Premier League clubs have reportedly given the green light for more top-flight fixtures to be broadcast live.All 20 clubs are said to have voted through the proposal at an online Premier League meeting on Thursday, and that will now be pitched to TV companies in the coming weeks. It is claimed that it could result in dozens more fixtures being shown and potentially a brand new package being available in the next TV deal.It is possible that it could see an eye-catching upturn in the current £5.1billion three-year deal with the live rights currently shared between Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Amazon. They, between them, currently show 200 games per season.The most recent TV deal "rolled over" until 2025 at the same price as the previous agreement for 2019-2022 because of the hefty-sized financial complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the conclusion of the 2019/20 season and the whole of the 2020/21 campaign played behind-closed-doors.As a result, clubs can expect a big increase, with more games likely to be made available in the tender document made available for broadcasters. Furthermore, it is possible that a new broadcaster might enter the market, although it is likely that both TNT Sports and Amazon will want to increase the number of games that they each currently show.Amazon currently have the rights to broadcast two live rounds of fixtures, which are usually during the Christmas period, TNT Sports show 52 games and Sky broadcast 128. The latter of those three TV companies has been the dominant force for several years.Despite the looming changes, Premier League bosses, according to a report published by the Mirror, have stressed that there is 'nothing set in stone' yet about how many extra games will be broadcasted or whether a new package could be introduced. The current deal sees top-flight fixtures broadcast on Friday and Monday evenings, Saturday lunchtime, Saturday teatime and two slots on a Sunday afternoon.Occasionally, however, a Premier League fixture at 8pm on a Saturday evening can also be broadcast live. Manchester United's clash with Burnley at Turf Moor was screened live in that slot last weekend, as will their trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United next month.That slot has been reserved for clubs whose Champions League fixtures do not give them a long enough break between midweek and weekend games.Talk of a newly-introduced slot on a Sunday night, however, has reportedly been 'played down'. Meanwhile, the 3pm blackout on a Saturday afternoon is poised to remain in place.
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