Non-TV Premier League games now PPV
October 9, 2020
The Premier League has confirmed that all fixtures until the end of October will continue to be made available for fans to watch live in the UK – but five games per game week will only be available to view on a pay-per-view basis.
Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal. The five matches per round not already selected will be made available to fans via BT Sport Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office platforms.
Clubs have agreed this interim solution to enable all fans to continue to watch their teams live.
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.
Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said: “Through this exceptionally challenging year we have done everything we can to be the best partner for sport. The Premier League has come to this decision with its clubs to provide a service for supporters who are no longer to able attend and to generate matchday revenue. We are happy to support them with this interim solution – and we share their desire to get fans back into grounds as soon as it is safe to do so. Our Sky subscribers still get more than 140 of the very best matches, while supporters of individual clubs won’t have to miss out on any games during this period.”
The first matches on Sky Sports Box Office, which are priced at £14.95/€16.95, include:
- Newcastle vs Man Utd – October 17th 20.00
- Leicester vs Aston Villa – October 18th 19.15
- West Brom vs Burnley – October 19th 17.30
Ru Bhikha, TV expert at Uswitch.com, commented: “This move by the Premier League is far from an ideal solution, but it at least means that supporters don’t have to miss out on seeing their team in action. While it may feel galling for some fans to have to pay £14.95 a match to watch a game from their living room, many supporters will be used to paying much more to see their team on matchday, with the average Premier League ticket costing £32 in the 2019/20 season. BT Sport, Virgin Media and Sky TV customers will be in the best position to watch these pay-per-view matches as they have direct access to box office channels. Casual fans can download the Sky Sports Box Office app for one-off access.”