The Premier League, the top division of English club football, could permit the simultaneous live broadcasting of games under its domestic rights tender for the three seasons spanning 2019-20 to 2021-22.
UK newspaper The Times reports that Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore told a Football Supporters’ Federation meeting in London that such a move would initially only cover midweek games and those on Bank Holidays.
The Times added that while the tender details are secret, the Premier League is thought to remain committed to not allowing matches to be broadcast live in the UK at 3pm on Saturdays.
Any such move comes after UK media watchdog Ofcom dropped an investigation into the rights-sales model for the Premier League in August 2016. The regulator’s decision ended a two-year probe following a complaint by pay-television operator Virgin Media that the league was harming consumers.
The complaint centred on allegations that the arrangements for the collective selling of live UK television rights by the league were in breach of competition law. In particular, the complaint raised concerns about the number of matches made available for live coverage.
However, in announcing its decision to drop the investigation, Ofcom noted that the league had opted to increase the number of matches available for live broadcast in the UK by 22 to a minimum of 190 per season from the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
The next Premier League rights sales process for the rights spanning the 2019-20 to 2021-22 seasons is expected to open before the end of the year.