British Sky Broadcasting is to be allowed to buy the rights to show more than 80 per cent of Premier League football matches in the 2007 to 2010 seasons, which is far more than its rivals wanted or expected.

The European Commission, which is in talks with the Premier League about the forthcoming auction of the rights, is understood to have agreed in principle to a deal in which the rights would be divided into six packages of 23 games, with no bidder allowed to buy all the packages.

This would allow Sky to buy five of the six packages, representing just over 83 per cent of the games.

Posted: 10|23|05 at 11:14 am. Filed under: UK News.