West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has been invited to a high-profile multi-billion pound meeting with the Premier League in London today.
West Ham fans, fed up with the way the fixture calendar is handled in this country, are now looking elsewhere.
Because while West Ham majority owner David Sullivan and Czech billionaire co-owner Daniel Kretinsky can rub shoulders, the average football fan can encounter even more disruptions and departures from tradition.
FBL-FIN-PR-HEALTH VIRUS
It has been reported that the new TV rights deal could include regular Sunday night games, more Friday and Monday Night Football and more time on the weekend to show games live.
At the center of it all, of course, is money. According to West Ham, the money will help the club sign the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta.
Now West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has been invited to a high-profile multi-billion pound meeting with the Premier League today in London.
West Ham and their 19 Premier rivals will be updated on key negotiations over a new broadcast rights plan, extra funding for Premier League clubs and upcoming changes to the fixture list when they meet in London on Thursday.
West Ham United vs Newcastle United – Premier League
Domestic contracts are being discussed and could mean even bigger changes for fans
Hammers boss Brady is likely to attend on behalf of the West Ham board at Prem’s headquarters in the Brunel Building on North Wharf.
The league has already negotiated six-year overseas TV deals, including with major US broadcaster NBC, which will pay around £2bn to show games until 2028.
But domestic deals with Sky Sports, TNT and Amazon Prime expire in 2025, reports BBC Sport.
The Premier League is looking for ways to maximize those contracts, which are currently worth more than £5bn and have been extended until the end of 2022 due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.
One way to generate more revenue would be to increase the number of live matches, perhaps by 50, which would mean more slots than currently.
FBL-FIN-PR-WEST HAM-SOUTHAMPTON
Will the money win the fans as usual? Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has already said there are no plans to show games at 3pm on Saturdays, when there is currently a TV blackout in the UK, meaning the league will have to assess the options.
It is now rare for both Friday and Monday evening timeslots to be booked for the same weekend, which is subject to change.
In addition, Saturday and Sunday late night matches are currently underutilized but may become more common.
Money for the minds of West Ham fans and clubs across the country with these slots.
As always in today’s game, money probably trumps consideration of fanaticism.
