EPL clubs are "considering playing matches on Saturday nights," and one proposal is to "target a peak-time television audience" with kickoffs at 7:45pm local time, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Up to 30 more games "will be shown live in the next broadcasting deal" -- at least 190 games a season -- and "possibly more than 200." The talks on the proposed deals "come as figures show that Sky's audiences for the Premier League on TV fell" by 14% last season (LONDON TIMES, 6/13). In London, Ben Rumsby noted the Saturday scheduling was "discussed during the league's summer shareholders' meeting last week ahead of the upcoming launch of the tender process for its next domestic broadcasting deal." A final decision is "expected this autumn, when clubs will also decide how many fixtures to make available to broadcasters" between '19-22 when the "rights for those seasons are sold" early next year. An "increase in the number of live matches would mean fewer" 10:00am ET Saturday kickoffs "than ever due to the blackout on broadcasting such games" in the U.K. (London TELEGRAPH, 6/13). Saturday night matches would allow for some later kickoffs/better time slots in the U.S. NBC Sports had no comment on the EPL development (THE DAILY).
