The English Premier League has for the first time added football video content to Apple’s iTunes Store—but it’s not part of a bold new initiative to monetise new matches: the deal includes only classic games from the last seven years.

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Sports rights management company IMG Sports Media runs the league’s archive business and is behind the move to put 50 matches from the 2002/3 season to 2006/7—each match has just 30 minutes of action, priced at £1.49 a game or £9.99 for 12 from the same season, as well as additional Goal of the Season packages. Still, it is the first UK football content to be sold through iTunes and it’s evidence the EPL is trying to give fans a legitimate alternative to unauthorised, pirated online match videos. IMG says it will add more archive footage in coming months. Release.

I asked the Premier League whether the deal would lead to more recent, up-to-date footage being added to iTunes, and received a simple answer: “no”. If you want to watch highlights from current matches, you’ll have to wait until the season after next: the BBC’s three-year highlights deal starting in Autumn 2010 will see highlights go on the iPlayer for a limited time—and they’ll only be uploaded on Tuesdays, three days after most games have taken place. As for who gets the more immediate online VOD rights to the EPL, bidding is now underway behind the scenes and a winner should emerge before the new season kicks off in August.