This is because ESPN StarSports (ESS) has failed to strike a deal with Starhub, which owns the Singapore rights to screen EPL matches for the next three seasons.

Previously, the rights were owned by ESS. However, the sports broadcaster suffered a blow last November, when Starhub won the bidding war for EPL screening rights here.

Starhub is believed to have paid a whopping $246 million to edge out ESS and SingTel.

For ESS to continue with its EPL telecasts here, it would have to purchase the rights from Starhub.

However, it is understood that the two parties could not come to an agreement and Starhub is expected to tie up with a new broadcaster and introduce live EPL matches on other channels.

This means that Singapore viewers will no longer get to watch EPL shows hosted by familiar names like John Dykes and Paul Masefield.

Programmes like Here We Go and Nokia Football Crazy will also be taken off Singapore screens.

But ESS still has the rights to screen EPL matches in 20 Asian countries, until 2010.

Singapore and Thailand are the only countries missing from its South-east Asian stable.

In response to a query from The Straits Times, Starhub would only say that details of its sports packages would be announced 'very shortly' - before the EPL season kicks off on Aug 11.

Last month, sports fans were hit the hardest when Starhub announced hikes for its subscription fees. Subscribers to its sports package would have to pay an additional $10 from October. The monthly fee now is $15.

With no details as yet, fans may be worried that they are paying more for an inferior product.

But this is unlikely to be the case, because Starhub will be taking the feed from Transworld International (TWI) - the same company that worked with ESS.

The feed is provided by the FA Premier League to international licensees and includes live satellite feeds of all 380 EPL matches each season.