This is a timeline of the history of football on television in the UK.
1930s
1937
16 September – The BBC makes the world's first television broadcast of a football match, a specially arranged local mirror match derby fixture between Arsenal and Arsenal reserves.
1938
30 April – The BBC broadcasts television coverage of the FA Cup for the first time.
1939
1 September – The BBC Television Service is suspended, owing to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War.
1940s
1940 to 1945
No events due to television being closed for the duration of the Second World War.
1946
7 June – BBC Television broadcasts resume. 19 October – The first live televised post-war football match is broadcast by the BBC. Twenty minutes of Barnet's home game against Wealdstone were televised in the first half and thirty five minutes of the second half before it became too dark.
1947
8 February – A non-final match of the FA Cup is broadcast for the first time when the BBC shows the fifth round match between Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers. 25 October - Scheduled live coverage of a First Division match between Charlton Athletic and Chelsea is pulled after objections from the Football League.
1948
10 August – An evening kick-off and a match between two foreign teams is broadcast for the first time, as Sweden v Denmark in the semi-finals of the Olympic football tournament is shown live from Wembley. This is also the first time an international football tournament has been shown on television. 13 August – Two full matches are shown live on the same day for the first time; the bronze medal play-off and then the final of the Olympic tournament, both at Wembley. 13 November - An FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie between Romford and Gillingham is televised live on the BBC.
1949
30 November – The earliest live match from which some footage of the television coverage still exists, England v Italy at White Hart Lane.
1950s
1950
No events.
1951
The FA restricts the BBC to second half only coverage of the FA Cup Final. Kenneth Wolstenholme commentates on the final for the first time. 20 October - A Wales international, a 1-1 draw with England, is televised live for the first time. It is the first live football broadcast from outside England.
1952
The FA blocks television coverage of the FA Cup Final. Every final since has been televised in full. 22 November - For the first time, a live game from the first two rounds of the FA Cup is shown as the BBC televise the match between Leyton and Hereford United.
1953
No events.
1954
16 June-4 July – The FIFA World Cup is broadcast by the BBC for the first time with selected matches shown live.
1955
The 1955 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Clyde is the first final in Scotland to be televised live The start of the European Cup sees both the BBC and the newly launched ITV cover the new midweek tournament from the outset. 30 November - ITV shows a home England international live from Wembley for the first time when Associated Rediffusion broadcasts their 4-1 victory over Spain, with Kent Walton commentating.
1956
No events.
1957
No events.
1958
8–29 June – A greater range of matches compared to 1954 are shown thanks to the new Eurovision Network. Live games are shown on both the BBC and ITV, which was covering a World Cup for the first time.
1959
No events.
1960s
1960
29 May - ITV broadcasts a Scotland international live for the first time. Scottish Television shows their 4-1 defeat in Austria. ITV agrees a deal worth £150,000 with the Football League to screen 26 matches; the very first live league match was on Saturday 10 September 1960 between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers at Bloomfield Road. The match kicked off at 6:50 pm with live coverage starting at 7:30pm under the title The Big Game. The game was played in front of a half-empty stadium. ITV withdraws from the deal after first Arsenal and then Tottenham Hotspur refused them permission to shoot at their matches against Newcastle United and Aston Villa respectively, and when the Football League demanded a dramatic increase in player appearance payments.
1961
No events.