Absolute Radio to broadcast live Premier League matches

Absolute Radio has signed a three year deal to broadcast live Premier League football matches at 3pm on Saturdays, starting from the 2010-2011 season.

Premier League rights packages are currently split into two, with BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT taking first and second picks respectively, but from next season there will be three packages, with Absolute securing the second pick.

The station’s current Rock n Roll Football Show will continue to be broadcast on Absolute’s London FM frequency, with the live commentaries on its national AM frequency, and, if Ofcom approves, it will split its DAB broadcast, allowing listeners to choose between shows.

Clive Dickens, chief operating officer of Absolute Radio, said: “Football has always been an integral part of Absolute Radio. We have a fantastic fantasy football league and have invested in Baddiel and Skinner for the World Cup. This is the logical next step.”

According to the latest RAJAR figures, for Q4 2009, Total Absolute Radio had a weekly reach of around 1.5 million listeners, down by around 6% on Q3, although its average hours per listener figure was up over the same time-frame, by 8.6% to 7.6 hours.