All top-flight games to be shown live
All Premier League matches will continue to be broadcast through lockdown thanks to a fresh agreement which ensures free-to-air football continues on the BBC.
The gesture of goodwill from England’s top tier sees games shared out again on a pro-rata basis to the corporation, Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime.
Executives are keen to keep the broadcasters happy, with the auction for the next rights cycle looming. Analysts are warning of a potential 15 per cent drop off in values, but league sources insist they are confident ahead of negotiations.
Matches were first made available to free-to-air following Project Restart in June, but clubs were later forced into an about-turn over a much-criticised pay-per-view model. Games were again made available for free in December.
“These plans have been made with the co-operation of our broadcast partners, working with us to deliver these additional matches while stadiums are missing the supporters who are such an integral part of the game,” the league said following a shareholders meeting yesterday.
The extension covers all fixtures from Jan 30 to the last weekend of February. The pledge comes amid an escalating legal feud with Chinabased Pplive Sports International, which is counter-suing for almost £100million over a collapsed deal.
Last September, Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, and his director of broadcasting Paul Molnar tore up a £564million deal with Pplive’s parent company, Suning Holdings, after the firm defaulted on a £160million bill.
The league scrambled to secure a quick replacement agreement with digital streaming organisation Tencent. However, as the league continues to pursue Suning for £160million, Pplive has claimed
the league has shown double standards in paying £330 million in rebates to some other broadcast partners as a result of the blackout.
At the meeting of clubs, executives also agreed to a trial of permanent concussion substitutions. The initiative was approved by the International Football Association Board in December. “The protocols will allow a maximum of two concussion substitutes to be used per team,” the league said.
West Bromwich Albion’s clash with fellow Premier League strugglers Fulham is the first new match handed to the BBC. It will screen on Saturday, Jan 30, at 3pm.