English Premier League May Axe More Saturday Games To Keep Sky, BT Happy

The Premier League may give up yet more of its "traditional Saturday 3pm kick-offs to satisfy bidders in the next TV rights tender," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. It "will want to keep both Sky and BT happy with the next three-year agreement" from the '16-17 season, with the packages on offer expected to be launched around the new year. BT Sport, which has taken the Champions League from Sky, "will want at least three packages out of the current seven, and Sky cannot afford to lose any Premier League football." So one option being looked at by the league and mooted in ongoing talks with broadcast partners "is increasing the number of live matches to be sold." That went up from 138 to 154 in the last auction but "is still less than half the 380 games in a PL season." An extra Sunday night slot -- like La Liga -- "could be shoehorned into the TV schedule to give BT the opportunity to screen more games," while Sky would at least retain its current share (DAILY MAIL, 10/15).