There is one other factor in that it is also FA Cup First round weekend.

On the Sunday BBC Final Score will probably do the same as last year and have 8 matches kicking off at 2pm on Sunday so might be for police & traffic reasons?

And the Welsh TV get a live match to show as well in the Cup

Can anyone please clarify the number of Package A first picks that would have been used before the end of Nov? Thanks in advance.

We are all only guessing

Look back a few pages for the spreadsheet.

Couldn't find it. Referred back to an earlier post. Clearly Sky using them sparingly, as they have to.

Almost certainly two (Swansea v Liverpool in Week 7 and Sunderland v Arsenal in Week 10), possibly three (Spurs v Liverpool in Week 3).

Thanks TLG86 I would have expected fewer high profiles in this slot not more. The Manchester derby and Man Utd v Arsenal could be another two.

There must be more appealing matches than Boro v Watford and Watford v Stoke surely!?

Yet we weren't on at home to Arsenal or Chelsea..

I would have said very unlikely, as I doubt BT would have passed those from Package B to allow Sky to use Package A for them as first picks.

Two reasons for Sat 1230

Huge overseas audience in Asia and Middle East

Champions League means 4 teams must play Saturday and BT have the other slot


The second point can now be changed to 2 now fixtures are out

Sky's picks in the first six weeks are dictated by their own marketing requirement to show every team at least once in the first set of picks. So West Brom v Middlesbrough was picked over Watford v Arsenal.

The Asia point is a red herring. The early Saturday slot is just another slot that's required due to the amount of games being moved from 3:00pm. It just so happens to be that the slot is in a good time for the Asian market. The domestic broadcasters certainly don't select matches on the basis of what the Asian market will think of it.

As for the Middle East - the time difference is less than for Asia so 3:00pm/5:30pm are more "prime time" than 12:30pm.

A cynic might say that the fixture list fell in a convenient way that required Sky to use the Saturday 12:30 slot for a number of big games in the first four months of the season.

Indeed, especially as it's a bloody awful slot for other markets, including North America. I remember that theory being floated when Arsenal vs Man U was in that slot in 2007, and of course before that the Man City vs Everton game in 2005 that was at 11.15am (because it had to be moved from Saturday 5.30 as Everton were in Europe, and they still wanted it on the telly).

The general point for me is that this weekend, and the one in two weeks' time, are probably my favourite of the season because almost everyone plays on Saturday, including all the big teams, and hardly anyone plays on Sunday. Because the more big games on a Saturday at 3pm the better, I reckon.

But big games at 3pm Sat can't be on TV in the UK, how's that good for Sports viewers?

Because it means Soccer Saturday, Final Score, Five Live and talkSPORT have goals raining in from everywhere, which can be incredibly exciting. It also means Match of the Day can include all the big teams and loads of goals, and you get more or less the full story of the weekend.

No, they're not live on TV. But that's not the only way I like to experience football.

I happen to agree with you watching a Score show on a Saturday is exciting, The way it works at the moment is fine.

I dont no about others, but I watch the Saturday TV PL Game, depending on the amount of goals in the 3pm matches, cause if there aren't many, I will wait until MOTD.

Or if there is a good EFL Game on take tommorrow Derby v Newcastle or Liverpool v Leicester, I will probably go for the EFL game

Yes I completely agree. The "I want it all now" voice in me would like the broadcaster to be able to replicate the Champions League Goals Show (aka "Redzone") experience but I also understand why not too.

Are Sky and especially there Sports News Channel, as much build up as they are giving Chelsea v Liverpool, constantly for 3 days, same promo, just going over the same guff. Showing interviews, what people wont need to watch the build up for.

It is getting a bigger build up than there so say biggest match ever the Manchester Derby last weekend.

On September 30 we have Everton v Crystal Palace, As an Everton fan I hope we get the same build up

Sky are building it up because
They have no CL or EL to show !!!

Swansea v Man Utd on Nov 6 moved to Sunday because Wales are playing Australia in Rugby Union in Cardiff therefore travel chaos on M4 and not enough police and stewards

They would no doubt give it the same build-up even if they had the UEFA rights. It's a FNF match that is still relatively new in its own right so is only natural for the Sky hype machine to be in full swing.

Swansea v Man U is moved to Sunday as Europa League is on Thursday the 3rd

Nothing to do with Rugby

But it would have to have moved anyway

No it wouldn't. I went to Cardiff v Arsenal in 2013 on the same day as Wales v Australia in the rugby. In fact, I remember laughing at some youngsters leaving the football ground at 17:00 and sprinting down the road to get to the Millennium Stadium in time for kick off!