Sky Sports' owners Comcast have begun negotiations over extending NBC's contract to show Premier League matches in the United States in an indication that the American telecommunications giant is ready to stand by the competition despite the disruption caused by the suspension of the season.

NBC's existing £800million Premier League rights deal expires at the end of the 2021-22 season, but they have already held talks over an extension with a view to completing a deal within the next 12 months.

The Premier League's biggest concern over protecting television revenue during the coronavirus crisis is the possibility that foreign broadcasters will not pay rights fees or demand rebates so Comcast's interest in renewing NBC's contract is extremely welcome.

Sky Sports' owners are looking at extending their deal to show the Premier League in the US

The Premier League are confident of reaching an agreement with Sky and BT Sport on TV cash

There are no immediate fears about BeIN Sports, who hold the Premier League rights in the Middle East and North Africa, not paying up either as their next payment is not due until March 2021.

The Premier League are also confident that they can come to an agreement with domestic rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport that will avoid them demanding rebates on the £414m of matches that are still due to be screened this season.

Both broadcasters have much to lose if the Premier League suffers long-term financial problems, whilst they are also conscious that aggressively demanding refunds could drive clubs towards streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, who are both benefitting from the shutdown and preparing to launch bids for the next TV rights package from 2022 to 2025.

Amazon are preparing to launch another bid for TV rights packages from 2022 to 2025

Pay cuts are a nightmare for Norwich stars

Norwich City's players are among the most resistant to accepting wage deferrals as the vast majority of the squad are already facing up to a 50 per cent pay-cut later this year as a result of being relegated from the Premier League.

Daniel Farke's side are adrift at the bottom of the suspended table six points from safety so many of the players regard an imminent drop in income as inevitable.

In contrast Norwich's predecessors as Championship winners, Wolves, are so confident in their financial position that they have yet to propose deferrals or cuts to their players.

Norwich City players are already facing a 50 per cent pay-cut if they are relegated this season

Clubs fears over NHS fund

The #PlayersTogether fund which was set up by top-flight stars earlier this week to collective and distribute money to the NHS and associated charities has not been universally welcomed within football.

While no-one is questioning the players' good intentions and hard work in creating the fund several executives have noted that the significant charity donations may make it harder for them to agree wage-cuts with the players, which the clubs insist will be necessary to keep some of them afloat during the shutdown.

Jordan Henderson has led the Premier League players in setting up their new charitable fund

Brentford in the lurch over £60m stadium

Brentford are still selling season-tickets and hospitality packages for their new season despite uncertainty about whether it will be able to open as planned later this summer.

Building work on the £60m Brentford Community Stadium was suspended for two weeks earlier this month and a longer delay seems inevitable as the government lockdown is expected to be extended next week, leading to fears about whether the 17,500-capacity stadium will be finished on time.

Brentford have sold Griffin Park to property developers Kew Bridge Gate who have planning permission to build 75 houses on the site, but have the option of returning to their old ground next season if the new stadium is not finished.

Uncertainty surrounds Brentford's new stadium - with work on the £60m ground halted

Wages war unites rivals

West Ham and Tottenham have been unlikely allies in the Premier League's attempts to get players to accept wage deferrals, with both clubs working together to encourage others to follow a common approach to the problem.

Relations between the two London clubs have been strained at boardroom level for over a decade as both initially sought tenancy rights at the Olympic Stadium in an acrimonious row that led to West Ham taking legal action against their rivals, but this bitter history appears to have been forgotten for now.

West Ham are having more success in negotiating with their players than Tottenham, whose tendency to play hard-ball in contract talks and decision to furlough non-playing staff is counting against them.

David Sullivan, Boris Johnson, Karren Brady, the Mayor of Newham and David Gold pose as West Ham are announced as the tenants of the London Stadium - ahead of Spurs - in 2013

Cancellation of non-League down to sponsorship pull

The controversial decision to declare the season null and void in the Isthmian League, Southern League and Northern Premier League was strongly influenced by BetVictor pulling out of a £30,000 sponsorship deal with all three leagues.

The bookmaker began a two-year sponsorship deal last summer with the money used to fund the running of the leagues, but Sportsmail has learnt that the deal contained a break clause which BetVictor have triggered.

'BetVictor have terminated the sponsorship mainly because of escalating negativity towards betting in football,' the Northern Premier League chairman Mark Harris wrote in an email to clubs this week.