Sweeping Premier League changes to impact Sheffield United - if they survive the dreaded drop

Sheffield United and all Premier League clubs are set to be impacted by huge broadcasting changes in seasons to come with more details of a new package continuing to unfold.

The current £5 billion domestic television rights deal expires at the end of the 2024/25 season after it was extended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A new four-year deal for the years following that is now being cooked up which will be the first time the Premier League has been through a tender process for its rights since 2018.

There has been plenty of discussion over increased irregular kick-off times with Saturday night kick-offs - such as this weekend's meeting with Manchester United - and Sunday night matches becoming mainstay to allow for more matches to be shown on TV. The Saturday afternoon 3 pm blackout is set to remain in place and now it emerges that every 2 pm Sunday kick-off will be televised.

The BBC reports that the Premier League will increase the number of televised fixtures in the UK from 200 to 270 in the new deal, which could see the Blades on the box with greater frequency - although supporters and Paul Heckingbottom will be worrying about maintaining top-flight status this term before getting carried away with the news.

Sky currently has four packages consisting of 128 matches per season with TNT, formerly BT Sport, owning two packages with 52 matches. Amazon has just the one package of 20 matches.

In the new deal, five midweek rounds will be available instead of the current four. The Saturday 12:30 pm and 5:30 pm slots will stay in place, as will the Sunday 2 pm and 4:30 pm matches. There will then be the 8 pm kick-off either on a Monday or Friday. More details are expected when the tender process is finalised at the end of the year.