Football fans tuning into ITV’s HD channels were left furious when there was no sound to their coverage of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday afternoon
15:51, 22 Mar 2026Updated 15:51, 22 Mar 2026
ITV’s coverage had no sound(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA, Getty Images)
Arsenal and Man City fans were left furious on social media as ITV’s coverage of the Carabao Cup final was left without sound.
Fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to vent their frustration ahead of kick-off. ITV’s coverage started at 3:30pm, but it was without sound on their HD channel, with fans reporting ITV1 was working with sound.
“An interesting choice from ITV to broadcast the League Cup final coverage without sound,” one fan fumed. While a second shared: “ITV. Really looking forward to watching the Carabao Cup Final: Arsenal vs Manchester City. But the ITV technicians haven’t bothered to check for sound??”
The Carabao Cup final takes place on Sunday(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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“ITV says no live commentary today lads only live subtitles,” a third joked. As a fourth posted: “If Gary Neville is on commentary I’m quite happy for ITV to not fix the audio…”
And another added: “Are ITV going hand in hand with Sky sports for the football this afternoon? Did Sky turn round and say they can have the pictures, but they can’t have the sound as well?”
ITV are broadcasting the final after a sub-licensing agreement, reached in 2024, permitted a selection of EFL and Carabao Cup matches to be aired on terrestrial television alongside Sky Sports’ own comprehensive coverage.
That deal is reportedly valued at approximately £15 million.
And the additional income from ITV helps boost the financial distribution to all 72 EFL clubs, supporting the wider English football pyramid beyond the Premier League.
While ITV is offering the free-to-air alternative, Sky, as the primary rights holder, are also broadcasting every single match of the tournament – including the final – live across its various channels and the Sky Sports+ platform.
