Match of the Day's future for the next six years has been decided

The future of Match of the Day has been decided for the next six years, it has been revealed.

The iconic football highlights show has been going since 1964 and has been hosted by former England, Spurs and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker since 1999.

There was a spell where the BBC did not have league football highlights as ITV had the rights between 2001 and 2004 but they have been back on the channel since the start of the 2004/05 campaign.

There had been some uncertainty as to where the rights would be from 2025 onwards, with ITV holding exploratory talks with the Premier League as per the Daily Mail.

Channel 4 and Channel 5 are also said to have been in the running but ultimately opted against bidding.

The report claims they did not feel as though the package from the Premier League is "not commercially viable" due to the drop in a viewing figures and tricky advertising market to navigate.

Image: Getty

ITV felt as though changing up their Saturday night schedule was a gamble not worth taking given their array of entertainment programmes.

It means that the BBC's retention of the free-to-air highlights is set to be announced by the end of the year.

Their deal will last from 2025 until 2029 as part of the next broadcasting cycle and follows on from the current £211 million three-year contract in place.

Less games will take place on Saturdays going forward and highlights are readily available by 5.15pm and posted on YouTube by Sky Sports.

Image: Getty

'"It's scandalous how much the BBC are paying the Premier League given there is clearly limited interest from other broadcasters," a source told the Daily Mail.

"'Match of the Day is effectively a promotional tool for the Premier League which increases its reach and it should be priced as such, rather than as another major revenue raiser."

Lineker, despite his dispute with the BBC earlier this year, is still the main host of Match of the Day and new contract talks will open in regards to his extending his current £1.3 million-a-year arrangement.