Fans of the English top flight continue to face skyrocketing prices despite enduring a cost of living crisis
Being a fan of the Premier League and living in the UK isn't cheap. Fans are paying outrageous prices to follow their favourite clubs. At the time of the writing, no country is more expensive than the United Kingdom on our Premier League Price Index, with minimum costs of upwards of £600 a season faced by fans in order to access all the games on offer.
Meanwhile, fans in overseas territories, even some with higher average salaries than the UK, are enjoying every single EPL match of the season for sometimes half the price or less.
Not only that but fans must navigate the confusing nature of the current Premier League TV rights deal, which means they have to subscribe to Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video, and all to miss half of the matches because they take place during the increasingly under-fire 3pm blackout.
A spokesperson for the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said:
“Any supporters of a Premier League club who want to watch all of their club’s broadcast matches also find themselves having to fork out for three different subscriptions at present,”
Is it time that the Premier League did something to change this?
The dream of a "Netflix" of football
Many supporters, especially younger ones, will dream of a future with a "Netflix" of football, but how realistic a prospect is it? Unfortunately, right now, not very.
The Premier League is understandably reluctant to decline all bids from outside broadcasters during the next rights auction and opt to launch its own OTT (over-the-top) platform, for several reasons.
One key roadblock is the production. While the Premier League does boast its own well respected production company Premier League Productions, it is not in the business of distributing every match of the season to hundreds of countries around the world in a multitude of languages and cultural styles - that would take significant investment.
Another issue is that with sweeping change comes noteworthy risk. Moving to a streaming model likely would prove successful for the league, especially in the long run, but there are no guarantees, and any mistakes could lead to problems. The status quo presents zero risk. Clubs are guaranteed giant fees every season from the broadcasters regardless of how good the viewing figures are.
A downturn in interest in the Premier League, both domestically and globally, is very unlikely, but it's not impossible. If that were to happen during this live streaming period, the EPL would be left to bear the burden, not the broadcasters.
Another fear is that were the league to go DTC (direct-to-consumer), they could face losing some of their older or perhaps less tech-savvy viewers. Those fans more comfortable with traditional linear television may not be able to find and access the product, leading to lost revenues.
All of these concerns are valid, but there is a growing feeling among the British fanbase that the Premier League could navigate these issues and provide a viable streaming service which, in the end, would boost their revenues while reducing cost for the viewer.
Could a live streaming broadcast partner be the answer?
Perhaps we aren't quite ready for a dedicated Premier League live streaming service, but could an OTT broadcast partner be the answer? Streaming giants Apple TV+ (who last year signed a 10-season streaming deal with the MLS) and Disney+ are becoming increasingly enamoured with live sports and both are reportedly exploring the idea of a bid on Premier League rights for the next cycle.
A Premier League "season pass", similar to the one which Apple TV+ has created for the MLS, could work very well. It would likely bring down costs for the consumer, see the Premier League bring in a similar amount of revenue, and Apple gain millions of subscribers who otherwise would never have considered buying into their content.
As two of the biggest corporations on the planet, Apple or Disney would surely be able to submit a more lucrative bid than the three current EPL broadcast partners combined. This would see the Premier League continue to get its guaranteed money.
The key differences would affect the fans. They would very likely pay less, and they wouldn't have the confusion of subscribing to three different platforms just to watch, in a lot of cases, one single brand. Many Premier League fans don't care about the cricket, golf or tennis on Sky Sports and BT Sport. They don't care about the shows on Amazon Prime Video. They just want to watch the football.
This would put the brand they want to access front and centre on one dedicated platform, a "Season Pass". Instead of paying for three bloated subscriptions, they would now be free to pay directly to one provider and get exactly the content they want.
Should the EPL move out of the 3pm blackout in the short term?
We can dream but a "Prem-flix" seems unlikely, at least in the short term, so what else can the league do to improve the situation for fans?
If they plan to sell the rights to the same traditional broadcasters and not encourage any reduction in price, they can at least offer better value for money by showing more games.
In order to do this, they don't need to defy the 3pm blackout - the law which states that no games can be shown between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays in order to protect matchday attendances. They can chose to schedule more or all of their fixtures outside of this window, meaning more games on Friday nights, Saturday mornings or Sundays. This would provide some consolation for fans by giving them the option to watch more games.
Will the new "fan led" regulator push for change in this area?
The new independent regulator set up by the UK government is allegedly designed to protect all clubs and fans in the English football pyramid. Could this body be the one to foster positive change when it comes to watching the Premier League on TV?
The regulator has confirmed that its main purposes will be to:
- Stop English clubs from joining closed-shop competitions, which are judged to harm the domestic game.
- Prevent a repeat of financial failings seen at numerous clubs, notably the collapses of Bury and Macclesfield.
- Introduce a more stringent owners' and directors' test to protect clubs and fans.
- Give fans power to stop owners changing a club's name, badge and traditional kit colours.
- Ensure a fair distribution of money filters down the English football pyramid from the Premier League.
Plans going forward will reportedly be following the "fan-led" review of football governance, conducted by Tracey Crouch CBE MP.
That all sounds good but will the new independent body look for movement in the area of TV rights and live streaming? Fans will hope so as change is so desperately needed.
Premier League fans face another rights cycle with the same old players charging the same old inflated prices as they live through a period of financial instability.
Could there be a breaking point at which fans en masse refuse to keep paying? There are already growing concerns about illegal live streaming of the Premier League, and the use of so called illegal "fire sticks". The more expensive it gets, the more consumers will be forced to opt for this approach.
Change is certainly needed in one way or another, but unfortunately for fans, it doesn't seem to be on the horizon in the immediate future.
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