The team at Sporticos has produced a list of some of the cheapest and most expensive countries in the world to watch the Premier League on TV
Welcome to the EPL Price Index, the price comparison tool which tells you how much Premier League fans are paying to watch their favourite teams on TV or via live streaming around the world.
Our dedicated team of researchers hand picked countries with a rich history of the sport or a huge vested interest in the modern game. We analysed countries like England, Germany and Spain, big names in the world of elite football, but also emerging football markets like Qatar and Canada who will both be hosting World Cup football in the next four years.
EPL Price Index - Data
This index was last updated on 17/08/2022 and will be updated again soon, to reflect changes in currency exchange rates, prices offered by broadcasters and other factors.
- United Kingdom - £605.88 (£605.88)
Sky Sports (via NOW), BT Sport & Amazon Prime Video - United States - $399.99 (£332.13)
NBC, USA Network (via Sling TV Blue) & Peacock - France - €349.90 (£295.66)
Canal+ - Qatar - QAR 1,100.00 (£250.10)
beIN Sports (via Ooredoo) - Germany - €250.00 (£211.24)
Sky Deutschland - New Zealand - NZD 399.99 (£208.45)
Sky Sports (via Sky Sport Now) - Italy - €238.80 (£201.78)
Sky Italia - Nigeria - NGN 90,000.00 (£177.71)
SuperSport (via DStv) - Portugal - €143.88 (£121.58)
Eleven Sports - Netherlands - €139.90 (£118.21)
Viaplay - Australia - AUD 199.00 (£114.50)
Optus Sports - South Africa - ZAR 2,250.00 (£112.14)
SuperSport (via Showmax Pro Mobile) - Spain - €129.99 (£109.84)
DAZN - Canada - CAD 149.99 (£96.39)
Fubo TV - Poland - PLN 340.00 (£61.10)
Viaplay - Argentina - ARS 8,800.00 (£53.91)
ESPN (via Star+) - Brazil - BRL 329.00 (£52.88)
ESPN (via Star+) - China - CNY 318.00 (£38.92)
iQiyi - Mexico - MXN 790.00 (£32.82)
Paramount+ - India - INR 899.00 (£9.40)
Star Sports (via Hotstar)
EPL PRICE INDEX - METHODOLOGY AND DISCLAIMER
Our team found the cheapest possible way to watch as many EPL matches as possible in each country. In some countries, like the UK, fans can only legally access around half of the matches, due to the infamous 3pm Blackout. Fans are also unable to access all games in other territories, due to the way rights deals are sometimes structured. However, in most cases, fans around the world have the ability to access all 380 matches per Premier League season, and chose which ones they want to watch. Our first goal was to find out which providers fans would need to subscribe to in order to maximise the number of games available to them. The final prices listed here must include every possible available EPL match in that country. There may be cheaper alternatives with less games, but this is index only takes into account the route to full coverage, or as close as possible.
Next, we found the least expensive method of getting those games. In some cases, the rights to the Premier League in a country are owned by big media conglomerates. These companies are often very inflexible and require that users purchase long contracts which include internet, mobile and traditional TV, in order to get access to their sports channels. In these cases, fans must spend a lot more than the simple cost of whatever "sports pass" initially implies. These "bundles" for sports channels may seem reasonably priced on the surface, but they often aren't available as standalone products and are kept behind a paywall of other products which fans will need to sign up for in order to get them, even if they don't need or want those products or services (e.g. broadband)
In other countries, OTT live streaming platforms own the rights to Premier League football and they often have very well-priced and simple to use subscription models. Fans lucky enough to be based in those territories, or armed with a reliable VPN service, can simply sign up for a pay-monthly, cancel-anytime subscription, watch as many Premier League games as they chose throughout the season, and then cancel their subscription during the summer off-season, saving on two months of payments. These types of providers are the most favourable to consumers because they are often no-strings-attached, require no long contract commitments, broadband, TV or anything, and allow the consumer to cancel when the season is up.
Our idea was to find the absolute cheapest method. In some cases, the only way to get as many games as possible is to sign up for two or even three different providers and bundle those different costs together. In others, a very convenient single monthly payment to one company is enough to guarantee every match. Likewise, the cheapest route is usually one involving live streaming. Most of the prices listed on our index are for OTT online-only platforms providing live streams of Premier League matches. Even in the case of the big broadcasters, the cheapest choice is usually an OTT live streaming platform which they provide. These companies sometimes offer a "monthly pass" to live stream their sports channels in real time. When this is an option, it will usually make it onto our index as the route to the cheapest price for that provider.
Once we had the final prices, we converted them all from their local currencies into GBP (Great British Pounds) in order to accurately compare the differences.
Please bear in mind when reading the study that living conditions and average incomes differ around the world, and that just because one country has a much lower price for watching Premier League football than another doesn't mean it's necessarily easy for fans in that country to tune in. There are other factors to consider, like the availablility of internet connections, cost of living and other cultural elements.
Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of every country in the world. We intend to add new countries to the list all the time, but there may be some countries which offer cheaper or more expensive routes to watching the Premier League which aren't listed here.
Also, be aware that the figures recorded in GBP are subject to change as currency exchange rates vary daily. We will endeavour to update those prices as frequently as possible. However, the local currency prices are a lot more stable, and if you want to see the exact figures in GBP with updated exchange rates minute-by-minute, head to our dedicated EPL Price Index page.
If you live in a country which doesn't appear on this list and think it should, please get in touch. Likewise, if you feel that any of the data on the index is wrong, please drop us a line and we will happily make changes. Perhaps there is a provider offering a better deal or there is a way to reduce costs with the rights holder. Whatever the situation, share your knowledge with us and help us keep the index as accurate as possible. We intend to update the EPL Price Index regularly.
You can contact us via email at contact@sporticos.com or reach out to us on Twitter @SporticosCom with any queries, comments or suggestions about the EPL Price Index.
EPL PRICE INDEX - ANALYSIS
It will likely cause no surprise but much consternation among British football fans to learn that the UK is the most expensive place to access every available Premier League match of the season, which due to the 3pm blackout is not even every match played. To do so in the absolute cheapest way possible, a fan must get a NOW monthly sports pass to access the Sky Sports matches at a lower price, a BT Sport monthly pass and also Amazon Prime Video, for the two months of the year in which they air Premier League matches. When the three subscriptions are added together, it's a huge cost, but there are currently no other deals which bring the three together at a cheaper price. Those few who have not yet used their Amazon free trial can shave off a little this way. However, regardless of whether a person is or isn't eligible for a free Amazon Prime trial, the annual cost of watching as many Premier League matches as possible in the UK is simply staggering. The alternative to the two monthly passes would be to sign up to an expensive bundle including internet, and that would cost more than getting the three separate subscriptions. Ironically, British fans pay almost double what American fans do to get access to less than half the matches.
Unsurprisingly, the next most expensive countries on the index are the United States and France, where salaries are higher and football is either rapidly growing in popularity (in the case of the US) or has been a staple of life for generations.
At the other end of the spectrum, there is nowhere cheaper to watch the Premier League than in India. The cost of following an entire season of EPL football in India is around £10 or around 95% less than it is in the United Kingdom. These numbers can fluctuate depending on exchange rates but generally India is a very good place to watch the EPL price wise.
Other countries where salaries are typically lower on average, like Nigeria and South Africa, are not always blessed with the same low prices, with some surprisingly costly options available.
There are some rather shocking bargains out there. For access to the Premier League in the football-mad Netherlands, an extremely wealthy country, to cost around 80% less than in the UK, give or take a few percentiles depending on the exchange rate on any given day, definitely left surprised our analysts. Of course, the Premier League is not the Dutch domestic league and not everyone will be automatically interested in it, but that price with Viaplay is very, very reasonable, and actually almost three times less than what the neighbouring French have to fork out to catch every game on Canal+. Another example of a standalone OTT platform providing value for money.
Canada and Australia also have surprisingly cheap offers for their Premier League fans. The game, and the league, is still developing in popularity in these markets, hence the relatively low prices, but these figures are still very, very encouraging for football fans in The Great White North or Down Under.
The EPL Price Index is full of fascinating nuances and stories which might surprise you. If you found this interesting, check out our La Liga Price Index and Bundesliga Price Index.
