Can Less Be More? ITV’s Champions League Coverage in the 1990s

por Wosti -

In the days before the roll-out of the World Wide Web, there were effectively three main ways for UK fans to get exposure to continental football: World Soccer Magazine (which is still going strong after decades in print), Football Italia on Channel 4 (a cult favourite), and, of course, Champions League action on ITV. The latter’s role in establishing the Champions League and evolving into the behemoth it is today should not be understated. For many fans today, it was ITV that opened their eyes to the Zidanes, Romarios, Stoichkovs, Hagis, Maldinis, and Bobans that shaped football in the 90s.

For those who grew up in the internet age, it’s difficult to convey how limited the access to Champions League football was. In the European Cup era (before 1992), both the BBC and ITV would show the odd match here and there, but they were rare and there was never any structure to the schedule, particularly for games not featuring English teams. Things changed in 1992 when ITV announced it would be showing the nascent UEFA Champions League, showing one game per matchday and, importantly, an extensive highlights show.

Modern football offers ubiquitous access

Today, football is ubiquitous. Most of us are probably not aware of how much football media we consume. Aside from constant coverage of matches, you consume it in bite-size chunks on media platforms like Twitter/X and YouTube. You can even watch the action on football betting platforms. The point, as such, is that there are numerous different ways you interact with football beyond the television. And that changes your relationship with football.

The keyword for describing what it was like on ITV in the 1990s is “funnelling”, i.e., everything led up to a point at 7.30pm (coverage would start at 7pm for bigger games featuring English teams). Before that, you would not know anything about the game, including the line-ups. There was a sense of a shared experience, as everyone would find out at the same time who was playing, or that a star player would be dropped, or that some other surprise was on the cards.

The sense of mystery extended to the game, too. In the inaugural 1992/1993 Champions League broadcast on ITV, the majority of viewers would have been introduced to a little-known PSV Eindhoven forward called Romario. A couple of years later, he would become a household name after starring in the 1994 World Cup and joining Barcelona, but this first exposure to the Brazilian legend felt special, and, as mentioned, there was a sense that everyone was experiencing at the same time for the first time.

A communal experience watching at the same time

The communal experience of watching Champions League football on ITV in the 1990s created a unique bond among fans. There was a palpable excitement in the air, knowing that millions were tuning in simultaneously to watch the same match. This shared viewing experience fostered a sense of unity and collective memory among football enthusiasts, who would discuss the matches with friends and colleagues the next day. The anticipation built throughout the day, leading up to a point where we all learned stuff together.

There is, of course, a trick that nostalgia plays, leading us to a kind of cult of the past experience. There are many elements of modern football that make it better than it was in the 1990s. The amount of expert analysis, even if we do sometimes criticise the pundits, is vastly superior, as is the access to information. However, the argument that less can be more is also valid. We were all on a journey of discovery in the 1990s, and ITV was showing us the way. Without it, the Champions League would not be what it is today.