ITV, which paid £183million (B293.2m/$264.9m) for the three-year deal, has until after the November 10 friendly match between England and Sweden to drive up audiences or face a move from its 7pm broadcast to a later slot. The BBC, which had showed the Premiership on its Match of the Day programme, rarely broadcast before 10.30pm.
Three months old, the show began with 4.5 million viewers but needs to hit ITV targets of six million to please advertisers, which pay £60,000 (B86,682/$96,046m) for a 30-second slot. Programme sponsor, Coca Cola signed a two-tier deal, which permits the show’s move to a later slot.
