Premier League hail ITV switch

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore today welcomed ITV's decision to reschedule its flagship highlights programme claiming the show's new, later start time is better suited to genuine football fans.

There were suggestions that club chairmen would be disappointed that ITV has failed so quickly in its attempt to turn football into prime time Saturday night entertainment by screening The Premiership at 7pm.

But Scudamore dismissed those today, saying he believed the new 10.30pm start time was ideal for supporters.

He told Standard Sport: "I think ITV were brave to try it at 7pm but I understand the commercial issues about football interrupting their normal Saturday evening scheduling.

"I believe those deeply interested in football, those that are committed football viewers, will have no problem going back to 10.30pm. It stood us in good stead for nine years and will stand us in good stead for years to come. We have no problem with mass appeal and I am not particularly disappointed that we have not converted every Blind Date viewer.

"We don't need to do that. There is a very committed football audience out there." ITV admitted defeat in their bid to move football up the Saturday night schedule last night by announcing that The Premiership, presented by Desmond Lynam, will start at its new later time from 17 November.

An extended repeat will be screened on Sunday mornings at 9.25am. Scudamore confirmed that was part of the £183 million contract ITV signed with the Premier League last July when they won the rights to screen highlights from the BBC.

ITV were given special permission to drop the Sunday morning show as long as the channel continued to screen highlights twice on Saturday evenings.

Although ITV executives said they were pleased with the programme's average audience of 4.4m, it was disrupting the rest of its Saturday night viewing and affecting advertising revenue.

ITV director of channels David Liddiment added: "Scheduling The Premiership in Saturday peak time was a bold move - and I am proud ITV had the ambition to try something radical."

Presenter Lynam, who left the BBC after becoming frustrated at Match of the Day's 10.30pm start time, said he wished the show had been given more of a chance at 7pm. "I am disappointed as I feel confident it would have achieved higher audiences," said Lynam.