Explained: Why the BBC are in dispute with Premier League over Match of the Day TV rights deal

According to a report from The Daily Mail last month, the iconic 'BBC Match of the Day' show was set to remain the broadcaster for another four years from 2025. The likes of Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV decided against bidding for the rights to Match of the Day as they did not find it commercially viable. However, a new report from The Daily Mail now suggests that there is an ongoing conversation between the BBC and Premier League to reduce the yearly fee that is charged.

There could only be three Saturday afternoon kickoffs since the Premier League is planning to broadcast up to 270 live games a season, the majority of which will take place on Sundays. While the BBC airs Match of the Day 2 on Sunday nights as well, its flagship Saturday show, hosted by Gary Lineker, garners higher viewership. The BBC places special emphasis on the 3 pm kickoffs because of the extensive coverage that live broadcast games receive elsewhere on the other platforms.

There is an ongoing petition to get rid of the blackout of the Premier League games between 2:15 pm and 5:15 pm. Since before the Premier League was established, broadcasters have only been permitted to air the early and late matches on national television in the UK due to the blackout with the majority of the games not broadcast on television. However, American investors are looking to get rid of the blackout as a means of increasing the broadcast revenue from the games.

It is still expected that the broadcast rights will remain with BBC as their competitors have also raised the same concerns regarding the extremely high yearly fees for hosting the famous slot of Premier League games.