The battle for Premier League supremacy between Sky Sports and BT Sport has officially begun after both corporations announced the season's first set of live fixtures.
David Moyes' first league match in charge of Manchester United has received the tea-time kick-off slot on the opening day, with the season's first Super Sunday televising new boys Crystal Palace, hosting Tottenham Hotspur, and Hull City, who travel to José Mourinho's Chelsea.
Sky, whose coverage has improved in the wake of Richard Keys and Andy Gray's sexist comments in January 2011, will boast Jamie Carragher alongside Gary Neville for their revered Monday Night Football programme.
Conspiratorial Liverpool fans appeased
Moyes and Mourinho's sides' clash in the second round of fixtures gets the Monday night slot.
Predictably, Sky have dibs on the pick of the fixtures, with BT's outstanding matches Tottenham versus Chelsea, the first Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and Manchester United's trip to Spurs.
Anchored by former BBC man Jake Humphrey, BT will show the first match of the campaign, Liverpool's home game with Stoke City.
Ex-Liverpool players will join anchor Jake Humphrey
BT's punditry announcement generated a decidedly lukewarm response, compared to Sky. David James was regarded as one of the more articulate footballers but is a pundit novice while Michael Owen, stultifying on Match of the Day, will be on co-commentary duty.
Owen Hargreaves could prove to be an inspired acquisition, while Steve McManaman and Rio Ferdinand will also appear on the channel, free to BT broadband users.
BT Sport's line-up of live games