Prepare for more matches to kick-off at bizarre times ...
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/two-premier-league-games-live-on-tv-at-same-time-qfjv90860
210 Premier League games could be shown live on TV from 2019
Far more than half of all Premier League matches could be shown live on British television from 2019 under the new domestic broadcasting deal.
Premier League chairmen will meet next week to decide how many matches should be offered in the new tender, with three options outlined: 190 matches, 200 or a maximum 210 of the 380 top-flight games played each season.
Under the existing deal, 168 games are aired each season but the league has guaranteed to Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, that it will make at least 190 available in the next three-year deal, which runs from 2019 to 2022.
As revealed by
The Times, the Premier League is also considering introducing a prime-time Saturday night slot for live matches but will try to protect the group of matches still kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays, where no live domestic broadcast is permitted
The Football Supporters’ Federation has said that it has “major reservations” about a significant increase in televised football and wants the Saturday 3pm kick-offs to be protected. If the league decides to offer 210 games that would mean an extra 42 matches televised a year. As well as the Saturday night slot, there would be more matches shown midweek and on bank holidays.
There would also be occasions when two matches are screened live simultaneously so that viewers could choose which they watch.
The tender is expected to go out to broadcasters before Christmas with the auction to be completed in February.
In 2015, Sky and BT Sport paid a combined £5.1 billion — a 67 per cent increase — for the domestic rights with the bulk of the matches going to Sky.
Analysts do not expect a rise of any such proportion for the next domestic deal, even if a digital giant such as Amazon or Facebook submits a bid. BT Sport is also focused more on its Champions League coverage although it would covet the Saturday night slot, which could lead to some modest growth in the overall value of the rights.
Next week’s meeting will be the first since the ‘big six’ clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and the two Manchester sides — failed in their bid to secure a bigger share of overseas television rights. As a result, the bigger clubs may resist attempts to entice domestic broadcasters by giving greater access to players, managers and dressing rooms.