Whilst most eyes were on the closure of the transfer window last week, the BBC did announce that it had resecured top flight highlights until at least the 2021/22 season.
The move of course protects the immediate future of Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 which has a combined audience of more than seven million each weekend for Aunty Beeb and we can’t forget Football Focus are in there as well.
It probably works out well for football fans in the greater scheme of things as it is doubtful TV licenses wouldn’t have been reduced had the shows been lost, so at least highlights remain ‘technically’ free to air in the next few years.
The deal does see a rise in the fee paid to the Premier League however, as it’s up from £204million to £211.5million but a cynic might say that’s to ensure Gary Lineker doesn’t present in his underwear again – although he did have his fans the other year.
Head of BBC content, Charlotte Moore told, funnily enough, the BBC.
‘To secure the Premier League highlights for another three years is fantastic news for football fans all over the UK and ensures the BBC remains the free-to-air home with the iconic Match of the Day at the heart of all the action.’
With 37 million watching last season and an apparent 40 million more requests for the shows online, Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore explained.
‘We are extremely pleased that our partnership with BBC Sport will continue through to 2022. They do an excellent job of making the Premier League available to millions of fans across the UK with a range of high quality programming and content.’
With the expectation that broadcast rights package fees would again rise, the Premier League will of course be pleased to see the highlights package go up and we can only estimate how much the next live deal will spike as that remains in negotiation, but with a 70% jump for the last three year deal that topped out at £5.136billion and with games available going to 200 with a new Saturday night slot of 7.45pm on offer it’s bound to be another ridiculous sum.
