The Premier League will today run a letter-opener along the sealed envelopes containing bids for live TV rights. The 2billion pounds or so windfall contained within will produce ear-to-ear grins at the league's Gloucester Place headquarters. And two or even three broadcasters may get a package of live match rights as a result. But what about football fans?
Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB and Sir Richard Branson's NTL are expected to lodge big-hitting bids for the live rights packages, which carve up the total of 138 matches into six packages of 23 matches.
Sky, which has built its reputation and subscriber base on the back of owning Premier League live rights since 1992, is expected to bid for five of the six packages - the maximum one company is allowed to own. NTL is thought likely to go for at least half.
But Irish broadcaster Setanta, Channel 4 and Channel Five are hoping to get their hands on at least one package and Disney-owned ESPN, BT and France Telecom have also registered an interest.
With the 2003 auction having raised £1.6bn - taking overseas rights, highlights and mobile contracts into account - the high level of competition for the new rights is set to net the Premier League more than £2bn.
So, the Premier League big wigs will be happy, the football clubs, whose coffers have been swollen by Sky's cash, will be happy as will footballers and agents, whose astronomical salaries and fees will again be guaranteed. But who will pay for this embarrassment of riches?
Football fans will almost certainly have to pay more to watch their favourite team come the kick-off of the 2007-08 season. Not only that, they may have to subscribe to more than one service to view all of the matches and will be drawing up wall-charts to track which team is playing on what channel and when.
