Promises but few big match nerves from new ITV signing: Brian Barwick must make a go of ITV's sport offering soon. (Headliner).

ITV's controller of sport, Brian Barwick, has recently been doing the rubber chicken circuit, spreading. the ITV Sports gospel to the media industry.

Barwick, accompanied by some of his most high-profile converts including Des Lynam and Gabby Logan, has been out touting ITV's World Cup coverage after the network recently reached an agreement with the BBC for the allocation of games.

This was widely seen as a victory for the BBC, but Barwick claims that he got what he wanted. "The headline-grabber may be the England/Argentina game, but it's on at a time when there will be a lot of out-of-home viewing. ITV has the exclusive rights to the first game of the tournament -- the England versus Sweden game, which is on at a time more suitable to advertisers and also three Republic of Ireland games," he says.

After the first round the BBC and ITV will go head to head, although ITV has the exclusive rights to repeat matches in the evening, which will help its share of viewing.

Granada's chairman, Mick Desmond, describes Barwick as "larger than life" and he can certainly talk the hind legs off a donkey. But Barwick is more than a stereotypical gobby Scouser and has built a reputation as a programme controller with his eye firmly on the needs of the channel.

Desmond adds: "Brian is very user-friendly with the commercial sector and his instincts are now extremely commercially minded."

This may be surprising given that Barwick started his career at the BBC, spending eight years editing Match of the Day. He oversaw two World Cups and three Olympic games. Barwick left the BBC shortly after he was passed over for the post of controller of BBC1. ITV's director of programmes, David Liddiment, offered him the job at ITV. It was a shrewd move. ITV acquired a man with a real passion for sport, something much needed at the Network Centre.