SATURDAY night television is on the verge of its biggest shake-up in years. The night of the week that has become a resting place for tired old game shows, talent competitions and nostalgic compilation programmes is getting a major makeover, although some viewers may respond as those whose homes are transformed by one of Laurence Llewelyn Bowen's more outlandish designs schemes.

The good news is that the plans don't include yet more soap with extra episodes of Coronation Street or EastEnders. The bad news is that those who don't like football might well be forced to make their own entertainment. For ITV, having paid a fortune to grab the rights to Premiership football from the BBC, has decided to make their highlights programme the centrepiece of its Saturday night schedules.

Of course, TV bosses could just claim to have taken on board viewers' grumbles that "there's nothing on on a Saturday night". It has come to seem as if nothing has changed for years. Switch on and you could be excused for thinking you're in a time warp. The Generation Game goes on forever, only the presenter changes to try to fool you into thinking you're watching something new when it's the same old cuddly toy and game in which contestants try to make clay pots.

Casualty is another permanent fixture. So are talent shows, whether it's Stars In Their Eyes, Star For A Night or the latest Mel C-presented This Is My Moment. Even the Lottery Show fails to pull in viewers now the novelty has worn off.

BBC2 and C4 are no better, content to trot out I Love... whatever year we can find some old clips from and The 100 Greatest... whatever we can find some old clips from. It really has become a case of familiarity breeds contempt with figures showing a steady decline in the number of people watching TV on Saturday nights.

ITV's motive in revolutionising the schedules is not entirely due to public demand. It needs to make a splash with its highlights show The Premiership, backed by Coca-Cola's three-year £50m sponsorship.

One reason the BBC lost the rights was its refusal to schedule Match Of The Day in either an earlier or regular slot. Hidden away late at night, with a different starting time each week, it was no wonder viewers abandoned the long-running programme.

David Liddiment, ITV's director of channels, has described winning Premiership football rights as a "once in a lifetime opportunity to change the shape of Saturday night television". So the flagship 75-minute highlights show The Premiership will go out at 7pm with an extended, revised show later in the evening.

The decision will undoubtedly alienate viewers who don't like sport in general and football in particular. They will be reaching for the remote control to switch channels before you can say "offside". But ITV remains confident that the new show will attract a wide audience with dad, mum and the kids all gathered excitedly round the TV set come seven o'clock. Executives suggest, rather patronisingly you may think, that women will watch to ogle presenter Desmond Lynam. Children, in bed when Match Of The Day used to go out, will be able to enjoy the show now. There is, however, a realisation that the plan is a gamble. Liddiment, refusing to predict viewing figures for The Premiership, has played safe by stating that they might be struggling to find viewers at the start until people got used to the idea.

"It's a fundamental change in the shape of our schedule, and we believe it's going to work," he said at the launch. Just to be on the safe side, he emphasises that football isn't the be all and end all of the ITV Saturday schedules. On no, there will still be room for entertainment and drama. Sad to say that Blind Date and Stars In Their Eyes are not being axed.

With a great chunk of ITV occupied by soccer action, disgruntled viewers will seek their entertainment elsewhere. BBC has had no choice but to retaliate. The Queen of Mean, Anne Robinson, will be striding out of the tunnel in her black Armani to deliver a few fouls and dirty tackles as she tells Des, "you are the weakest link".

The good old standby, The Big Movie, is also being brought out with Harrison Ford and stars of his ilk being lined up as the main alternative for those seeking action off the football pitch. And the BBC hasn't thrown in the towel yet. Tuesday's BBC1 autumn launch made great play that BBC Sport is "the nation's sports broadcaster" and Match Of The Day is "the nation's favourite". It returns this season with live coverage of national and international games as the England team try to qualify for next year's World Cup. It looks like the action off the pitch as ITV and BBC field their Saturday night teams is going to be as interesting as anything on it.