ITV ended months of speculation yesterday by announcing a 7 p.m. slot for its new Premiership highlights show. It means the new Des Lynam-fronted The Premiership will be competing with BBC's prime-time entertainment schedule.
The ITV show replaces the BBC's Match Of The Day, which ended a 36-year run earlier this year after BBC lost the rights to screen highlights.
The tune for the 7 p.m. show will be a remixed version of U2's Beautiful Day. The show will form part of a package of programmes built on the Premiership highlights, for which ITV has paid £183 million over three years.
The Saturday lunchtime show On The Ball, presented by Gabby Yorath, will be extended, while she and Ally McCoist will front a Monday evening show, The Premiership Parliament. Managers, players, journalists and fans will discuss the sport in front of a live studio audience.
The Premiership Parliament will kick off a new football "zone" on Mondays with new programmes featuring the UEFA Champions League and Nationwide League. Extra coverage will be fitted in to schedules when games demand.
Mr Brian Barwick, controller of ITV sport, said: "When the Barclaycard Premiership fixtures so fall, we will have Wednesday and Sunday high lights.
"There is our continued coverage of the UEFA Champions League, plus with regional live Nationwide matches, the semi-final and final of the Worthington Cup and the Division One play-off finals. You can see how seriously we are taking football."
The Premiership begins on August 18th, featuring Liverpool against West Ham.
A week earlier, ITV launches its dedicated channel ITV Sport and the terrestrial third channel will rebrand itself as ITV1.
Mr Barwick said: "The Premiership in the Saturday peak time schedule is a pioneering and ambitious move for televised football.
"Our main programme is in position A and no longer a late-night preserve."