The Magpies are flying high in the Premier League

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Newcastle United are currently sharing equal points with Chelsea in the Premier League and together both teams are sitting in fifth place. Alan Pardew is hoping that the success of the team is going to mean they take another big step in European football in the near future.

The next match the team are going to be playing is on Saturday, when they face Wigan, a team who are already dangerously close to relegation. Newcastle recently beat Liverpool and if they win a point when they play Swansea, they are going to be able to overtake Liverpool in the league.

If the team manage to stay in fifth place or above then they are going to be guaranteed entry into the Europa League. This is something that Pardew has said he would be delighted to see.

Chelsea are managing to retain their position in the FA Cup as well as the Champions League although it is expected that their fixtures list, which is very intensive, is going to have a detrimental effect on their ability to play.

Pardew has commented, “I think we are going to be facing some very challenging matches in the future. Many of these are going to be at away venues where the team don’t tend to perform as well. We definitely have some difficult games ahead but I’m confident that if the team continue to play as they are then they will be able to get into the Europa league.”

It has been five seasons since Newcastle last played in the Europa League and it is something that fans of the football club are already dreaming of. Pardew continued, “Despite my hopes I know it is very important that we focus on the next game and not get lost in the potential future of the club. Fans can dream, but we focus on the next game.”

Premium football games may come to freeview

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Premium football games may come to freeview Media regulator, Ofcom, is expected to decide that the pay TV market must be opened up so that terrestrial providers can broadcast its premium content across the Freeview system so that homes that only have aerials can view the channels as well.

The new move will benefit consumers since previously in order to view Sky Movies or Sky Sports a consumer needed to also purchase a dish or a Sky package subscription.

Those that live in listed flats or buildings are not allowed to purchase dishes and thus must pay around £35 a month in order to access the premium content.

At the moment, Virgin Media is the only cable service that provides the two channels but most regions cannot receive their cable signals.

If the reform is successful, then staying up to date on all the Ashes cricket matches and Premier League matches will become a much less expensive cost.  The expected provider of the new programming if the ruling is made is expected to be BT Vision.

In an attempt to soften the blow against Sky, Ofcom is expected to allow Sky to still offer the service, but to terrestrial viewers.

Currently, Sky broadcasts Sky Three, Sky News, and Sky Sports News on Freeview television and in 2007 started offering several of its top channels on pay per view including Disney and the Discovery Channel.

If passed, Sky is ready to launch a legal appeal under the grounds that the ruling may undercut the television provider’s market position by forcing them to reduce their prices.