Premier League football on pay per view channels has sparked an uproar – but how many fans are willing to pay to watch the action?
An overwhelming number of football fans will refuse to pay one-off fees to watch Premier League fixtures live on pay per view TV channels, a RadioTimes.com poll has found.
Our survey of 3,600 fans found that just 17 per cent are willing to pay the £14.95 one-off fee to watch games shown on Sky Sports Box Office and BT Sport Box Office.
The cash is going directly to Premier League clubs in a bid to subsidise some of the lost matchday revenue while crowds are not allowed into stadiums.
Several matches each week will continue to be shown on the premium-cost box office channels until the end of Sunday 8th November when the international break begins.
The Premier League will then review the format and pricing of the service, with a reduction in cost to £10 per game being mooted.
Many have criticised the high price to pay on top of any regular subscriptions that fans may shell out for each month in order to watch all the games.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley weighed in on the debate this week, touting a £4.95 price point until Christmas.
In a statement, he said: "I am calling on the Premier League to immediately act and review its current pay-per-view arrangements for live matches in the UK.
"Charging £14.95 for single televised matches in the current climate is not acceptable to any football fan.
"Supporters have overwhelmingly rejected this offer and the Premier League must now act.
"Why not make it much more accessible at £4.95 per match until Christmas?"
Despite the criticism, the PPV broadcasts have attracted an average of 39,000 fans per game across the nine games shown on box office channels so far.
That works out at approximately £5.2million in total to be shared between the teams involved, though two games attracted less than 10,000 fans, meaning those teams will receive a negligible cut of the cash.
The recent move to PPV channels has angered many fans after the excess games, not initially picked by broadcasters, during the nationwide lockdown in the 2019/20 season were shown for free across Sky Sports, Amazon Prime and BBC platforms.
Check out our relaunched Football Times podcast featuring special guests, FPL tips and match previews available on Apple / Spotify
For the full breakdown of what games are coming up check out our Premier League fixtures on TV guide.
If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide.
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
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