Premier League to switch 5 games per week to pay-per-view

The Premier League in England has agreed to a deal with domestic television broadcasters for games outside of those in the normal broadcast slots to be shown via pay-per-view.

So far this season, BT Sport and Sky Sports have been broadcasting all Premier League games as part of their existing football packages.

This is a temporary measure due to the barring of spectators in grounds as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But under the new interim plan, those matches outside of the normal slots for broadcast games, mostly in the Saturday 3pm local (1400 GMT) time slot, will now be available.

However, this will be only for purchase via pay-per-view platforms.

“Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal,” the league said in a statement.

“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.

“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,” it added.

Amongst the games likely to be on pay-per-view, according to the new formula, are Manchester United’s match at Newcastle United on Oct. 17.

Liverpool’s home match against Sheffield United on Oct. 24 is also another one of them.