Premier League to Increase Number of Live Televised Fixtures in UK

In the upcoming rights cycle, the Premier League plans to expand the number of live televised matches in the UK from 200 to approximately 270. This increase will come as part of a four-year deal, starting from the 2025-26 season. A total of five live packages, with games ranging from 42 to 65, will be available for tender.

Despite the increase in televised fixtures, the longstanding Saturday afternoon 3pm blackout will remain in place. However, every 2pm Sunday kick-off will now be televised. This marks the first time since 2018 that the Premier League has gone through a tender process for its broadcasting rights. The current agreement, which is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season, is essentially a rollover of the previous deal, as an exclusion order was granted by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At present, Sky holds four packages comprising 128 matches per season, TNT possesses two packages featuring 52 matches, and Amazon has one package with 20 matches. In the new deal, five midweek rounds will be added to the broadcasting schedule, replacing the current four. Additionally, the Saturday 12:30pm and 5:30pm slots, as well as the Sunday 2pm and 4:30pm slots, will remain, along with the 8pm Monday or Friday slot.

The tender process is expected to be completed by the end of this year.