The "row between the Premier League and Virgin Media over the way live TV rights are sold has been re-ignited by the Government’s sports strategy, published this week," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. U.K. Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch’s report "had the headline announcement that the Premier League would double" its investment in grassroots football to £100M ($149M) a year over the next three seasons. But the "considerable extra funding is subject to the verdict of a year-long investigation by broadcasting regulator Ofcom into the League’s rights process." That probe followed a complaint from Virgin, which wants "every Premier League fixture shown live" in the U.K. Virgin Media Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Brigitte Trafford said, "The Premier League will bank well over £5 billion ($7.45B) of domestic TV rights money, 70 percent more than the last deal. Why then do we see the PL holding back much-needed cash for investment in grassroots football pending the outcome of the Ofcom investigation? It is entirely wrong that the PL should hold this position, and yet more proof Ofcom needs to step in and secure a better deal for football fans" (DAILY MAIL, 12/18).
