ITV Sport are set to shed some of their ‘squad’ at the end of the season when they lose more of their footballing rights.
Long time presenter Matt Smith and pundit Andy Townsend have not had their contracts renewed after this season. It is thought with a view to having less football on the channel as after 2014/15 their last regular live club football transfers to BT Sport in the form of the Champions League and the Europa League.
Matt Smith has been a loyal ITV Sport presenter since 2001 form the ITV Sport Channel days to present covering football, IPL cricket, darts and more while often been cast aside as the number 1 football role often playing second fiddle to the likes of Des Lynham, Steve Rider and Adrian Chiles. However he has the reputation of being a very good solid presenter and did step up to present the 2010 FA Cup and Champions League finals for ITV when Steve Rider was dropped in a dispute with the network, and before Adrian Chiles took over.
Andy Townsend has been around for well over a decade too on ITV Sport, combining punditry and co-commentators role – and has been a figure that some like and some criticise. He has also presented on Talksport radio and been a pundit and co-comm for the Premier League international feed, in which after mutually agreeing on the split at the end of the season with ITV, Townsend will probably go on to do that role.
From next season ITV will still have highlights of the Champions and Europa League but will only have England games live plus one other foreign qualifier in the Euro 2016 qualifying rounds. It is unclear if Matt Smith will cut all ties with ITV. Although leaving his contract there are still other sports on the channel in which Smith may well pop up on a freelance basis, while working elsewhere. Rumours also suspect Smith could end up on BT Sport on their European Football coverage.
