PPV comes to the Premier League
The news broke today that football fans are set to be handed the chance to continue watching all Premier League matches. Currently shut away from stadiums, fans have been able to watch their top-flight teams through the large array of television broadcasters.
Plans for fans to return to stadiums at the start of October were scuppered by the Government, on the back of the continued rise of cases of COVID-19 across the nation.
The crippling financial effects of fans not being permitted to enter grounds, meanwhile, are being felt across the country. Most hard-hit of all are the lower divisions, with little to no TV rights funds coming in compared to their top-flight competitors.
Despite these struggles, though, the new pay-per-view scheme, headed by The Premier League, will not see lower-league sides profit. The scheme consists of the additional top-flight fixtures not included on the broadcaster’s agreed schedule being shown at a price of £14.95 each.
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 11: Nottingham Forest’s fans wave a flag during the Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Derby County at City Ground on March 11, 2018 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Mick Walker – CameraSport via Getty Images)
The broadcasters will not receive these funds, with the majority of the money raised instead set to be split between Premier League clubs to compensate for their loss of matchday revenue.
Not all in favour
There has, expectantly, since been a strong reaction to the news. Sky Sports currently charge £18 per month for subscribers to watch 146 live Premier League games, and the BT Sport add-on for Sky can be purchased for £15 a month.
The aforementioned scheme is set to double, or even triple fans’ outlay in some cases to watch their club’s games. Even well-known employees of the broadcasters have spoken out against the decision:
This is a really bad move by the @premierleague to charge £14.95 for single matches that have been shown free for 6 months !
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) October 9, 2020
The decision was decided following a vote from all 20 Premier League clubs, and passed 19 for, 1 against. It has since been revealed that the solitary club who voted against the decision was Leicester City:
Understand #lcfc were the only club to vote against pay-per-view at today’s Premier League meeting. Result was apparently 19-1. A lone voice of reason ….
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) October 9, 2020
Fans are the lifeblood of football. Without them, the sport may not exist. In addition, with mainstream social media now such a central part of people’s everyday lives, the fallout from this decision will be hard to ignore.
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PPV comes to the Premier League The news broke today that football fans are set to be handed the chance to continue watching all Premier League matches. Currently shut away from stadiums, fans have been able to watch their top-flight teams through the large array of television broadcasters. Plans for fans to return to stadiumsFootball (soccer) greatest goals and highlights | 101 Great Goals – Feed