The Premier League has unveiled its plans to expand their live match coverage and show around 270 games in the United Kingdom as part of its next domestic rights deal.
This means an additional 70 matches will be shown live on television. Over two thirds of the 380 matches in each season will now be available for fans to watch.
The Premier League has begun the process of selling rights across a four-year period, starting from the 2025-26 season and ending in 2028-29.
Tenders are being invited for five live packages, each aligned with specific kick-off times. These packages will cover matches scheduled for 12.30pm and 5.30pm BST on Saturdays, 2pm and 4.30pm on Sundays, and Monday and Friday evenings at 8pm.
As a result of this, the traditional 3pm Saturday kick-offs will still not be televised, while all matches played at 2pm on Sundays will now be shown.
The 270 live games will be organised into five packages, ranging from 42 to 65 matches per season. This is a change from the existing system, which comprises seven packages. The placement of midweek matches within the packages, however, is yet to be confirmed by the Premier League.
In the current contract, which included seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22 and was subsequently extended for an additional three seasons (2022-23 to 2024-25), Sky holds ownership of four packages, covering 128 matches per season. TNT, previously known as BT Sport, has two packages encompassing 52 matches, while Amazon secured one package featuring 20 games.
Additionally, the Premier League is also inviting tenders for highlight coverage, including the 110 games that won’t be broadcast live and the provision of free-to-air highlights for all 380 matches, a service currently owned by the BBC and used in Match of the Day.
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The Premier League’s invisible games
(Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
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