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Premiership TV deal D-Day

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ttnbd:

--- Quote ---The battle for the television rights for Premiership football for the 2004-5 season is entering a crucial phase as the deadline for bids approaches.

Broadcasters must submit their bids to the FA Premier League by 1400 BST on Friday.

Sky and ITV currently hold the rights but the Premier League has changed the way the rights are bundled.

Under the new deals, the number of matches that will be shown live will rise from the current 106 games - which includes 40 on pay-per-view - to 138.

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There will also be an enhanced highlights package on offer and the chance for channels to show delayed transmission of full games.

The announcement follows talks with the European Commission, which had objected to the previous deal as uncompetitive, although a final agreement has yet to be secured.

The League says the new deals will see more televised matches on Saturdays, fewer on other days of the week, yet will continue to protect the Saturday 3-5pm slot from live transmission.

What is now on offer includes:


Three separate packages of live matches open to bids from free-to-air broadcasters, such as BBC and ITV, or pay TV broadcasters, such as Sky.

One of those three packages can be shown as pay-per-view but does not have to be.

An enhanced highlights package on free-to-air television aimed at giving more clubs exposure.

A new package of 'near-live, long-form transmission' of games to be shown after the highlights. This is available to free-to-air, pay TV or internet broadband.

Broadcasters can team up to buy packages. Theoretically, ITV and BBC could bid together for a package of live games and then split them up.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "[We have] offered what we believe to be an extremely varied and attractive set of rights, which will give consumers greater choice than ever before."

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BSkyB paid £1.1bn for exclusive live rights to Premier League games for the last deal, from 2001 to 2004, with ITV paying £183m for highlights.

But the worldwide recession in sports broadcasting rights has led to doubts about whether the League can secure a similar sum this time around.

It has made big changes to the way they sell the rights in order to keep in line with the EC.

--- End quote ---

oojason:
Good stuff Tim, do you know when they announce the who's won what?

ttnbd:
When the Premier League have counted out their projected piggy banks :P

Not sure.  It is usually very early in the season when it gets announced.

Expect Match Of The Day to return.  Be it Live and/or highlights.

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