UK commercial broadcaster ITV is preparing a bid to acquire domestic highlights for the English Premier League in the next rights cycle for the top division of football in the country, according to the Guardian newspaper.
ITV, which had the rights to the highlights between 2001 and 2004, is expected to enter the running with the tender launches early next year.
UK public-service broadcaster the BBC pays £60m (€75m/$94m) per year in its current deal, which will run until the end of the 2015-16 season. The BBC exploits the rights through its long-running Match of the Day programme on Saturday nights and the MOTD2 programme on Sundays.
In other news, Gavin Patterson, the chief executive of BT, has said that the UK telecommunications company will not be prepared to renew domestic live Premier League rights if the price is too high. “I’d be disappointed if we didn’t get any Premier League content this time, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world for us,” Patterson said. “If the price becomes even more crazy, we’re not going to be chasing that.”