PREMIER LEAGUE UPS TELEVISED GAMES

The Premier League is set to increase the number of live televised fixtures in the UK from 200 to around 270 in its next rights cycle.

English football’s top-flight confirmed on Wednesday 18^th October that it had launched a tender process for its next round of domestic TV rights.

Five live packages of between 42 and 65 games are going up for tender in a four-year deal from the 2025-26 season.

The Saturday afternoon 3pm blackout will remain in place but every 2pm Sunday kick-off will be televised, as well as all midweek Premier League games.

Five midweek rounds will soon be available instead of the current four, while the Saturday 12:30pm and 5:30pm and the Sunday 2pm and 4.30pm stay in place, along with the 8pm Monday or Friday slot.

The Premier League will be hoping the next auction will deliver a boost in revenues after its most recent deal, a £5bn agreement struck in 2018, which was rolled over during the pandemic and resulted in a special extension.

Currently, Sky Sports dominate the league’s broadcasting landscape, just as it has since the Premier League inception in 1992. The British subscription sports channels has four packages consisting of 128 matches per season, with TNT Sports, recently rebranded from BT Sport, holding two packages with 52 matches. Amazon also has one package of 20 matches.

The current broadcasters will be expecting competition to be fiercer this year with rumours that the likes of Apple TV and DAZN set to show interest.

The tender process will be completed by the end of the year.