Premier League considering introduction of winter break ahead of new broadcast deal
The new deal will begin in 2019 and could see a January break with the festive fixtures remaining untouched
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Premier League is considering introducing a winter break as they prepare to negotiate the next television rights deal.
The current broadcasting deal expires in 2019 and the Football Association has previously said that a winter break like those in Germany, France, Italy and Spain is not feasible until then.
Talks are thought to have been productive and the break would come in January so not to impact the traditional festive football schedule, in contrast to other European countries whose break includes Christmas and New Year.
An announcement on the new Premier League TV rights deal, which will run from 2019 to 2022, is expected next week with an increase on the current £5.14bn deal hoped for. In the current deal, Sky Sports own five of the seven packages, with BT Sport owning the remaining two.
“The Premier League has been in discussions with the FA and EFL for several months regarding the challenges of the increasingly congested English football calendar and ways in which we can work together to ease fixture congestion while also giving players a mid-season break,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“Provided space can be found in the calendar, we are open to this in principle and will continue constructive discussions with our football stakeholders to seek a workable solution.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments