Premier League TV auction goes to second week with decision over £4bn packages expected by Wednesday

Sky Sports and BT Sport are bidding for seven different packages, with rumours US giants Discovery have also entered the fray

Institution: Sky have brought back Monday Night Football, and are looking to stay as main rights holders for the Premier League

The closely-fought auction for Premier League TV rights is to enter a second week.

Richard Scuadmore opened the initial bids from Sky and BT Sport on Friday, but the proposals are thought to be so close that a second round of bidding has been triggered.

This means the process will continue into next week, with a final decision expected by Wednesday.

There are seven packages to bid for altogether, and it is rumoured that US broadcasters Discovery have also joined the race to acquire rights.

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Big player: BT have emerged as genuine rivals to Sky

Things can change dramatically from one round to the next. Then newcomers BT Sport were widely thought to be ahead of Sky in the process three years ago, only to be trumped by the more established broadcaster in the second round.

Experts are tipping a 45% increase on the current £3bn contract, with the cost totalling £4.4bn for the three years from 2016 to 2019.

Sky paid £2.3bn for 116 matches per year in the current deal, with BT forking out £738m for 38.

The BBC have already paid £204million to retain their Match of the Day highlights slot, meaning the total cost of rights is likely to beat the current figure of £5.5bn, making it the second most lucrative in the world behind the NFL.