Facebook Watch will livestream two FA Cup matches this week, the first time it has secured UK rights to football.
Reading’s match against Sheffield United on 3rd March and the Leicester City v Birmingham City on 4th March will be available for free on the Football Association’s Facebook page, as well as on the Watch platform on mobile, smart TVs and streaming devices.
It follows the decision in January by betting firms to voluntarily give up their exclusive deals for streaming matches in the UK not picked up by broadcasters outside of the 3pm blackout period.
The FA has said it will review its media rights sales process for the betting industry ahead of the next rights cycle.
The other six quarter-final ties are being shared by BT Sport and the BBC, with BBC viewers having the option to watch two games on both Tuesday and Wednesday, with games split between BBC One and iPlayer.
