SAINTS are today set to take their Sky television income past the £3m mark this season.

They will bank about £200,000 as a result of Sky showing this afternoon's match with Liverpool live on Pay Per View television.

Every time Saints are shown live as PPV game they receive the above figure, which rises to £700,000 every time they are a main Sky TV match.

Last season the cash amount was £525,000 for every live Sky match not on PPV, but the prices have risen this season due to the new £1.04 billion Sky deal having started last August. The deal will run for three years.

So far this season Saints have been on the main Sky channel three times - at Charlton and Liverpool and at home to Fulham.

They have been on PPV at home to Blackburn, Manchester City and Birmingham - with further PPV games at home to Everton and at Arsenal coming up next month.

Saints will also receive an estimated £150,000 windfall from the BBC for the live televising of next Saturday's FA Cup home fourth round tie against Pompey.

Saints banked £50,000 just by beating Northampton in the FA Cup third round and victory in the south coast derby would see them receive a further £60,000.

Last season Saints earned £5.38m from live television appearances but in 2002/03 just £2.98m.

Peter Sharkey, an independent Business of Sport analyst, said: "Those figures show just how much the Premiership relies on Sky television.

"But it's the Champions League which is where the massive difference lies.

"Last season Saints earned £20m in prize monies from Sky and from where they finished in the league, and Liverpool earned only £6m more.

"But the fact Liverpool have won through to the knockout stages of the Champions League will see, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United bank a minimum of £16m."