Premier League considering introduction of winter break ahead of new broadcast deal

The new deal will begin in 2019 and could see a January break with the festive fixtures remaining untouched

The break would run during January rather than over Christmas (Getty)

The Premier League is considering introducing a winter break as they prepare to negotiate the next television rights deal.

The current broadcasting deal expires in 2019 and the Football Association has previously said that a winter break like those in Germany, France, Italy and Spain is not feasible until then.

Talks are thought to have been productive and the break would come in January so not to impact the traditional festive football schedule, in contrast to other European countries whose break includes Christmas and New Year.

An announcement on the new Premier League TV rights deal, which will run from 2019 to 2022, is expected next week with an increase on the current £5.14bn deal hoped for. In the current deal, Sky Sports own five of the seven packages, with BT Sport owning the remaining two.

“The Premier League has been in discussions with the FA and EFL for several months regarding the challenges of the increasingly congested English football calendar and ways in which we can work together to ease fixture congestion while also giving players a mid-season break,” the Premier League said in a statement.

“Provided space can be found in the calendar, we are open to this in principle and will continue constructive discussions with our football stakeholders to seek a workable solution.”