DES LYNAM TO SIGN ON ?

Last updated : 01 April 2003 By editor

Poor viewing figures have forced ITV to plan to abandon the Saturday night football programme it snatched from the BBC in a £183m deal.

The network clinched the three-year deal for the Premier League highlights at a time when football was awash with cash. But the show attracted only 3.1 million viewers in its second week not enough to justify its lucrative advertising slot.

Citing falling advertising revenues and viewing figures for The Premiership, the broadcaster will instead concentrate on live football rights in the next round of negotiations and will not persist with Saturday night highlights when its current contract expires at the end of the 2003-04 season.