BT Vision’s proposition of Saturday night delayed coverage of matches from the Premier League has come unstuck by the demands of other TV companies. The combination of six weekly live games and clubs involved in the Uefa Cup means that on October 6 only one scheduled match – Aston Villa versus West Ham United – will kick off at 15.00 and become a part of BT’s football package. It is the first time there has been but a single 15.00 kick-off in England’s top flight of football. Manchester United and Wigan Athletic have a lunchtime televised match at 12.45.
Games in the Uefa Cup are played on Thursday evenings and the participating clubs are able to request their matches be put back 24 hours to Sunday. It means that BT’s football promise is also delayed by a day.