Kind of - the package contents have been disclosed to one of DS's expert members, who also provided package information in 2012. He/she is unable to post the package contents until the auction has closed, but will confirm what is what once the bidding has ceased.
Heavy hints have been dropped, however, beginning with these two posts:
Thanks - so essentially streamlined a bit timewise with the Saturday 5.30pm pack picking up more 1st pick games, which kind of makes sense. Midweek and Bank Holidays split into the two smaller packages - though I'd have thought having those offer a combination of midweek and Bank Holiday games rather than one offering one and one offering the other would make more sense. Not a fan of up to 4 games on Bank Holidays - pushes out potential slots for League football again.
Not sure where the Telegraph is getting it's info from, but they are indicating that no pack has been sold on the first day, they state two were at the equivalent stage last time. A second round is now due either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Well, readers of Private Eye will know what a state the newsroom of the Telegraph is in - so it wouldn't surprise me if they thought because it was 'bids in' day today, and they haven't heard anything by 6pm they are putting two and two together and coming up with the logical answer.
I'd be more inclined to believe it, if it was The Times that printed that story - given a direct line to Isleworth you suspect they have in Wapping.
So do the FAPL operate a 'clear water' policy with the auction bids?
Because, say for Lot 1 Sky bid £18,000,000, BT Sport bid £18,000,001 and Eurosport bid £17,500,000 per season - BT should win because they bid more.
Why the need to go to a 2nd round?
If I was running the auction I'd insist on a minimum 5pct gap, but also restrict revision of bids to an increase of 10pct on the individual applicant's previous bid. This would prevent spoiler lower bids getting in with a final much larger one.
I seem to remember reading that - at least in previous auctions - it needed to meet the reserve and be at least 10% higher than the next bid in order to win.