Huge rise in live TV games

Up to 270 Prem games will be screened live from 2025-26 with clubs on the verge of agreeing the new TV packages.

Today’s meeting of the 20 top flight chief executives saw League bosses outline the proposed new schedule to clubs.

The new deal – expected to be confirmed next week – will see between 260 and 270 games per season broadcast live, a significant increase on the 200 matches shown in the current TV contracts with Sky, TNT Sport and Amazon.

It is understood that the reduction to five “packages” from the seven in place now will see an increase in Saturday evening matches at 7.45, although Prem bosses insist the idea of Sunday evening matches has been dismissed.

All four “midweek” fixture lists will be screened in full and club and League chiefs are united in their hope that offering more games will see the value of the domestic deal increase when the packages go out to “tender” over the coming weeks.

Confidence in that happening will increase if the Government gives permission for the League to offer four-year contracts to broadcasters as opposed to the three season deals which have previously been on the table.

It comes with the overseas deals for the 2025-28 cycle already higher than for the current three-year deal, which saw TV rights from abroad overtake domestic deals for the first time.

French broadcaster Canal + agreed a new deal for French-speaking Europe and the Czech Republic which is 10 per cent up on the current package, taking the overall value of overseas deals above the existing  £5.5bn tally.