 21.

To subscribe to Premier Sports please visit premiersports.tv or call 0871 663 9000.

.

Sport On The Box’s Christmas Watch series returns for the festive period of 2012 as we guide you through all the must-see live sporting events each day, plus highlighting the best review shows and documentaries as this sensational sporting year draws to a close.

It’s a busy day of football as the final round of fixtures before Christmas take place across the country. There will be the usual thrills and spills from the Premier League, including two televised matches on Saturday, plus live action from the npower Championship, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A.

Elsewhere, the glorious setting of London’s Olympia has been the scene of the 40th staging of the annual International Horse Show, with a fine array of Christmas jumpers from across the glove set to excite the vast crowds for the feature FEI World Cup show jumping qualifier, live on BBC One.

Full details below:

Clare Balding is at Olympia to present an afternoon of top class showjumping on the sixth day of the London International Horse Show at the Olympia Grand Hall in London.

The featured event of the afternoon is the FEI World Cup show jumping qualifier, which features all four members of Great Britain’s gold medal-winning showjumping team from the Olympic Games.

Nick Skelton, Scott Brash, Ben Maher and Peter Charles are among the final list of entries confirmed by show organisers.

The quartet gave Britain its first Olympic showjumping gold medal for 60 years by beating Holland in a thrilling London 2012 jump-off at Greenwich Park just over four months ago.

Three of the four, Skelton, Brash and Maher, are entered with their respective Olympic horses Big Star, Hello Sanctos and Tripple X III.

The prestigious London show is highlighted by the Rolex FEI World Cup class on the penultimate day, which was won last year by Maher.

Some of the biggest names in the sport are out in force for the showjumping competition, which is the seventh of 12 legs culminating at next April’s global final in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Plus, the programme also features highlights from the week’s Puissance and Dressage events, and there is a look back at some of the best moments from a remarkable equestrian programme at the London Olympics.

Commentary is provided by Michael Tucker, Andy Austin and Judy Harvey.

In the evening, British Eurosport has live coverage of the Ivy Stakes competition from 9pm.

…

Arsenal travel north to Lancashire to face Wigan Athletic in the first of two televised Premier League games on Saturday.

The Latics are looking to haul themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone, having registered just four points out of a possible 18 to leave them in 18th place.

They will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Norwich City last weekend, and Wigan boss Roberto Martinez’s squad has been reduced to its bare bones with no fewer than eight players sidelined, including James McCarthy.

Meanwhile, Arsenal eased the pressure on manager Arsene Wenger on Monday night with a dominant 5-2 victory over Reading, but the Gunners have only won twice in their last seven games in all competitions.

Midfielder Santi Cazorla scored a hat-trick in that match to take his season’s tally up to seven goals to make him Arsenal’s top scorer for the season.

Unlike Martinez, the Arsenal manager has no fresh injury concerns after Monday’s convincing win against Reading.

David Jones presents live coverage on Sky Sports 3 from 12.30pm ahead of a 12.45pm kick-off.

Highlights will be shown on Match of the Day (10.25pm, BBC One).

…

Fulham and Liverpool ended last season with identical records in the Premier League after both finished on 52 points, having won 14, drawn 10, and lost 14.

Though goal difference edged the Reds into eighth, one place above the Cottagers, Martin Jol’s side were responsible for two of those Liverpool losses as they secured a double over them for the first time in their history.

Indeed, their 1-0 triumph back in May was a landmark moment for Fulham as they finally won at Anfield at the 31st time of asking, having previously lost on 21 occasions since their inaugural visit in 1934.

Saturday’s match will be Liverpool’s 10th home game of this season, yet they are seeking only their fourth success there. Their three wins so far have come against bottom four sides: Wigan, Reading and Southampton.

Fulham’s recent form doesn’t suggest they’re likely to inflict an eighth, though, as they’re currently on a run of just one victory in their last nine games.

They’ve also only managed to secure just one more away win since their historic triumph at Anfield seven months ago.

Live coverage will be presented by Ray Stubbs on ESPN from 4.30pm ahead of a 5.30pm kick-off, with commentary from Jon Champion.

Highlights will be shown on Match of the Day (10.25pm, BBC One).

…

England’s final match of an eventful calendar year sees them face India in the second T20 international at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Yuvraj Singh starred with bat and ball as the home side won the first match in Pune on Thursday by five wickets.

It was never going to be easy for England to replicate their form from the test match series to the T20 contests.

Alex Hales hit 56 and Jos Buttler 33 but England’s total was well below par as Yuvraj took 3-19 from his four overs.

In reply, Yuvraj top-scored for India with 38 as the hosts reached their target with 13 balls to spare.

England’s bowling attack served up 10 wides and will have to be far more disciplined if they are to square the series in Mumbai on Saturday.

With regulars Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann and Steven Finn all rested after their exploits in the 2-1 Test series win and Stuart Broad injured, Eoin Morgan leads an inexperienced England line-up for the two match series.

After losing their first test series at home to England since the mid-1980s, the hosts brought home a fairly comfortable win in the first T20 contest to save a bit of face in front of their adoring public.

Ian Ward presents live coverage on Sky Sports 1, with commentary and analysis from David Lloyd, Nasser Hussain, Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick.

…

James Whitham presents a comprehensive review of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship season, six months of the very best two-wheel action condensed into a bumper two-hour programme.

This year’s championship was tightly contested, the eventual winner being Shane ‘Shakey’’Byrne, the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider from Kent who won the championship for a third time, pipping his nearest rival Josh Brookes of Tyki Suzuki by 28 points in a season that went right down to the wire.

Shakey’s victory was not secured until the final race of the day at the last round of the competition at Brands Hatch in October.

He joins the elite club of riders who have won the championship three times, the others being John Reynolds, Niall Mackenzie and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Byrne has already set his sights on an unprecedented fourth BSB win, having announced that he will stay with his winning Kawasaki team for the 2013 season.

…

LIVE: 8.00am-11.30am – Sky Sports 1

 

India v England - 2nd T20 International | Start: 1.30pm

LIVE: 1.00pm-5.30pm – Sky Sports 1

 

 

PDC World Championship – Day 9

FEI World Cup Show Jumping

LIVE: 1.00pm-4.30pm – BBC One

 

H&M Six Bar Competition

DELAYED: 8.00pm-9.00pm – British Eurosport

 

H&M Ivy Stakes

LIVE: 9.00pm-10.15pm – British Eurosport

 

 

Gillette Soccer Saturday

12.00pm-6.00pm – Sky Sports News

 

Football Focus

12.15pm-1.00pm - BBC One

 

Wigan Athletic v Arsenal - Premier League | k/o: 12.45pm

LIVE: 12.30pm-3.10pm – Sky Sports 3

 

Final Score

2.30pm-4.30pm – BBC HD | 2.30pm-6.00pm – BBC Red Button

4.30pm-5.20pm – BBC One

 

Prestatyn Town v Newtown – Welsh Premier League | k/o 3.45pm

LIVE: 3.00pm-6.00pm – S4C

 

Liverpool v Fulham - Premier League | k/o: 5.30pm

LIVE: 4.30pm-7.45pm – ESPN

 

Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town – Championship | k/o 5.20pm

LIVE: 5.00pm-7.55pm - Sky Sports 2

 

Valladolid v Barcelona - La Liga (joining 15mins after k/o)

LIVE: 5.15pm-7.00pm - Sky Sports 4

 

Malaga v Real Madrid – La Liga | k/o 7.00pm

LIVE: 7.00pm-9.00pm – Sky Sports 4

 

AS Roma v AC Milan - Serie A | k/o: 7.45pm

LIVE: 7.45pm-9.45pm – ESPN

 

Football First: Game of the Day

8.25pm-10.15pm – Sky Sports 2

 

Athletic Bilbao v Real Zaragoza - La Liga | k/o 9.00pm

LIVE: 9.00pm-11.00pm - Sky Sports 4

 

Match of the Day

10.25pm-11.55pm – BBC One

 

The Football League Show

11.55pm-1.10am – BBC One

 

  

TT 2012: Review Show (Part 1)

10.35am-11.35am – ITV4

 

British Superbike Championship Review 2012

6.00pm-8.00pm – ITV4

  

   

The Morning Line

7.55am-8.55am – Channel 4

 

Channel 4 Racing: Ascot & Haydock Park

LIVE: 1.20pm-4.30pm – Channel 4

 

Live Racecard

14:00 – ASCOT: Shawbrook Bank Graduation Chase

14:15 - HAYDOCK PARK: Bet at BlueSq.com H’cap Hurdle

14:30 - ASCOT: Long Walk Hurdle

14:45 - HAYDOCK PARK: Blue Square Bet Tommy Whittle H’cap Chase

15:05 - ASCOT: Ascot Racecourse Silver Cup

15:40 - ASCOT: The Ladbroke

 

  

Bath v Saracens - Aviva Premiership | k/o: 1.15pm

LIVE: 12.45pm-3.30pm – ESPN

 

Northampton Saints v Harlequins - Aviva Premiership | k/o: 3.15pm

LIVE: 3.10pm-5.30pm – Sky Sports 3

 

The road to next year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil continues as the latest set of crucial qualifying matches take place over a busy period of international football from March 22-26.

England’s two away qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro will be shown exclusively live on ITV, while the highly anticipated home nations clash between Scotland and Wales at Hampden Park is live on Sky Sports.

Also in action are five-time world champions and next year’s hosts Brazil, with ITV4 screening live coverage of their two friendly internationals against Italy in Geneva and Russia at Stamford Bridge.

In addition, UK users can watch a variety of European qualifying matches for FREE via the Qualifiers 2014 YouTube channel:

Full details of how to follow all the action on Matchdays 5 & 6 below:

.

ITV has live coverage of both England’s away qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro.

First up for Roy Hodgson’s side on Friday are the perennial minnows of major tournament qualifiers.

One of the smallest nations in the world, San Marino have never won a competitive international and were beaten 5-0 by England at Wembley last October.

However the last time England played away to San Marino they conceded the fastest goal in World Cup history.

Davide Gualtieri put San Marino ahead after 8.3 seconds, though England recovered and went on to win 7-1.

Steven Gerrard and co will be hoping they avoid any such shocks on the night at the Serravalle Stadium.

Then on Tuesday, England face a tough test to their qualifying aspirations as they travel to Podgorica to play Montenegro.

It’s a crucial night for Roy Hodgson and his team on the road to the 2014 World Cup Finals with the home side on top of their qualifying group entering this latest round of fixtures.

Montenegro are vying with England for top spot in the group and automatic qualification for Brazil.

Adrian Chiles introduces ITV’s live coverage of both games, with build-up starting at 7.30pm ahead of 8pm kick-offs on both nights.

Roy Keane, Lee Dixon and Gareth Southgate are the studio guests who will analyse the action, while match commentary comes from Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend.

Highlights of both games follows on ITV after the news, presented by Matt Smith.

.

Gordon Strachan takes charge of Scotland in competitive internationals for the first time when his side welcome Wales to Hampden Park on Friday night (live on Sky), then travel to Serbia on Tuesday evening (live on BBC One Scotland/ESPN).

With Scotland languishing at the foot of the Group A table with only two points from four games, Strachan will be hoping to build on last month’s friendly victory over Estonia at Pittodrie, when Charlie Mulgrew’s first half strike was the difference between the teams.

Wales travel to Hampden having secured their only points of the campaign against Scotland in the reverse fixture last October.

Two goals in the last nine minutes from Gareth Bale cancelled out James Morrison’s 27th minute opener.

The 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil are looking beyond the reach of both sides, but each will be looking for significant improvement before qualification ends in October.

Sky Sports will screen live coverage of Scotland v Wales from Hampden Park, presented by David Tanner and commentary from Ian Crocker and Davie Provan. 

BBC One Scotland will screen terrestrial highlights of the game at 10.35pm, introduced by Rob Maclean with analysis from Pat Nevin and Craig Gordon. Commentary by Liam McLeod and Billy Dodds.

Then on Tuesday, Scotland travel to Belgrade to play Serbia, a match which will broadcast live on both BBC One Scotland and ESPN.

.

Despite their famous win over Scotland in Cardiff last October, Wales have only faint hopes of qualification for next summer’s World Cup.

The Scots came into the game looking to secure their first victory in Cardiff since 1983, but it wasn’t to be.

West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison put them ahead before a late double salvo from Gareth Bale saw them leave the Welsh capital with nothing.

That result saw Wales leapfrog Scotland in Group A and remains the highlight of an otherwise disappointing campaign.

In fact, neither side harbours much hope of qualifying for Brazil, making Friday night’s return fixture all the more significant.

The visitors would no doubt love to do the double over their rival home nation, while Strachan will be desperate to secure Scotland’s first three points and restore some pride.

On Tuesday, Chris Coleman’s side take on second-place Croatia at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium.

Despite a fantastic performance from Gareth Bale, Wales’ World Cup dreams took a major blow last October when Croatia beat them 2-0 in Osijek.

Just one point ahead of bottom place Scotland and seven points adrift of the playoffs before the preceeding clash with Scotland on Friday, Wales’ hopes of a trip to Brazil have faded, but can they salvage some pride against Croatia?

Both games will be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports HD.

Free-to-air highlights of Wales’ home clash against Croatia on Tuesday night will be shown on BBC Two Wales, presented by Jason Mohammad.

.

Northern Ireland currently lie in fourth place going into March fixtures against Group F leaders Russia and Israel, with Michael O’Neill still searching for his first win as manager.

With only a slim chance of qualification, the boys in green will be looking for two important home wins to keep both fans and manager happy.

First up will be Fabio Capello’s Russia side, who are five points clear of their nearest rivals and will be strong favourites against a team they brushed aside on the opening matchday.

Northern Ireland have gone unbeaten since then, though, and will be intent on putting on a good show in front of their home fans.

So far the Green and White Army’s qualifying campaign has been a story of draws.

After a disappointing 1-1 tie with Luxembourg, they were just 11 minutes away from a win against Portugal when Hélder Postiga scrambled a scrappy equaliser.

A month later, a last-gasp goal from record scorer David Healy against Azerbaijan gave them their third consecutive draw.

They demonstrated remarkable defensive steel to deny Portugal all three points when the teams played out a 1-1 draw in Porto.

But their hopes of getting to Brazil already hang in the balance after a shaky start to the campaign. Can they rise to the challenge at Windsor Park?

Meanwhile on Tuesday, another tall task lies ahead of Northern Ireland as they take on Israel at Windsor Park.

Sky Sports will have both Northern Ireland games exclusively live with coverage presented by Graham Little and commentary from Mark Robson.

Free-to-air highlights of the two games will be shown on BBC One Northern Ireland, introduced by Stephen Watson.

He will be joined by Jim Magilton for analysis on the Russia match, while Iain Dowie takes over the role for the Israel game. Commentary on both matches comes from Jackie Fullerton.

.

Currently in third place ahead of fixtures against Sweden and Austria, the Republic of Ireland will be desperate to close in on the second-placed Swedes who cling onto a one-point lead over them in Group C.

The Republic’s away match against Sweden on Friday night will not be shown on UK television.

It will be broadcast online via pay-per-view service LIVESPORT.TV - CLICK HERE for further details.

On Tuesday, Republic of Ireland play Austria for the first time in their history when the teams meet at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, live on Sky Sports.

In October, Giovanni Trapattoni’s side bounced back from a crushing 6-1 defeat to Germany to rekindle their hopes of qualification with a 4-1 win against the Faroe Islands.

…

With the 2013 European U21 Championships on the horizon this summer, Stuart Pearce’s Young Lions will look to make their mark with two friendly clashes against Romania and Austria, both exclusively live on ESPN.

England play Romania at Wycombe’s Adams Park on Thursday evening, then in their final game on home soil before they fly out to Israel for the Euro 2013 Finals in June, England’s young guns face their Austrian counterparts in Brighton.

…

WORLD CUP QUALFYING FIXTURE LIST

ITV’s live England coverage, as well additional video clips, interviews and analysis, is available to watch for free via the ITV football website - CLICK HERE

BBC One Scotland’s live coverage of Serbia v Scotland will be available to watch online via the BBC Sport website.

Highlights of Scotland v Wales on BBC One Scotland, Wales v Croatia on BBC Two Wales and both BBC One NI shows featuring Northern Ireland’s home internationals will be available to view via BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

Sky Sports subscribers can follow every live match on mobiles, laptops and tablets via Sky Go, as well as live text commentaries and match highlights on the Sky Sports football website.

A selection of live games that do not have UK rights holders from across Europe will be available to watch for free on YouTube – CLICK HERE

Online streaming available to UK users only

.

.

.

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be broadcast live on UK television for the first time in its history after Premier Sports agreed a deal to cover the 2013 tournament.

The subscription channel, which operates on the Sky platform, will show 20 games of the 2013 World Championships taking place in both Stockholm and Helsinki from May 3-19.

In addition, Premier Sports has acquired the rights to show all of Great Britain’s games in the second-tier IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A, which will be played in Budapest between April 14 and 21.

Team GB’s games against Hungary, Kazakhstan, Italy, Japan and South Korea will be broadcast live and in full.

With the addition of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship rights, Premier Sports continues to expand its Ice Hockey portfolio, which currently includes the NHL, with one of the most popular sports in Europe and the biggest annual winter sport event worldwide.

The channel is available in over 10 million homes via Sky satellite subscription in the UK and Ireland.

For more information visit: premiersports.tv

…

IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A

.

Fixtures/TV schedule for IIHF World Championships 2013 to follow…

…

BBC Sport and Premier Sports will share the rights to broadcast live coverage of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup to be held this Autumn across England and Wales.

The BBC will screen extensive free-to-air television coverage of the 2013 tournament, including live games and regular highlights. The corporation has also secured the rights to the 2017 World Cup (host TBC), plus TV coverage of the 2014 and 2016 Four Nations tournaments.

Subscription channel Premier Sports will screen all 28 games live from the 2013 tournament, which kicks off on Saturday, October 26 and represents the biggest international sporting event taking place in the UK during 2013.

Sport On The Box presents a comprehensive guide to when and where to watch your favourite events this weekend (May 25-26).

With so many great sporting events taking place over one bumper weekend – from Froch v Kessler II to the UEFA Champions League Final, Monaco Grand Prix to French Open tennis and the Aviva Premiership Final to Wentworth’s BMW PGA Championship, it is all set to be a unmissable 48 hours for armchair fans.

It’s hard to pick one outstanding event amongst so many, but the super-fight at London’s O2 Arena looks set to top the bill.

Carl Froch is looking to defend his world title and exact revenge on Mikkel Kessler in a mouth-watering clash in London and Sky Sports Box Office has all the action via pay-per-view for £14.95.

The two last met in the latter’s homeland back in 2010 – a fight that will go down as one of the great fights – with Kessler awarded a narrow and controversial points victory at the end of 12 brutal rounds.

These two genuine warriors are already promising more of the same, and any repeat of that toe-to-toe slugfest in Herning would see them etch their names in boxing history as one of ‘the’ great rivalries.

The football season draws to a conclusion with the UEFA Champions League final, as German rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich meet at Wembley, live on both ITV and Sky Sports 1.

There is also the Scottish Cup final on Sunday with Celtic playing Hibernian, while the FA Women’s Cup final returns to terrestrial television for the first time since 2009 as Arsenal take on Bristol Academy for the most prestigious trophy in English women’s football.

Formula 1 roars back into action this week with the staging of the most famous race on the calendar around the tight and twisting streets of Monte-Carlo.

Sebastian Vettel holds a four-point advantage over Kimi Raikkonen in the standings as Red Bull aim for their fourth consecutive Monaco Grand Prix victory, exclusively live on Sky Sports F1 and tea-time highlights on BBC One.

European Tour golf’s flagship event reaches its conclusion as all of Europe’s winning team from the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ vie for the BMW PGA Championship trophy at Wentworth, with live coverage on Sky Sports and highlights on BBC Two.

Also this weekend the domestic rugby union season concludes with both the Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect Pro12 finals, England play New Zealand in the second Test at Headingley, the Indian Premier League reaches its conclusion, two-weeks of clay court drama commences at Roland Garros and Super League’s Magic Weekend returns to the Etihad Stadium.

Not to mention a brilliant weekend of top class international athletics in Manchester, the climax to cycling’s Giro d’Italia, netball’s Superleague Grand Final, World Superbikes at Donington and the famous Indianapolis 500 race, it all adds up to a manic weekend of TV sport.

Full TV guide below:

…

Carl Froch v Mikkel Kessler II - Sky Box Office

UEFA Champions League Final - ITV / Sky Sports 1

2nd Test: England v New Zealand, Day 2 - Sky Sports 1

Aviva Premiership Final - ESPN

RaboDirect Pro12 Final - BBC Two Wales/NI, BBC Alba

Great Manchester CityGames - BBC One

Super League Magic Weekend - Sky Sports 3

Netball Superleague Grand Final - Sky Sports 4

…

F1: Monaco Grand Prix - Sky Sports F1

Roland Garros 2013 - ITV / ITV4 / British Eurosport

PGA Championship: Final Round - Sky Sports 2

Scottish Cup Final - BBC One Scotland / Sky Sports 3

FA Women’s Cup Final - BBC Two

Giro d’Italia – Final Stage - British Eurosport

World Superbikes: Donington Park - British Eurosport 2

Indianapolis 500 - ESPN

….

 

Sunday 26th May

Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers

NBA Eastern Conference Finals – Game 3

LIVE: 1.30am-4.00am (Mon) - Sky Sports 1

Saturday 25th May

BMW PGA Championship – Day 3

LIVE: 12.30pm-5.30pm - Sky Sports 2

Highlights: 6.00pm-7.00pm - BBC Two (8.20pm in Wales, NI)

 

Crowne Plaza Invitaional – Day 3

LIVE: 7.00pm-11.00pm - Sky Sports 2

 

Sunday 26th May

BMW PGA Championship – Day 4

LIVE: 12.30pm-6.00pm - Sky Sports 2

Highlights: 6.00pm-7.00pm - BBC Two

 

Crowne Plaza Invitaional – Day 4

LIVE: 6.00pm-11.00pm - Sky Sports 2

 

Saturday 25th May

FOOTBALL – International Friendlies – ITV / Sky / Various

RACING – Investec Derby Festival – Channel 4

RUGBY UNION – Lions Tour of Australia – Sky Sports

TENNIS – French Open - ITV / ITV4 / British Eurosport

CRICKET – 2nd Test: England v New Zealand - Sky Sports

MOTORSPORT – Isle of Man TT – ITV4

CYCLING – Criterium du Dauphine – British Eurosport

World Cup qualifying returns for a bumper stretch across June with significant action in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. 

Scotland’s tricky away qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb is live on both BBC Two Scotland and ESPN on June 7, while Sky Sports will screen the Republic of Ireland’s qualifying encounter against the Faroe Islands in Dublin on the same night.

A host of other top international clashes will be shown on ESPN, British Eurosport and Premier Sports, plus UK users can watch a variety of European qualifying matches for FREE via the Qualifiers 2014 YouTube channel, including Portugal v Russia live on this site from 8.45pm.

The action gets underway on Tuesday morning as Japan take on Australia in Saitama knowing that avoiding defeat will take them to the World Cup; and they may even qualify anyway should Iraq fail to win in Oman in the afternoon.

The Socceroos, meanwhile, are in trouble with just one win from their opening five matches.  British Eurosport 2 will show the game, along with further matches as the Asian qualifiers reach a climax in June.

On Friday evening, Scotland’s trip to Croatia is live on BBC Two in Scotland (Sky & Freesat 970) and ESPN across the UK.

In truth, the match means more for the hosts, with Croatia battling Belgium for top spot in Group A.

Qualification for Brazil is now impossible for Scotland and theirsquad is seriously depleted due to injuries, illness and withdrawals and Gordon Strachan will have his work cut out to register his first competitive point as Scotland manager.

Rob Maclean introduces coverage on BBC Two Scotland alongside Pat Nevin and Craig Gordon, with commentary by Liam McLeod and Billy Dodds. Over on ESPN, Derek Rae and Tony Dorigo provide commentary.

Also on Friday night, Republic of Ireland follow up their encouraging friendlies against England and Georgia with what should be a home-banker against the lowly Faroe Islands, live on Sky Sports 1.

Three points for the Irish will keep them in competition with Sweden and Austria for a play-off berth behind the all-conquering Germans.

England are not in qualifying action in the summer but there are two key matches in their group on Friday evening, with Poland expecting to win in Moldova and a crunch match in Podgorica between group leaders Montenegro and an improving Ukraine.

Other European matches are live on the Qualifiers 2014 channel on YouTube, with highlights including Belgium v Serbia and Portugal v Russia.

Internet viewers can then enjoy South American action via the live streaming services on various bookmakers’ websites – including Bet365 and William Hill – including a mouth-watering clash between Argentina and Colombia, which is also shown on Premier Sports.

Saturday is a quieter day with only Switzerland vs Cyprus on Qualifiers 2014 available to UK viewers.

Qualifying action returns in earnest on Tuesday, June 11, with British Eurosport 2 screening Australia’s clash with Jordan followed by South Korea against Uzbekistan.

The dominant Japan aside, Asian qualifying has proven very competitive and Jordan, Qatar and Oman all continue to harbour realistic ambitions of qualifying for the first time.

South American qualifiers on live streaming services include a key fixture in the small hours of Wednesday morning as struggling Uruguay, without the suspended Luis Suárez, visit a Venezuela side who can take huge strides towards their first ever World Cup with a win.

Things are becoming clearer in South America’s all-in qualifying competition with the struggles of Uruguay set to be the main story of the remaining matchdays.

Without a qualifying win in a year, things have been going downhill for Óscar Tabárez’s side, who won the 2011 Copa América, since a comprehensive 4-0 defeat in Colombia last September.

With only Paraguay and Bolivia without any realistic hopes of qualifying, the 2010 semi-finalists are competing with Chile, Venezuela and Peru for the fourth automatic berth or fifth place and a play-off with a team from Asia.

Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador already have a considerable cushion beneath them and look strong bets to qualify.

Asian action returns a week later with three live games on Eurosport 2: a must-win game for Australia against Iraq in Sydney; a potentially decisive match between Uzbekistan and Qatar; and an Arabian ‘derby’ between Jordan and Oman.

Meanwhile, ESPN have live coverage of the Netherlands’ tour of Asia, which takes in matches against Indonesia (Friday, June 7) and China (Tuesday, June 11).

The Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Spain in New York’s Yankee Stadium is live on Premier Sports.

…

WORLD CUP – EUROPEAN QUALIFYING FIXTURE LIST

A selection of live qualifiers that do not have UK rights holders from across Europe will be available to watch for free online via Qualifiers 2014 on YouTube or via selected UK betting websites.

*Bet365 and William Hill live streaming schedules to be confirmed

After a five-year wait since the last staging of the sport’s pinnacle event, the Rugby League World Cup is back with England and Wales all set to host five weeks of intense competition.

Free-to-air BBC Sport and pay-TV broadcaster Premier Sports will broadcast comprehensive coverage of the UK’s biggest single sporting event of 2013, with the BBC screening key games during the competition while Premier Sports will show every match.

Over the course of five weeks and 28 games across four countries, 14 nations will be doing battle for the title of world champions and the action kicks off with a mouth-watering clash between old foes England and Australia at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on October 26.

The Kangaroos are the strong and outstanding pre-tournament favourites, but Steve McNamara will fancy his side to cause an upset and use the advantage of playing on home soil.

Several players in the England squad ply their trade in Australia’s NRL and head coach McNamara will be hoping that insider knowledge of their opponents will give them an extra edge.

This ‘Ashes’ encounter kicks off a month-long festival of rugby league across the UK as the game looks to break demographic and sporting boundaries both nationally and across the globe.

With an ever-changing format, long gaps between tournaments and on-field mismatches, the Rugby League World Cup has not been easy for supporters both old and new to follow.

After the disastrous UK-staged 2000 World Cup, the last edition hosted by Australia in 2008 proved to be a resounding success, drawing large crowds and an impressive worldwide television audience figures.

It prompted the Rugby League International Federation to approve a proposal to expand from 10 to 14 teams for this year’s tournament and it is hoped that the 2013 edition in England and Wales can follow on from the success of the 2008 event.

On the field, New Zealand are the current holders of international rugby league’s greatest prize, having recorded a famous victory over Australia in the last tournament in 2008 in what was an epic final staged in Brisbane.

As always, they’re one of three teams with a realistic chance of going all the way, alongside England and favourites Australia.

Despite their heart-breaking defeat at home five years ago, the Kangaroos have dominated the competition since its inception in 1954, winning nine of the 13 tournaments.

For the Kiwis, Sonny Bill Williams is the main attraction following his return to rugby league earlier this year, helping Sydney Roosters win the NRL Grand Final with a series of brilliant performances.

Everyone thought he was heading back to rugby union, but Williams changed his mind and New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney selected him for his squad.

For England, all eyes are on Sam Tomkins, the massive Burgess brothers – Sam, George and Tom – and inspirational captain Kevin Sinfield.

The race for the other semi-final spot, however, is wide open, especially after the United States beat France and Italy knocked off England in warm-up matches prior to the tournament kick-off.

Oceanic giants Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Fiji will also fancy their chances of reaching the last four, while Scotland, Wales and Ireland will also being aiming to make a significant impact.

The unorthodox tournament format is an attempt to keep one-sided contests to a minimum, a theory that was largely successful five years ago, as the majority of lower-ranked nations will not have to meet the big boys until the knockout stage.

All 28 games have been spread across the UK and beyond, with plenty of rugby league strongholds in the north being used alongside stadia in Avignon, Bristol, Cardiff, Limerick and Neath.

Ticket pricing has been set to try and make sure as many attend as possible, with the aim to showcase the sport and attract new supporters as well as the legions of long-term fans.

Wembley Stadium will also be used, staging both semi-finals on the same Saturday in November, and the final will once again be held at Old Trafford.

The last time the showpiece took place in Manchester back in 2000, Australia defeated New Zealand 40-12 in front of nearly 45,000 spectators; however this time around it is hoped the finale will be a complete sell-out.

Tournament bosses will also be hoping to draw big TV audiences for England’s games which will all be shown live on the BBC.

Sharing the rights to the event will be pay-satellite broadcaster Premier Sports, which will be the only place to watch all 28 games live.

Scroll down for full details of how to follow the tournament on BBC and Premier Sports on TV, as well as radio and online, plus information on each broadcaster’s presenting teams, commentators, pundits and TV schedules.

Get set for 35 days, 14 teams, 28 games across 21 venues and one team crowned rugby league world champions.

.

The BBC is set to offer sports fans its most comprehensive ever Rugby League World Cup coverage when the 2013 tournament kicks off at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on October 26.

TV, radio, online and mobile coverage will all combine to give rugby league fans extensive access to live games, highlights, interviews and analysis throughout every step of the competition.

Mark Chapman and Tanya Arnold lead the BBC’s television coverage throughout the tournament, with Chapman hosting the live action while Arnold presents a weekly highlights show incorporating all the action from games not broadcast live.

They will be joined by a experienced team of experts including BBC regulars Brian Noble, Jonathan Davies and Robbie Hunter-Paul.

In addition, former Great Britain and England stars Jamie Peacock and Jon Wilkin will join the BBC team for the tournament, as will current England players Eorl Crabtree and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, plus former player turned broadcaster Tulsen Tollett.

In the commentary box, Dave Woods will lead the team for all of the BBC’s live games, while veteran rugby league broadcaster Ray French is also part of the line-up, in what will be his last rugby league commentary assignment for BBC TV sport after 32 years of service.

There will be live BBC TV coverage of all England’s group games, including the Opening Ceremony and game against Australia on October 26.

The BBC will also screen one quarter-final match, a semi-final showdown at Wembley and the Rugby League World Cup final itself at Old Trafford on November 30.

On radio, every game during the entire tournament will be broadcast live on either BBC 5 live or 5 live sports extra with expert commentary courtesy of Dave Woods, George Riley and Stuart Pyke.

Pundit Jon Wells joins the team, with Jamie Peacock and other BBC experts featuring throughout the programming.

In addition to the live commentary, Radio 5 live will bring all the news, interviews and analysis from the World Cup to audiences throughout, as well as a daily podcast.

To kick-off the proceedings and looking ahead to what is set to be th most exciting Rugby League World Cup yet, Mark Chapman will present a special preview forum show from Cardiff, which will be live on the BBC Red Button and simulcast on Radio 5 live (7.30pm-9.00pm on Thursday, October 24), with an audience and special guests.

BBC Sport’s rugby league website will provide comprehensive coverage across the entire World Cup, including a live stream of all matches shown on television and audio commentary of those live on radio, with live text commentary available for all home nations matches.

The website will also feature reports on every fixture plus the latest news and analysis from the BBC’s expert team throughout the tournament.

Barbara Slater, Director, BBC Sport, says: “As we look forward to our coverage of the Rugby League World Cup, the BBC’s commitment to rugby league is greater than ever for audiences across all of our platforms.

“We’re proud to be the terrestrial home of live England International action from the World Cup which builds on our continuing live coverage of the Challenge Cup, our highlights coverage of Super League and future live International rugby league.”

Former Great Britain and England Captain, Jamie Peacock, said: “I’m delighted to be joining the BBC for this year’s Rugby League World Cup.

“No matter whenever or wherever you are you can access the BBC’s coverage which is just excellent. I just can’t wait to get stuck in.”

BBC Sport has committed to broadcasting live international rugby league for the next four years, including the Four Nations in 2014 and 2016 and the next World Cup in 2017.

.

.

Premier Sports will be the only place to watch all 28 games of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Available on Sky, online, and now on Virgin Media, Premier’s comprehensive coverage will be led by high-profile Australian commentator Andrew Voss.

Complementing the Australian will be the channel’s regular RFL Championships commentators Dave Woods and Ian Ramsdale.

Expert analysis will come from an equally impressive international line up of Brian Noble, Daryl Halligan and Robbie Hunter-Paul.

Premier’s live coverage of all 28 games begins with the broadcast of the opening ceremony from the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, October 26, at 1.30pm.

All games will feature the live audio of the video referee as originally pioneered by Premier in 2012.

Throughout the tournament, Premier’s stalwarts David Woods and Andrew Henderson will be featuring and to complete the line up, pitch side reporting, team news and interviews will be provided by Natalie Quirk and Kate Bennett.

In addition to all 28 games being shown live, Premier Sports will also screen regular highlights of every match throughout its schedules.

Commenting on Premier Sports’ on-air line-up, Neal Coupland, executive producer for Premier’s Rugby League content, said: “We are delighted to have such a strong team for such a great tournament. I genuinely believe our viewers will be in for a real treat.”

“We are absolutely thrilled that Andrew (Voss) and Daryl (Halligan) will be joining us from Australia to give a local perspective on our exclusive Australian and New Zealand matches and I’m sure they’ll enjoy working with our first class production team.”

Voss, who has called many thrilling games in a high profile 27 year career, ranks the 2000 World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand as his highlight.

“I’m thrilled to be heading up the commentary team on Premier Sports,” said Voss.

“From the tournament opening in Cardiff, right through to the final, we are going to witness a festival of rugby league.

“From the north of England, to London, Ireland, Wales and the south of France, we are sure to be thoroughly entertained.”

Fans with Sky TV wishing to subscribe to Premier Sports can do so for just £9.99 per month.

Virgin TV customers will be able to enjoy free  access to Premier Sports throughout the Rugby League World Cup.

Viewers will be able to watch every game as part of their existing TV subscription and – during 2014 – Virgin TV customers will then be able to choose to subscribe to the Premier Sports TV channel.

Premier Sports is now available on channel 551 and will also be added to Virgin TV Anywhere service for mobiles, tablets and online at no extra cost.

Richard Sweeney, general manager of Premier Sports commented, “We are delighted to be able to launch on Virgin Media with the most complete coverage of the Rugby League World Cup that forms part of a golden generation of sports events taking place in Great Britain.

“The channel has built up a loyal following of Rugby League fans over the last 3 years and we are thrilled to finally be able to offer this and much more to Virgin Media customers.”

Stephane David, executive director of content at Virgin Media said: “Sports fans across Great Britain are looking forward to the Rugby League World Cup so we’re delighted to be adding Premier Sports to our TV line up and making it available to all our TV customers at no extra cost.

“Premier Sports joins an unrivalled line up of sports content including Sky Sports and BT Sport on Virgin TV, meaning our customers can catch every goal or game-changing try across any of the major UK sports channels.”

Further information can be found via www.premiersports.tv, or by accessing channel 428 on the Sky digital satellite platform, or on Virgin Media cable channel 551.

.

.

RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2013 – FIXTURES-AT-A-GLANCE

.

Premier Sports is to take over as the broadcaster of the UK’s Elite League Ice Hockey for the 2013-14 season.

The new exclusive deal with the pay-TV channel, which is available on Sky and Virgin Media, includes a live game every week on a Saturday night and also involves coverage of the end-of-season play-offs.

Coverage begins on Saturday, November 23, at the Skydome as Coventry Blaze host Belfast Giants, starting at 7.00pm.

It takes the amount of ice hockey on Premier Sports to 45 hours per week, with the channel also home to regular live NHL matches. 

Aaron Murphy is to join the Premier Sports team to present and do play-by-play commentary on the EIHL Game of the Week every Saturday, and will be joined by a different expert each week to add local flavour to broadcasts.

He was the lead commentator for Premier Sports’ coverage of Great Britain’s matches at the World Championships earlier this year in Budapest.

Murphy has also covered NHL, KHL and the EIHL during his ice hockey broadcasting career.

Elite League Ice Hockey has been shown on Sky Sports for the past decade, but the new TV deal with Premier Sports ensures regular weekly live coverage of the competition’s top games. 

Tony Smith, chairman of the EIHL, said: “The Elite League is thrilled to have live coverage on UK television.

“We would like to thank Premier Sports for joining us to provide this fantastic coverage for supporters.

“We hope that fans support the commitment and investment from Premier Sports into the Elite League.

“The league believes this will help grow our fan base across the UK and Ireland.”

Richard Sweeney, general manager of Premier Sports, said: “We are delighted to be able to support UK ice hockey by covering the Elite League.

“With 15 games a week from the NHL, NHL Tonight and now a primetime Saturday evening game of the week from the UK, we can now officially say to fans that we are your home for hockey in the UK.

Games will be available on Sky channel 428, Virgin channel 551 and around the world via the Premier Player.

Premier Sports has been running since 2010 and offers sports fans in the UK an opportunity to receive wall-to-wall coverage of variety of niche events.

Its current portfolio is made up of over 1,000 live events per year and includes rugby league for the UK and Australia – including every game from the 2013 Rugby League World Cup – as well as regular ice hockey, motorsports and South American football.

For further information on how to subscribe to Premier Sports, please visit www.premiersports.tv.

It’s crunch time for various teams around the group as the World Cup play-offs determine the final eleven teams who will make up next months draw in Brazil.

Meanwhile, those nations who have already sealed passage to Brazil – or, alternatively, no longer have an active interest in the tournament – will be engaged in international friendlies.

With this week’s international fixtures being shown across a wide variety of UK channels, here’s Mike Martin’s guide to when and where to watch all action below.

PORTUGAL v SWEDEN  European Play-off

The box-office fixture in the World Cup play-offs is being billed as Ronaldo versus Ibrahimovic, with one of the global superstars set to be missing when the FIFA roadshow lands in Brazil next June.

Portugal finished runners-up behind Russia in their group, while Sweden will be philosophical about coming second to the rampant Germans.

Both legs will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports 1 on Friday and Tuesday evenings.

This will be the only televised European World Cup Play-off on UK TV, though other selected ties will be available to watch online.

Bet365.com has secured live coverage of the other three UEFA play-offs for its online customers.

This includes the intriguing Ukraine-France tie, in which Didier Deschamps’s side have it all to do to avoid the ignimony of watching the World Cup on television next summer.

The ties between outsiders Iceland and Croatia, and also Greece and Romania, will also be shown on the Qualifiers 2014 channel on YouTube.  All the European play-offs open on Friday evening, with the second legs on Tuesday.

.

ENGLAND v CHILE  ENGLAND v GERMANY

For all the talk of Roy Hodgson needing to blood England’s promising young players, there can be little doubt that the main event is elsewhere in this international break.

ITV, however, will be expecting impressive audiences as exciting South Americans Chile and England’s traditional rivals Germany travel to Wembley stadium for what should be two high-spec friendlies.

Emerging talents such as Adam Lallana, Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Jay Rodriguez, Ross Barkley, Daniel Sturridge and Andros Townsend will all be hoping to impress Roy Hodgson with few chances remaining to secure a place in the England World Cup squad.

The last time England an Chile met was in February 1998, when Marcelo Salas scored a double as an England team featuring Michael Owen making his debut lost 2-0 at Wembley.

The Three Lions last played host to Germany in August 2007, in the second international to be played at the new Wembley.

However, Roy Hodgson’s men may be seeking to avenge a 4-1 defeat in Bloemfontein at the last World Cup in which Frank Lampard had a ‘goal’ controversially disallowed before Germany ran rampant.

The games against Chile on Friday and Germany on Tuesday are both live on ITV, kicking off at 8.00pm.

Joining Adrian Chiles in the studio at Wembley for both games will be Lee Dixon, while commentary comes from Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, plus pitchside reports from Gabriel Clarke.

Former Germany captain and Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack joins the ITV studio team for the Germany clash on Tuesday.

.

.

The Republic of Ireland host Latvia on Friday night in Dublin as the Irish fans get their first chance to see what their side looks like under the new management duo of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.

Also on Friday, Northern Ireland travel to the Adana Ocak Stadium for a  friendly match against Turkey and delayed coverage will be broadcast on Premier Sports at 10.30pm.

Meanwhile, Scotland face the United States at Hampden Park with Jürgen Klinsmann’s side looking to fine-tune their line-up ahead of a seventh straight World Cup campaign, while Scotland will be hoping to continue their encouraging recent form under Gordon Strachan.

Wales play Finland on Saturday (6.00pm)with Gareth Bale due to make his first start for his country since his record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid, live on Sky Sports 2.

There are away matches for Ireland and Scotland on Tuesday.

Scotland visit Norway, to be shown on the BBC in Scotland, while Premier Sports will show Poland against Republic of Ireland on the same evening.

As well as live coverage of African World Cup qualifiers (see below), BT Sport will screen action from the South American giants’ friendlies. 

Argentina face Ecuador in New York at midnight on Friday night, with Brazil facing Honduras in Miami the following night.

On Tuesday, there is Argentina vs Bosnia-Herzegovina in St Louis and Brazil meet Chile in Toronto at midnight (Wednesday morning).

Unfortunately, Argentina will be without injured star man Lionel Messi. Brazil, meanwhile, have an intriguing squad with Robinho returning to the fold and Chelsea’s Willian in line for a third cap.

AFRICA – 2nd Legs

BT Sport once again have live coverage of all of the second legs of the African World Cup play-offs, the first legs of which were played in October.

The key fixture appears to be Senegal against Ivory Coast, which, after the trouble which caused the abandonment of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between these two teams last year, will be played in Casablanca.

Senegal, though, are grateful for Papiss Cissé’s injury time away goal in the first leg though, with the Ivorians leading the tie 3-1, they still have it all to do to turn the play-off around.  The second leg is on Saturday at 7.00pm.

Before that, at 3pm, Nigeria host Ethiopia having seemingly already done the hard work, winning 2-1 in the away leg.  On Sunday, Cameroon host Tunisia in Yaoundé (2.30pm) having drawn 0-0 in the first leg.

There seems to be little to play for in Cairo on Tuesday when Egypt face Ghana (4.00pm) having lost the first leg 6-1 in Kumasi, with Ghana looking virtually assured of qualification already.

Things are less clear cut in the final tie, where Algeria host Burkina Faso (Tuesday, 6.15pm).

Burkina Faso, looking to qualify for their first World Cup tournament, won the first leg 3-2 in Ouagadougou but Algeria’s away goals will give the north African side confidence of going through.

The World Cup qualifiers come to an end on Wednesday with the second legs of the two global play-off ties, though both appear already to be decided.

At 6.00am on Premier Sports, New Zealand face Mexico in Wellington needing to overturn a 5-1 deficit with only Chris James’s late away goal in the Azteca bringing solace.

Uruguay are even more sure of their place at the finals than Mexico, having won 5-0 away to Jordan in the first leg last Wednesday.

LFC TV have picked up the rights to the second leg (11pm), so Liverpool fans can check whether Luis Suárez picks up an unhelpful injury less than 72 hours before Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

.

.

Premier Sports will continue to broadcast live coverage of top international ice hockey events for the next four years, including every game at world level featuring Great Britain.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has extended its agreement with the subscription sports channel that will see it cover the flagship IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, which was broadcast for the first time on TV screens in the UK in 2013.

The renewed multi-platform agreement spans 2014 to 2017 and includes 15 games from the annual IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

Premier Sports operates on Sky and Virgin Media platforms and is available via paid access to over 15 million homes.

In addition, all Great Britain’s national ice hockey team games at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and/or Division 1 Group A and B will be aired in full to UK viewers.

Team GB missed out on qualifying for the recent 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics after reaching the final stage of qualifying which was shown live in the UK on ESPN in February 2013.

Great Britain will be competing in Division 1 Group B in 2014, which is held from April 20-26 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The 2014 edition of the flagship IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will take place in Minsk, Belarus from May 9-25.

In addition to IIHF events, Premier Sports also covers live games from the UK Elite League having taken over the rights this season from Sky Sports, plus live NHL action.

Richard Sweeney, General Manager of Premier Sports, said: “Premier Sports programming content is clearly decided by audience demand and this decision to extend the initial agreement was a reflection of the fan interest for ice hockey.

“We have continued to expand our ice hockey portfolio, which now includes the American NHL, the British EIHL Elite League as well as long-term coverage of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

“This means Premier Sports really is your home for hockey with over 600 games available to view every year.”

Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, said: “It is a great sign of sustainable expansion that the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is now accessible in a European core market for the long-term.

“With the two-prong approach, fans will be able to follow both their British national team as well as the top games of the annual IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.”

Premier Sports has been running since 2010 and offers sports fans in the UK an opportunity to receive wall-to-wall coverage of variety of niche events.

Its current portfolio is made up of over 1,000 live events per year and includes rugby league from Australia as well as regular ice hockey, motorsports and South American football.

For further information on how to subscribe to Premier Sports, visit premiersports.tv.

.

IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division 1 – Group B

Every game LIVE on Premier Sports

.

Sky Sports, Premier Sports and BBC Northern Ireland have all secured three-year deals to show live All-Ireland Gaelic football and hurling Championships matches staged in Ireland.

For the first time in its 23-year history, Sky Sports will showcase the excitement, passion and drama of Ireland’s two most popular sports with weekly live coverage, as well as the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals from each code.

The new GAA TV deals in the UK with Sky, Premier Sports and the BBC, alongside Irish broadcasters RTE and TG4, come into effect in May 2014 with the start of the Ulster Championship.

Comprising mainly of Gaelic football and hurling, Gaelic games are the most popular sports in Ireland in terms of supporter attendances at senior games and regularly attract high TV viewing figures.

Sky’s agreement in total comprises 20 live matches, including the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals exclusively live in the UK, 14 matches exclusively live in Ireland, and the All-Ireland semi-finals and final also live.

Live coverage begins on Sky Sports at Nowlan Park on June 7 for the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final between Kilkenny and Offaly.

Sky’s 14 exclusive matches will consist of eight Saturday evening All-Ireland qualifiers, two All-Ireland Football quarter-finals, plus four provincial championship games, with these 20 live games all available to its subscribers in Ireland and the UK.

Other confirmed fixtures to be broadcast on Sky include Dublin v Wexford in the Leinster SHC, Sligo v Galway/London in the Connacht SFC, and Armagh/Cavan v Down/Tyrone/Monaghan in the Ulster SFC.

Premier Sports, which has covered GAA since 2010 in the UK, will continue to show live matches for further three years after securing six rights packages that features 75% of the televised games on offer.

The deal will see the channel screen exclusive coverage of 26 games each season for the next 3 years from the GAA Championships.

This includes Sunday Provincial games including the finals from all 4 regions, 1st/2nd choice of qualifiers from rounds 1 and 2 and 4 Quarter Finals, exclusive coverage of over 30 Allianz League games, including live TG4 games in English, plus a minimum of 6 Club Championship games covering the semi-finals and finals.

On free-to-air television, BBC Northern Ireland has secured live television and radio coverage of the GAA Championship, also covering a three-year period.

The BBC will broadcast live coverage of all Ulster matches that are being televised by RTE, including the Ulster Football Final.

A new deal to bring listeners live coverage of Gaelic Games on BBC Radio Ulster throughout the year has also been agreed.

In Ireland, RTE will screen 31 live games which will include the All-Ireland senior finals and semi-finals in both codes, the All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals, and two of the four All-Ireland football quarter-finals.

RTE has also secured the rights to all six Provincial championship finals, while the remainder of the 31 games to be shown live on the channel will be a mixture of provincial championship and qualifier games.

Gaelic broadcaster TG4 will also continue to broadcast Football and Hurling League matches and other underage matches, and Setanta Sports will continue to broadcast Saturday evening Allianz Leagues games, though TV3′s involvement with GAA will come to an end after six years after it failed to secure any matches.

The decision to award pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports the rights to selected matches for the first time has been greeted with a mixed reaction among the general public in Ireland.

The move represents a paradigm shift for the GAA and is likely to cause some unhappiness among the viewing public in Ireland, who will have to pay to watch matches for the first time this summer.

GAA president Liam O’Neill said the decisions made in the new TV rights deals are part of the organisation’s strategy to expand the sport beyond its traditional heartlands in Ireland.

“For the first time ever, millions in Britain will also have access to our championship games which will be a huge boost,” he told the Irish Independent.

“When people see the package in its entirety, they will see we are trying to make the games a global sport ,” he added.

Commenting on Sky Sports’ entry into the GAA TV rights market, managing director Barney Francis said: “We’re delighted to be awarded the rights and I’m sure our viewers will be captivated by the thrill and passion of Gaelic football and hurling.

“We are excited to be working with the GAA and providing extensive coverage to their exhilarating sports throughout the summer.

“These matches will join a great line-up of Irish sport on Sky Sports that includes UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, RaboDirect Pro 12, Euro 2016 Qualifiers, Irish Open golf, Irish rugby union Autumn Internationals and summer tour to Argentina, Premier League darts and more.”

JD Buckley, Managing Director of Sky Ireland, said: “It’s a privilege to be partnering with the GAA to bring our customers top quality content from our national game.

“We are committed to providing the best programming, service and value to our customers and Sky Sports will offer world class production values and a great viewing experience to GAA fans across the country.

“This marks another milestone in our continued investment in Ireland to better satisfy our customers.”

Richard Sweeney, General Manager of Premier Sports, commented: “We are delighted to continue to be the main broadcaster of GAA and offer fans in Great Britain the above content for the great value price of only £9.99 per month.”

Shane Glynn, Editor of Sport at BBC Northern Ireland, said he was “delighted” that the corporation had agreed a new deal with the GAA.

“Broadcast rights are highly competitive and complex, particularly in television,” he said.

“While we would have liked to be able to provide more live coverage for our audience, we are pleased to have been able to secure live television coverage, within the constraints of what was available to us, of games in the Ulster Championship on BBC NI over the next three years.

“Our commitment to Gaelic Games on BBC Radio Ulster remains significant. It will include programming across the year, including live coverage of the Ulster Club and Ulster Senior Football Championships, and games in the National League, qualifiers and All-Ireland Championship involving Ulster counties.”

Peter McKenna, Croke Park Stadium and GAA Commercial Director, commented: “While negotiation of these rights was a lengthy process, we were determined to bring our games to as many people as possible in all parts of the world.

“Supporters of hurling and football living outside Ireland will have easier access to our games than ever before, while viewers in Ireland can watch almost 100 live games on free-to-air terrestrial TV, in addition to games on Sky and Setanta Sports.”

In a separate development, RTE and the GAA are to launch an online paid-for service offering Gaelic Games to audiences worldwide. Games will be streamed in HD with studio programming exactly as broadcast to audiences in Ireland

The online service will enable users to watch the games on iPad or Android tablet, laptop, PC, Smart TV, or on mobile phone.

For further background and information about GAA, visit the official website.

.

The 2014 Kingstone Press Championship Grand Final will be televised at the end of the season by Sky Sports, the Rugby Football League (RFL) has confirmed.

English rugby league’s second tier was left without a broadcast partner for the 2014 season after Premier Sports dropped its acclaimed coverage shortly before the start of the current campaign.

The move by Premier Sports to not fulfill its three-year contract, which began in 2012, came as a result of the announcement of Sky Sports’ new multi-year Super League TV deal - which includes live rights to regular Championship matches from 2015 onwards – as well as the restructuring of English rugby league from next year.

Sky Sports will therefore return to covering the RFL Championship later this year, having covered games prior to 2012, when it screens the Kingstone Press Championship One Grand Final from Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds on Sunday, October 5.

In addition, the highly anticipated Championship One Grand Final, the winners of which will be promoted to the Championship, will also be shown live on the same day on Sky Sports, kicking off at 4.05pm before the main event is scheduled to begin at 6.45pm.

The Kingstone Press Championship 1 Final will see the winning team promoted into the new two twelve team structure so both teams and sets of fans will be giving their all to secure that precious final spot in the new structure.

RFL Operationg Officer Ralph Rimmer said: “It is terrific news for the Kingstone Press Championships and for Rugby League fans that both the Grand Finals will be showcased live on Sky Sports.

“Kingstone Press Championships Finals Day is always a highlight in the sporting calendar and I’m sure this year will be even more special.”

Gordon Johncox, Managing Director of the Championships title sponsors Kingstone Press, said: “It’s fantastic news that Championships Finals Day is going to be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

“Having the day televised is a great opportunity for a huge audience to see the excitement of Rugby League and allows even more fans to watch the buzz of the day’s events.

“It is set to be a great ending to the season where fans can enjoy an amazing atmosphere, exhilarating rugby and, of course, our cider.”

Sky Sports executive producer of Rugby League Neville Smith said: “Championship Finals Day has always been one of my favourite days in the Rugby League calendar.

“Without fail the day delivers great matches, end-to-end entertainment, last gasp results, and a superb atmosphere.

“I am delighted that we are going to be able to give it the full Sky Sports treatment, and that it is back on the home of Rugby League in the UK, Sky Sports.”

.

The road to Brazil is almost complete for England as Roy Hodgson’s side make their final preparations ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in three key warm-up matches, all exclusively live on ITV.

In total, 30 friendlies featuring nations competing at the World Cup will be broadcast live across various UK networks over the fortnight prior to kick-off in Sao Paulo on June 12, as excitement builds to the carnival of football at the country many consider to be the spiritual home of the sport.

England will play three warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup against Peru at Wembley, followed by a stateside trip to Miami to play Ecuador and Honduras – all three matches will be broadcast exclusively live on ITV.

The fact that England have been drawn in a tough qualifying group and will be up against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica, means that for once the team will be heading for Brazil with little expectation of success.

Hodgson will want to try out various options and there could be a few surprise selections, but there are bound to be a number of substitutions and no players will want to risk injury which could rule them out of the tournament.

Players like Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Luke Shaw are likely to be given the opportunity in the three warm-ups to stake their place in the starting XI and will be keen to impress against opposition hand-picked to give players experience against South American teams.

The game against Peru will be vital for Hodgson as he will have to finalise his 23-man squad from the previous 30 a couple days later.

It’s the first time England have played Peru since 1962, when a hat-trick from Jimmy Greaves helped the Three Lions to a 4-0 victory in Lima, and the first time the Peruvians will have played on English soil.

Peru are coached by Uruguayan Pablo Bengoechea and consist mainly of home-based players.

They have not got big names such as Teofilo Cubillas and Hugo Sotil, who helped the team qualify for three World Cups in the 1970s
and won the Copa America in 1975, but any South American team are bound to produce difficult opposition for England.

Former Chelsea and current Bayern Munich striker Claudio Pizzaro, Schalke forward Jefferson Farfan and Corinthians dangerman Paolo Guerrero could be among those hoping to spoil England’s pre-World Cup party.

After their Wembley send-off, England then break their trip to the World Cup finals in Brazil with a stop in Miami, where they can accustom themselves to the sort of temperatures they can expect during the tournament.

Roy Hodgson’s boys warm up with two games against Latin American opposition under the searing Florida sun, the first against Ecuador on Wednesday, June 4, at the home of the Miami Dolphins, the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Having by now whittled his squad down to 23 players, with seven on the stand-by list, Hodgson now has the task of crafting them into a world-beating unit before their first competitive match in Brazil.

It’s the first time England have played Ecuador since the 2006 World Cup, when a David Beckham goal led Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men to victory in the second round in Stuttgart, setting up a quarter final against Portugal.

Captained by Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, Ecuador should prove worthy opponents, having qualified for the World Cup Finals from the always highly competitive CONMEBOL group of South American teams.

Although they currently sit 28th in the FIFA rankings, 17 places lower than England, they finished fourth in the nine-team group above Uruguay, who England will face in the group stage.

England finally complete their World Cup preparations against Honduras at the same venue in Miami on Saturday, June 7, before kicking off their 2014 World Cup campaign against Italy in Manaus on June 14.

The only place to see all of England’s World Cup warm-up matches will be on ITV with Adrian Chiles hosting its live coverage alongside pundits Glenn Hoddle and Lee Dixon, with commentary from Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend.

Joining the ITV in the studio at Wembley for the Peru clash will be England midfielder Theo Walcott, while Ian Wright joins the presenting team at pitchside in Miami for the Ecuador and Honduras matches.

ITV’s coverage is available to watch in high-definition on ITV HD and live streaming online via itv.com/football.

Further news, match updates, reports and video clips from can also be found online via the ITV football website and on Twitter via @itvfootball.

Elsewhere, another 27 matches featuring competing World Cup nations will be broadcast live across various networks, including the BBC, BT Sport, Premier Sports, Sky Sports and MUTV.

BT Sport will screen both of Brazil’s World Cup warm-up matches live against Panama and Serbia, plus internationals featuring Germany, Belgium, France and the United States.

Premier Sports also has a selection of live pre-World Cup friendlies, with many being broadcast free-t0-view. The channel will be screening exclusive UK TV coverage of Italy and Portugal’s matches against the Republic of Ireland on May 31 and June 10 respectively.

In addition, summer friendly internationals featuring Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be broadcast free-to-air on the BBC.

BBC One Scotland will screen live coverage of Scotland’s international friendly at Craven Cottage against Nigeria on Wednesday, May 28, with the Super Eagles using the match as vital preparation for the World Cup finals.

Northern Ireland face a tough away trip to Montevideo to face England’s World Cup opponents Uruguay on Friday, 30 May, which will be broadcast nationwide on BBC Red Button and online via the BBC Sport website.

Finally, Wales travel to Amsterdam to play 2010 World Cup finalists the Netherlands in a friendly encounter which will be broadcast on BBC Two Wales and Welsh-language channel S4C on Wednesday, June 4.

Follow the road to Brazil across various UK networks. TV schedule below:

.

.

.

Following a dramatic and widely acclaimed FIFA World Cup in Brazil, attention now turns to the start of the new football season and you can follow a variety of British and European clubs in action as they prepare for the 2014/15 campaign.

With the dust only just starting to settle on a sensational Brazilian World Cup carnival and the celebrations having only just begun in Germany, clubs from the top flight to the lower leagues across Britain and Europe are making their preparations for a long and grueling domestic season ahead.

All the hype and expectation that builds ahead of the new season will be fueled further by a host of pre-season matches and friendly competitions, as well as some crucial European qualifiers, and Sport On The Box presents a comprehensive guide to when and where you can watch your club in action during pre-season.

BT Sport will be screening a dozen live friendly matches in the month building up to the start of the Premier League season, culminating in the mouth-watering Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley on August 10.

Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham will also all feature in the build-up to the new campaign, together with the Arsenal-hosted Emirates Cup.

BT Sport’s coverage of the new football season gets under way on July 16 as Liverpool travel to Brondby in Denmark and three days later Brendan Rodgers’ side head to League One Preston North End.

The Reds also face Roma at Boston’s Fenway Park on July 23 before hosting Borussia Dortmund at Anfield on August 10.       

It will be friends reunited in America for Tottenham Hotspur, who play Clint Dempsey’s Seattle Sounders on July 19 and Jermain Defoe’s Toronto FC four days later, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino at the helm. They will also tackle Chicago Fire on July 26.

Newcastle and West Ham are heading to Australia for their pre-season tours with both facing Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC live on BT Sport in July.

There will be a vast array of talent on show at this year’s Emirates Cup as James Rodriguez’s Monaco, Europa League finalists Benfica and Spanish giants Valencia join Arsenal for the annual tournament, with all four round-robin games televised live on August 2-3.

Concluding the live pre-season action on BT Sport will be the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season - the FA Community Shield – as Arsenal take on Manchester City at Wembley on August 10, again live and exclusive on BT Sport.

Sky Sports will show this summer’s Guinness International Champions Cup, a pre-seson tournament which features eight of Europe’s biggest clubs from four different leagues and takes place across the United States.

The competition begins on July 26 and includes Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United from the Premier League together with Real Madrid from La Liga, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma from Serie A and Olympiakos from the Greek Super League.

Featuring five of the 2013-14 Ballon D’or nominees, including winner Cristiano Ronaldo, these eight clubs have won a total of 150 domestic league titles, 88 domestic cups and 27 European Cup titles between them, making it the highest amount of football talent ever assembled for a pre-season tournament.

The International Champions Cup will be played in 13 cities across the USA over two weeks during July and August and teams will be divided into two groups, where they will play each other once before the group winners go head-to-head in the final on August 4 from Miami’s Sun Life Stadium.

Ten of the 13 games from the pre-season tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with the three Manchester United games in the group phase of the competition being broadcast exclusively live on MUTV (see below).

In addition, Sky Sports will be sharing live coverage of the UEFA Super Cup at Cardiff City Stadium between Real Madrid and Sevilla on August 12.

MUTV will be screening five of Manchester United’s pre-season friendlies exclusively live, including its three group matches from the Guinness International Champions Cup tournament in the United States against AS Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

The Red Devils’ official club TV channel, available via subscription, will be the only place to watch Louis van Gaal’s first games in charge, kicking off with a friendly against MLS team LA Galaxy on July 23 and concluding on August 12 with a fixture against Spanish side Valencia.

Coverage of these five games will all be shown live in high-definition for the first time as MUTV launches an HD service to coincide with the start of the new season and the club’s tour of the USA. 

Premier Sports will be featuring a variety of top European clubs on its channels in the build-up to the new season as it presents a host of live friendly matches, with the majority of them free-to-view for Sky and Virgin customers.

The channel’s line-up is headlined by live coverage of Hearts’ home friendly against Premier League champions Manchester City, which is being staged to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish club’s Tynecastle main stand.

In addition, Premier Sports will also be screening two of Celtic’s pre-season matches against Dynamo Dresden and FC St Pauli, plus friendly matches featuring familiar European sides such as Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg, Galatasary, Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart.

ITV4 will be screening live free-to-air coverage of Tottenham Hotspur ‘s final pre-season friendly against German side Schalke on August 9.

Schalke, who finished third in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund last season, will take on Mauricio Pochettino’s side at White Hart Lane in their last game before the Premier League campaign kicks off a week later.

ITV will also show Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid play Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup at the Cardiff City Stadium on August 12.

Chelsea TV will have exclusive live coverage of eight of the Blues’ pre-season games live during July and August, giving fans the chance to watch some of the club’s new summer signings in action for the first time.

Matches due to be featured on the subscription channel include friendlies against Wycombe Wanderers, AFC Wimbledon, Werder Bremen and Real Sociedad.

Elsewhere, BBC One Scotland and S4C will be following the progress of Celtic and The New Saints in Europe as they aim to progress through the UEFA Champions League qualifying stages.

Details of all major televised pre-season matches can be found in SOTB’s TV guide below, with further announcements on Champions League and Europa League qualifiers to follow.

Have we missed any live friendlies/qualifiers out? If so, please leave a comment in the section at the bottom of this page.

.

.

.

Premier Sports is to be the exclusive UK television partner to the newly formed Champions League Hockey competition for the next three seasons.

The subscription sports channel, which broadcasts exclusively on Sky and Virgin Media, has announced coverage of up to 25 live games from the newly formed pan-European ice hockey league.

Starting in August, the inaugural 2014/2015 CHL season represents a massive step forward for the sport of ice hockey in Europe, bringing together the powerhouses of European club hockey in a group stage and knockout tournament format that will run alongside respective national leagues

In total there will be 25 game nights, featuring 44 clubs from 12 different countries spread over 11 groups, and Premier Sports will be there every step of the way with coverage beginning in late August, running through to the CHL Final, which is scheduled for the February 3, 2015.

The Nottingham Panthers will represent the UK’s EIHL and Premier Sports will have live coverage of all six of their group stage games against Hamburg of Germany, Lukko Rauma of Finland and Lulea of Sweden.

The agreement was closed with Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive media and marketing partner for the Champions Hockey League.

Richard Sweeney, General Manager of Premier Sports commented, “The creation of this tournament signals a new dawn in European Club Ice Hockey and it is great that it will be shown alongside the NHL on the ‘Home of Hockey’ in the UK.

“Our Ice Hockey coverage now runs from August to June and is expected to feature over 600 games from the NHL, EIHL, IIHF World Championships and CHL making us a must have addition for every Ice Hockey fan.”

Bruno Marty, Executive Director Winter Sports of Infront, added “The Champions Hockey League is a Pan-European tournament – meaning that it involves teams from all over Europe, and at the same time reaches out to viewers all over the continent.

“In this spirit, we are striving to boost the sport not only in the established, but also in emerging ice hockey markets.

“Premier Sports will extensively feature the games of UK participant Nottingham Panthers and is the ideal partner to help proliferate ice hockey and the CHL, as it offers top-level club ice hockey to its viewership.”

The new competition is fully owned and operated by the European Ice Hockey Club Competition Ltd (EICC) which includes, as its shareholders, 26 Founding Clubs from six national Founding Leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

The inaugural season will see 44 clubs from the founding national leagues: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland take part, including the respective national champions and regular season winners. Also, champions from certain Challenge Leagues will be invited as wild cards.

The group stages for the 2014/15 CHL season runs from August to October, with the Playoffs taking place from November to February 2015. Premier Sports will have live coverage of all the key matches.

Premier Sports has been running since 2010 and offers fans in the UK an opportunity to receive wall-to-wall coverage of variety of niche sporting events.

Its current portfolio is made up of over 1,000 live events per year and includes NRL and Four Nations rugby league, as well as regular ice hockey, motorsport, GAA and South American football.

For further information on how to subscribe to Premier Sports, visit premiersports.tv.

.

.

.