Daily Mail: BBC want Premier League TV price cut

Story from Daily Mail:

The BBC are seeking a reduction in the £60million-a-year fee they pay the Premier League for Match of the Day because there will be fewer 3pm Saturday kick-offs in the next TV rights cycle.

Mail Sport revealed last month that the BBC would retain Premier League highlights from 2025 to 2029 as their terrestrial rivals have not bid, but the details of the package have yet to be agreed.

The Premier League are increasing the number of live matches to be broadcast from 200 to 270 each season, with most of the extra games on Sundays, so there could be as few as three Saturday afternoon kick-offs.

Although the BBC also broadcast Match of the Day 2 on Sunday nights, the Saturday show presented by Gary Lineker is their flagship programme and attracts bigger ratings.

The 3pm kick-offs are particularly important for the BBC due to the saturation coverage available elsewhere for live televised games.

This was demonstrated last Saturday when TV games Manchester City v Liverpool and Brentford v Arsenal were the last matches to be shown on Match of the Day.