The FA Cup final and Derby will be shown back-to-back in one of the biggest ever days of live sport.
ITV have got the rights to flat horse racing’s blue riband event and the FA Cup final on Saturday, June 3.
Football Association bosses have yet to confirm a kick-off time for the Wembley date and will only make a decision after the outcome of the semi finals depending on which teams make it through.
The Derby has been listed as a 4.30pm start since 2015 to maximise the TV audience but could be pushed back to 4pm this year to enable the Cup final to be shown straight after.
ITV bosses are certain to be hoping that it will be one of the biggest ever live audiences and audiences will stay tuned with them after the Derby as they share FA Cup rights with the BBC. The FA Cup final has been pushed back into June in a first for football because of the longer season thanks to the winter World Cup.
The semi-finals take place this weekend (April 22/23), with Manchester City facing Sheffield United on Saturday (4:45pm) and Brighton taking on Manchester United on Sunday (4:30pm).
FA chiefs will meet with local organisers and the police next week to decide on the kick-off time for the final and train times will also come into the decision. Last year’s kick-off time was 4.45pm. But there is no chance of an overlap and it will guarantee a bumper day for ITV.
ITV announced ahead of the Cheltenham Festival last month they had secured a new deal to show exclusive, free to air coverage of UK horse racing until the end of 2026. They will show over 100 days of live coverage each year with the deal encompassing the Grand National, Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot as well as the Derby.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said when the announcement was made: "This deal will take us to a decade of racing on ITV and we’re delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers well over 100 days of live coverage of this wonderful sport, including some of the most enjoyable, storied and thrilling events of each year.
"We look forward to continuing to work with Racecourse Media Group and our other partners within racing to bring audiences the very best racing has to offer in the coming years."
