Sky Sports and BT Sport to show five extra matches in each round of fixtures on pay-per-view – but charge a whopping £14.99 for EACH game
- Premier League’s main UK broadcasters to reveal new pay-per-view service
- An extra selection of top-flight games will be screened live but at extra cost
- The live games won’t form part of current Sky or BT subscription packages
- Each game will cost £14.99 to view with service launching on October 17
- Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle among the first games screened on it
- Premier League had grown agitated at giving away product for free in lockdown
The Premier League’s main UK broadcasters are to reveal plans to launch a new pay-per-view service which will see punters asked to pay £14.99 per game to view extra matches.
In a strategy likely to infuriate viewers, Sky Sports and BT Sport are set to unveil a new service in time for the next set of matches to show an additional layer of matches.
These games aren’t included in the designated televised schedule but will be available for an additional cost to their general subscription fees on their Box Office channels.
The first fixture shown on the service will be the five 3pm kick-offs on Saturday October 17 – Chelsea vs Southampton, Newcastle United vs Manchester United, Sheffield United vs Fulham, Leicester City vs Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion vs Burnley.
Sky Sports and BT Sport are poised to announce a pay-per-view service for Premier League matches that are not part of their usual coverage schedules
A number of Premier League games were shown free-to-air in lockdown but the league has grown agitated at giving away its product for free in the UK
Fans who remain locked out of grounds amid the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to be angry they now have to pay more to watch their team on TV
The Premier League has confirmed games not already selected for coverage on Sky or BT’s usual sports channels until the end of October will be available on PPV.
Since football returned in June, all matches have been televised through Sky, BT, BBC and Amazon as part of each broadcasters’ general service.
But the Premier League have grown agitated at essentially giving away their product for free since lockdown.
Additionally broadcasters do not want to pay extra for the rights to more games – the new pay-per-view service a product of those concerns.
Sportsmail understands the idea for the new service was spawned by the Premier League – and that the league’s broadcasting partners are facilitating the move.
Sources claim the majority money accumulated by will go directly to the clubs, rather than the relevant networks.
But the move could risk angering customers who already fork out significant subscription costs every month.
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher (left), Gary Neville (centre) and presenter Kelly Cates at a Premier League match earlier this year
A statement released by the Premier League said: ‘The Premier League today confirmed all fixtures until the end of October will continue to be made available for fans to watch live in the United Kingdom.
‘Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal.
‘In addition, the five matches per round not already selected will be made available to supporters on a pay-per-view basis, accessed via BT Sport Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office platforms.
‘Clubs today agreed this interim solution to enable all fans to continue to watch their teams live.
‘The Premier League has worked closely with Sky Sports and BT Sport to provide this arrangement and is grateful for their support.
‘The agreement will be regularly reviewed in consultation with clubs and in line with any decisions made by Government regarding the return of spectators to stadiums.
‘Football is not the same without supporters at matches. The Premier League and our clubs remain committed to the safe return of fans as soon as possible. An updated broadcast list of matches will be announced later today.
When the Premier League restarted in June following lockdown there was pressure from the Government to allow each of the remaining 92 fixtures to be televised live.
Sky made 25 of their remaining matches available free to air on Pick TV, while four matches were screened by the BBC. All Amazon’s matches were also available without charge.
When the new season kicked off in September, all 28 games that month were televised live instead of the usual 17 with staggered kick-off times across the weekend.
However, only one – Leicester City vs Burnley – was made free-to-air and was broadcast on BBC One.
Last weekend’s round of games were also all screened live, either on Sky or BT Sport but the two-week international break was always likely to see a shift in plans.
