David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA basketball league in North America, is in “no doubt” that English top-tier Premier League (EPL) football matches will soon be available to watch on television at 3pm on Saturday afternoons in the UK.
The league currently does not offer domestic rights packages for live coverage of 3pm Saturday kick-offs, but Stern said that the change “is coming” due to customer demand.
“It's just a progression because the consumer demand will be such that for a price – and a hardy price because it's the EPL – they will move to make it available either themselves or through a distributor like [pay-television broadcaster] BT Sport. At some price that opportunity will be fulfilled, no doubt.”
BT Sport and pay-television rival BSkyB currently share domestic live rights for the league.
Stern was speaking at this morning's Sport Industry Breakfast Club at the BT Centre in London.