American VAR expert Christina Unkel gives ITV edge over BBC

ITV, helped by having the first three games, got off to a flyer with better opening titles and a new voice on refs’ decisions

As the rights-holder not tied to their regular set of white-soled Match of the Day pundits, ITV has made significant recent gains on the BBC for tournament coverage in being able to call up some big guns. Saturday lunchtime’s Trooping The Colour had also meant the baton was ITV’s for Euro 2024’s first three matches.

Inform, entertain, hope the football is actually good and don’t hit the “let’s go off to the England camp” button too early? That was the formula, once opening idents revealed these Euros are jointly sponsored by Qatar Airways and Lidl to remind where much of football’s power lies and of the cost-of-living crisis.