The chairmen of the twenty clubs in the FA Premier League have agreed a tender document which is set to increase revenue from match broadcasting rights in a new structure to include the introduction of pay-per-view and more live matches.
A total of 40 second-tier live matches will be available to the broadcaster who wins the pay-per-view bid. These will go out on Sunday afternoons, a move which may mean a clash with the Football League’s live matches. The terms agreed state that the same club may only be featured a maximum of six times on pay-per-view in any given season, that every Premier League team must feature at least once, and that subscribers should have the option of purchasing either individual matches or a ‘mini season-ticket’.
The number of first-tier games televised on Sunday and Monday evenings has been increased from 60 to 66 for the new sell-off, taking the total number of live matches shown each year to over 100.
The first-tier package is expected to attract the highest bids, with the additional games pushing the price even higher. One of the favourites to win is BSkyB, which has owned the right to broadcast Premier League fixtures for the past four years.
The BBC has said it will not be bidding for full matches, but it is expected to bid against ITV and perhaps Channel 5 for the Saturday highlights, which have been reserved for terrestrial channels, and for Sunday highlights, which are reserved for free-to-air TV.
Larger clubs should be pleased with the decision to allow delayed coverage of matches on club-owned TV channels and websites, where previously they have been limited to archive material. This is expected to increase the profitability of ventures such as Manchester United’s MUTV. In addition the Premier League is to create its own official website, which will eventually feature match highlights.
The deal has been limited to three years, commencing with the 2001-2002 season. Initial bids are expected by April 10, with the bidding process due for completion by July.
Premier League: 020 7298 1600
