ITV Signs Sports For ITV4 Launch

ITV has announced a line up of sporting events, including the UEFA Champions League and world championship boxing, for its latest digital channel, ITV4, which launches on all digital platforms next month.

Tuesday 1 November will see ITV4 go live to Freeview, cable and Sky homes with live coverage of Chelsea as they take on Real Betis in the Champions League. From that point on, ITV4 will become the home of ITV’s second Champions League match on Tuesdays, through to the semi-final.

November 5 will see ITV4 continue its sporting action, with live coverage from Glasgow where top bill boxing is on the cards, featuring Amir Khan and WBO world featherweight champion Scott Harrison.

ITV4 channel editor, Steve Arnell, believes the sporting line up makes the new channel a quality offering for viewers. “We’re delighted to be able to launch our first week of programming with premium sporting events,” he said. “Such quality programming entirely fits our aim of appealing to a discerning male audience.”

Last month saw ITV lift the lid on other programming planned for ITV4, with a mix of American series and films in addition to sports coverage designed to entice male viewers.

The new channel will air between 6pm and 6am, with programming including a remake of detective series Kojak, new police drama Wanted, and the first UK screening of a mini-series based on the film Traffic.

The new channel will also deliver a dose of reality, in the shape of Invasion Iowa, which sees former Star Trek actor William Shatner “attempting to pull off the greatest hoax in US history,” while spoof reality show The Assistant follows twelve Hollywood wannabes as they are put through a series of Apprentice style tasks (see ITV4 Lifts Lid On Launch Programmes).

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com