Fans have decided to slam BT Sport’s decision to create ANOTHER new Premier League kick off time, which was confirmed on Thursday.
The broadcaster have made a decision to introduce a Saturday evening kick off time for those teams involved in Champions League on a Wednesday.
The Premier League on Thursday confirmed an agreement to renew their TV right deal until 2025 with BT Sport – who have 52 matches in two packages – as part of a new rollover of their £4.5billion agreement.
BT Sport chiefs wrote: ‘BT Sport will accommodate the new Premier League agreement around fixture congestion during UEFA Champions League weeks, with the BT Sport Saturday game moving to a prime evening slot of 7.45pm when teams involved have played in Europe on the prior Wednesday.’
19:45 kick off times on a Saturday evening is a disgrace. Are BT sorting out the travel arrangements for the match going supporters getting home? 🙃 https://t.co/1nPlmE7vrT
— Moss 🇾🇪⚽️🏃🎸 (@humphries27) May 13, 2021
PREMIER LEAGUE STATEMENT:
Clubs agree to proposal for three-year renewal of agreements with Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and BBC Sport
Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed a proposal to conclude a three-year renewal of the League’s UK live and non-live broadcast agreements with Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video and BBC Sport.
This follows approval in principle for the renewal from Government after an extensive period of consideration.
The approval from Government will be embodied in an Exclusion Order under the Competition Act 1998, which will enable the Premier League to conclude the renewals without conducting its normal broadcast rights tender process.
In light of the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the English football pyramid, the Premier League was able to demonstrate to Government exceptional and compelling reasons for the Exclusion Order.

Safeguarding financial support
This is based on the renewals safeguarding the world-leading levels of financial support committed to the football community through solidarity, youth development and wider community and good causes contributions.
The UK renewals for the next broadcast cycle – from seasons 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 – will be concluded at the same overall value as the current arrangements between the Premier League and its broadcast partners.
As part of the Premier League’s developing strategic plan, the renewals will provide financial certainty to clubs throughout professional football as a result of maintaining current levels of support and enables the League to commit to increased funding. This will give security and continuity throughout the pyramid until at least 2025.
Pre-pandemic, the Premier League budgeted to commit £1.5bn to the pyramid over a three-year period, more than any other sporting organisation provides to its community.
Additional £100m funding
On the basis of the Exclusion Order and the UK renewals, that commitment will be maintained during the next rights cycle and will be supplemented by an additional £100m of funding. This additional £100m will be provided over the next four years only, and will extend support to areas of the football community particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.
The additional funding will be available to more than 1,000 clubs in the National League system, women’s and girls’ football, EFL League One and League Two clubs and the Football Foundation. It will also support a number of football-wide projects, which will include the Premier League’s work looking at head injuries in football, anti-discrimination and fan groups who receive funding from the Premier League.

Continued commitment
Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “The Premier League would like to express our gratitude to our broadcast partners for their continued commitment to the Premier League and support for the football pyramid.
“We are hugely appreciative of the Government agreeing in principle to allow this arrangement and for their continued support for the Premier League and the English game. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on football, and renewals with our UK broadcast partners will reduce uncertainty, generate stability and promote confidence within the football pyramid.
“We know that, once concluded, this will have a positive impact on the wider industry, jobs and tax revenues and will enable us to maintain and increase our existing solidarity and community financial commitments to the football pyramid for the next four years, even though we are yet to understand the full impact of the pandemic.
“It comes at an important time and will enable us to plan ahead with increased certainty against a more stable economic backdrop.
“Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video and BBC Sport are excellent partners and provide fantastic coverage and programming to bring our competition to fans in the UK.”
The Premier League continues to develop its strategic plan and will consult with all stakeholders to ensure a vibrant, competitive and sustainable football pyramid. The plan focuses on competition structure, calendar, governance and financial sustainability.

BT SPORT:
Following today’s announcement by the Premier League, BT Sport welcomes the in-principle agreement for a three-year renewal to our current broadcast deal.
This means, subject to terms, that until 2025 BT Sport will continue to show 52 exclusively live Premier League games per season.
Following today’s announcement by the Premier League, BT Sport welcomes the in-principle agreement for a three-year renewal to our current broadcast deal.
This means, subject to terms, that until 2025 BT Sport will continue to show 52 exclusively live Premier League games per season.
“The fantastic news for our viewers is that, once the deal is concluded, they can continue to enjoy the Premier League alongside the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League exclusively live on BT Sport.”
Once the deal is concluded, BT Sport will continue the current schedule, kicking the weekend off with Saturday lunchtime fixtures plus bumper weeks of back-to-back and simultaneous midweek fixtures.
BT Sport will accommodate the new Premier League agreement around fixture congestion during UEFA Champions League weeks, with the BT Sport Saturday game moving to a prime evening slot of 7.45pm when teams involved have played in Europe on the prior Wednesday.
Under the terms of the in-principle agreement with the Premier League, BT is unable to confirm the exact cost for the renewed rights.
However, BT can confirm that the cost of the rights reflect current market conditions and are in line with current market expectations.
Prior to the pandemic, the Premier League budgeted to commit £1.5bn to the pyramid over a three-year period.
On the basis of the proposed UK renewals, that commitment would be maintained during the next rights cycle and supplemented by an additional £100m of support over the next four years to areas of the football community particularly vulnerable to Covid-19.
The extra funding would be available to more than 1,000 clubs in the National League system, women’s and girls’ football, EFL League One and League Two clubs and the Football Foundation.
It would also support a number of football-wide projects, including the Premier League’s work looking at head injuries in football, anti-discrimination and fan groups who receive funding from the Premier League.
The Premier League would release £20m in August 2021 for clubs in the National League system, women’s and girls’ football, EFL League One and League Two to assist with immediate Covid-19 recovery.
“The Premier League would like to express our gratitude to our broadcast partners for their continued commitment to the Premier League and support for the football pyramid,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.
“We are hugely appreciative of the government agreeing in principle to allow this arrangement and for their continued support for the Premier League and the English game.
“Covid-19 has had a significant impact on football, and renewals with our UK broadcast partners will reduce uncertainty, generate stability and promote confidence within the football pyramid.”
As mentioned, fans slam BT Sport’s decision to create ANOTHER new Premier League kick off time, others had something else to say on the matter…
@Gilbo83: Nobody wants Saturday night games and now there’ll be more. The closed shop of ESL they all slagged off is no different to the closed shop that this new deal has been agreed, getting govt. approval to sign off competition exclusion so they can control it all…
@TuftyMUFC: No consideration for match going fans though with those Saturday night kick off times, even more so the away supporters who will often find no trains running after games.
@AidyDews: 5 o’clock on a Saturday night fair enough but not 8 o’clock kick offs. Leave that for midweek. Wether you go the game or watch it on tv, that Kate on a Saturday can spoil plans for after. Whose going out for meals or drinks on a Saturday at 10 after watching a game?…
@JD_1811: Count yourself lucky. Here (in Spain) games kick off at 10pm sometimes
@___Emac___: Shocking decision
@GnomdePlume: Good morning BT Sport. I see you are moving Saturday games to 19:45 if one of the teams played on the Wednesday in Europe. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but no fecker wants Saturday night games.
@Stillberto: Fans not even an after thought, just not a thought at all. Already the hopes of better fan treatment after more than a year of behind closed door games in tatters. Pretty dispiriting message, really.
@paulf672002: Shocking decision, 17.30 should be the latest these games start, no thought for travelling fans again although these media companies say they back the fans
@Jin__D: Match going fans being shafted here
@gfarr92: If this is the case then they’ll also have to stop Europa League teams from playing early on a Sunday following a Thursday evening game. They’ll be left struggling to fit in all the quotas for each tv package with that.
@BenDouglasss: Couple weeks ago BT/Sky we’re making out they were all about the fans blah blah 💤💤💤
@Hoysie87: Shouldn’t affect Liverpool next year, well done Jurgen on campaigning for the CL teams 👍🏻
@RichRk1999: So how can away fans get back from London at about 10.30pm on a Saturday night? Will @ManUtd or the @premierleague be ensuring there’s public transport at that time?
@OhImAHarry: 19:45 on a Saturday?! All these TV channels that stood up for “legacy fans” couldn’t give a shit about them.
@Deano87823822: Absolute joke and they say it’s the fans who they care about.
@c11shy: @btsportfootball might as well put out a statement saying “Fuck the Fans”
@lancasterb: All about the fans! Good luck getting a train home…… They should only make all these fixtures (like Saturday/Sunday lunch time) that clubs can’t have more than. 150 mile radius between them.
@KevBlackburn: Aye, that’s sound for us match going fans. 7.45pm kick offs on a Saturday. Fuck off.
@DodgyTatDave: Let’s not pretend this is about the sides in the CL. This is about BT thinking they’ll get better viewing figures on a Saturday night. No thought for the match day fans.
@oli_v3r: Oh look more shafting from TV executives who haven’t a clue. But football is for the fans, init?
@pls_do_better: Thanks @BTSport. Congratulations in your evolution to full @SkySports standards where you call things “prime time slots” for your viewing figures, totally ignorant of the fact that FANS have to move their lives around for your whimsical decisions. Anything else?, 9pm on a Sunday?
@theredmannn: Stinking stuff. Hypocrites the lot of them
@wrexhammufc: Shafted by owners shafted by tv and all over one thing fucking money!!they have no interest in fans at all the games fucked at the highest level “prime evening” but don’t worry you got to get back from Newcastle at 11 at night..cheers
@JMF2693: ‘Prime evening slot’ except for those of us who have to travel to away games.
@neale_billy: Football is for the fans tho, don’t forget
@tomxrawle: Fans first I see
@maccas_25: This the same BT releasing statements about the ESL a few weeks ago? Thought so. Hypocritical twats. That said, Sat night is obviously a terrible time for a game, so won’t be subjected to the abysmal @btsportfootball coverage… silver linings and all.
@ChelseaSTrust: “Football is for the fans” 🥱🥱 Broadcasters & clubs must make it easier for supporters to attend games with simpler KO times/subsidised travel!
@Matty_Ox10: Never want get out the EFL me. 3pm kick offs are perfect and you never get them in the prem
@GregFS92: Remember when BT Sport were telling us how football is ‘for the fans’ during the ESL breakaway attempt? Great five minutes those.
@TsideSpurs: Who the fuck wants to be at a game late on a Saturday which you also cant get home from. No regard for the fans whatsoever as usual
@CL9268: Fuck Sky. Fuck BT. Fuck anyone and everyone who’s been part of deciding these ridiculous kick off times. They don’t care one bit about match-going fans, they care more about the foreign market
@DW94_: Fuck match going fans ay @btsport @btsportfootball. Go bust
@hamezhill: I see they’re putting the fans first again
@KieDowles: What a fucking joke
@jackashurst32: All about the fans though
@JamesHooper__: Didn’t take long for @btsportfootball to get off their high horse about how football is nothing without the fans. What’s wrong with a traditional 3pm or making it the 5:30 KO? A 7:45 KO shows no consideration for travelling fans. Who wants that?
@booglebollocks: Another piss poor decision which does nothing for supporters going to the games. All that bullshit about fans being at the centre of what’s important by these same broadcasters, yet no consideration paid yet again
@edcfc73: When are the @premierleague @btsportfootball @SkyFootball going to announce a sponsorship deal with @VirginTrains @southwesttrain1 to get match going fans home after these late night games
@Scott_TheReds: But I thought the super league clubs were killing football? Fuck off this stupid evening Saturday football

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