The Post wrote an article about the broadcast time of Premier League games. The article said that behind this is a complex game played by the two major broadcasters, Sky Sports and TNT, which was described by industry insiders as a "chess game" and "Jenga". In the battle for broadcast rights worth £6.7bn, the interests of fans are often put at the bottom of the pile.
According to the latest broadcast agreement, Sky Sports has four packages with at least 215 live games per season, while TNT has one package with 52 live games. The process of selecting games is similar to the draft, with Sky Sports always getting first choice. It is understood that Sky Sports usually gets the schedule 48 hours in advance than the outside world, and finalizes the first choice with the Premier League through phone calls and emails, followed by psychological warfare and prediction with TNT about subsequent options.
The basis for the selection is obvious: giant matchups, championship battles and star players are the guarantee of ratings. However, the rules are also quite complex. For example, a team can only appear a maximum of six times in the Saturday 12:30 noon "breakfast slot." But broadcasters have found a "loophole", and Sky Sports can combine the option quotas of different packages to allow popular teams such as Arsenal to appear in prime time far more than the five caps of a single package. An insider said frankly: "This is a bit like a game of chess."
What really leads to repeated delays in the announcement of the schedule is its characteristic of "moving the whole body with one move." An insider compared it to "Jenga": "As long as one game is not ready, all games cannot be announced." Any change in a game may trigger a chain reaction. These obstacles often come from local authorities, such as issues with police deployment. A Liverpool match was rescheduled for a rugby match in the same city; a Sheffield United match was rescheduled for a half-marathon; and Nottingham Forest had to make way for a cricket match.
In addition, European competitions have also brought huge uncertainty, leading the Premier League to launch a "conditional option", that is, the game time may change again in a short period of time due to the results of the European war draw. It is understood that the latest delay was caused by an inconspicuous game that blocked the process. At the same time, discussions on whether to retain the Boxing Day game are still ongoing, which has increased the complexity of the schedule.
All of this will ultimately be paid for by the fans who attend the event. The latest schedule has forced Manchester United to play three Monday night games in five weeks, one of which is an away game 250 miles away; while Chelsea fans who want to watch the away game against Leeds United on Wednesday night will find themselves missing the last train back to London and forced to stay overnight.