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It is also interested in some of the less popular sporting events, such as the England under-21 matches. The announcement will be a blow to the BBC, which will now have few leading live football games to broadcast on television.

One of the issues for the corporation is believed to be the lower-than-expected licence fee settlement, which has hampered the amount it can bid for sports. The deal also signals the weakening of BSkyB's grip on football. It lost the monopoly on live rights for Premier League football after a review by the European Commission.

Although BSkyB still owns the bulk of the rights to the top league, Setanta won the rights for 46 Premiership matches in an auction last year.The FA Cup has always been the favourite knock-out competition in UK football and is an attractive event for ITV. England international matches also attract high audiences.

The most popular programme in the UK last year was the World Cup game between England and Sweden, which was shown on ITV and seen by an audience of 14.9m viewers.

High-profile football games attract young male viewers, who are valuable for advertisers, including brewers and car companies. The rights are understood to include those for broadcasting via broadband and clips on new media devices. "This is a massive coup for both companies," said one person close to the situation.

BSkyB and the BBC bought the previous rights for £320m in a four-year deal that expires at the end of next season. The FA is understood to have been hoping for a substantial increase in offers following a60 per cent increase in Premier League TV deals.