The Premier League TV U-turn that will delight Brighton supporters

Initially, Sky Sports and BT were due to show just 17 of the opening 28 matches, but supporters were not going to have access to watch the 11 outstanding behind-closed-doors matches unless they relied on illegal streams.

Now it has been decided that the remaining matches will be split between Sky, BT, Amazon Prime and the BBC, who could be offered one or two matches, in line with what happened when last season resumed without fans because of coronavirus restrictions.

One of the remaining issues to discuss, according to the Times, surrounds kick-off times. This could mean some fixtures are moved at short notice in order to minimise clashes in kick-off times.

It is believed a final meeting will take place over the coming days between the Premier League and its shareholders to iron out the final details and confirm the move that will delight supporters across England’s top-flight.

The agreement is only a short-term measure until the end of the month. From October, limited numbers of supporters are expected to be allowed into stadia, although this is still to be confirmed, subject to the progress of the pandemic.

Top-flight clubs had initially opposed any change to the TV schedule, fearing it could lead to further rebates to broadcasters.