ITV are preparing to snap up Match of the Day’s rights to top flight English football highlights in the upcoming auction by the Premier League.
The English broadcaster last held the rights to broadcasting Premiership highlights in 2004 and it was during this period that they introduced Andy Townsend’s Tactics Truck, which was doomed to fail since it was introduced in 2001.
The BBC are paying £60m per anum to retain the rights, but this deal is set to run out at the end of next season. They will be put up for auction, where ITV hope to outbid BBC to acquire them.
Should ITV get the rights, former Match of the Day 2 host Adrian Chiles is one of the employees tipped to present the programme. They are focused on broadcasting Premier League highlights from season as they will lose the rights to live Champions League football after BT Sport signed an exclusive deal with Uefa worth £897m
Hat-tip to The Guardian
