Why are Sky and ITV showing the same game tonight?

The Carabao Cup fixtures Wrexham vs. Cardiff and Newcastle vs. Southampton will shown on both ITV and Sky Sports.

Wrexham and Cardiff will play each other for the first time since 2002 whilst Newcastle will be looking to continue their defence of the first trophy they have won in 70 years against Tottenham, who also have a taste for silverware.

It is unusual for a game to be broadcast on two TV channels at once in the United Kingdom, unless it is a cup final, so why are two Carabao Cup ties getting that treatment? FourFourTwo explains all…

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Why are Sky and ITV showing the same Carabao Cup game tonight?

Sky Sports microphones ready for broadcast (Image credit: Getty Images)

Newcastle’s 2-1 victory at Wembley over record winners Liverpool last season saw them end a 70-year trophy drought and showed just how special the Carabao Cup is.

Several teams, including Liverpool and Newcastle will be looking at the tournament to springboard their domestic seasons after slow starts.

A new broadcast deal, which started in 2024/25 saw ITV gain some rights to shown the English Football League Cup live. They broadcast a leg each of the semi-finals last year, with Sky also sharing the broadcasting for these games.

As on the 2025/26 season, every EFL Cup game is available to watch on Sky Sports, and ITV will have access to broadcast 10 games from the competition.

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They broadcast Grimsby’s sensational victory over Manchester United in round two, and showed Liverpool’s narrow victory over Southampton in round three.

The deal runs until the 2026/27 season which means next season will also have the same treatment.

Part of the deal allows ITV to show 10 EFL ties a season as well.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s good news for those who love to get their football fix. If your really prepared you can probably watch two games at once, with Sky showing every tie from every round.

If you really wanted, you could watch the game on two different screens and really take your analysis to the next level.

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