The eye-watering cost for fans to watch all televised Premier League matches in the United Kingdom has been revealed.
As the Premier League makes its long-awaited return this weekend, many fans will be heading to the stadiums but a lot of supporters will be glued in front of the TV to watch the action.
At the moment, broadcasters such as Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime have the rights to broadcast Premier League matches live in the UK.
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It has been revealed that fans will have to spend over £1000 to watch all the matches on TV.
Journalist, broadcaster and author Mark Lawson told Radio Times: “Coverage is becoming more fragmented and expensive. To be sure of seeing every televised Premier League match this season, a viewer will require subscriptions to Sky Sports, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) and Amazon Prime costing up to £1,019.88 a year.
“That, though, assumes a probably unusual purchaser with no pre-existing contracts. Canny users of trials, loyalty bonuses and network bundles may get that figure down to less than £600.”
Lawson added: “TV traditionalists will grumpily compare that outlay with four to six TV licences; football fans will note that seven Premier League clubs charge more than £1,000 for a season ticket, granting admission to just 19 home league matches.
“However, regardless of how you cut it, viewers of football, in a warning to broader audiences, are paying ever more to see the best and most.”
Sky Sports currently hold the majority of TV rights, showing 128 of the 200 televised matches in the UK.
Whilst TNT Sports will broadcast 52 and Amazon Prime showing 20.
Earlier in the year, DAZN chief executive Shay Segev hinted they are keen to enter the market.
He told The Times: “Football is obviously very big in the UK and EPL is an option on our menu.
“If the question is do we have any ambition to go to this market, the answer is of course yes. And it's not only ambition it's a high priority on my list. DAZN is a sports service and clearly, we will try to get bigger packages but the maths needs to work.”
The Premier League will return on Friday with Burnley against Manchester City, which will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Topics: Premier League, Football, Sky Sports
Marcus Chan