Almost a third of people think the Premier League is returning too soon, but four out of five footie fans plan to watch the end of the season on TV
More than three million supporters plan to see all 92 games left in the 2019/20 season, while three in five fans (61%) without a subscription only plan to follow the 33 free matches on offer
Over half of fans with sports subscriptions say the packages are not currently good value for money, with one in ten citing less football than expected as the reason why.
Almost a third of people (32%) believe that this week’s return of Premier League action is too soon — but four in five football fans (80%) plan to follow the season’s climax on TV, according to new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
More than three million football supporters (15% of fans) want to watch all 92 games remaining in the Premier League season, but the majority (61%) of those without an existing subscription only plan to follow the 33 matches being offered free on the BBC, Amazon Prime and Sky Pick.
Half of football fans paying for sports TV subscriptions (52%) believe they won’t be getting good value for money for the remainder of the season. One in ten (11%) of those dissatisfied about the value of their subscription said that they were expecting more live football, now that the fixtures have been announced4]. But with many of the major providers offering discounts to their sports packages, Uswitch.com calls on consumers to investigate the deals available for both existing and new customers.
Consumers with a Sky Sports package top the list of those most unconvinced by the return of the Premier League, with almost half (48%) saying that it is returning too soon.
Nick Baker, TV expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “As the Premier League returns this week, millions of fans are desperate to get the football fix they’ve been missing over the past three months.
“With games being played behind closed doors, fans face a smorgasbord of football on television, with more games than ever before being broadcast live on the small screen.
“However, almost a third of people believe the Premier League is coming back too soon, and millions will miss not being able to watch matches from the pub and live in stadiums with their fellow supporters.
“Watching the Premier League can be costly, and for the three million fans who plan to watch every match it means paying for both BT Sport, which has 20 games, and Sky Sports, with 64 games.
“If you’re keen to watch the matches on Sky Sports but don’t want to sign up for a lengthy contract, NOW TV offers a monthly pass to watch all the Sky Sports channels, which can work out cheaper.”
Table – sports TV packages deal
Source: Uswitch.com. Prices correct as of 16/06/20
Table – Premier League games by broadcaster
Source: Uswitch.com. Correct as of 16/06/20
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Phone: 020 3872 5613
Email: rory.stoves@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,002 UK adults from the 5th to 8th June 2020. Results were weighted to reflect a nationally representative criteria. Respondents were asked ‘Which of the following best describes your attitude to the Premier League returning?’ 32% of respondents said that they think it is returning too soon.
Respondents were asked ‘How many Premier League games of the remaining 92 in the 2019/2020 season do you plan to watch?’ 80% of people who watch the Premier League said that they were planning to watch the 2019/20 season. 15% of people who watch the Premier League responded saying ‘I’m planning to watch all of them’. 900 out of 2,002 UK adults watch Premier League football = 45% of the adult population. 45% of the 52.4 million UK adults = 23,580,000 people who are watching the Premier League. 15% of 23,580,000 = 3,537,000 are planning to watch all of the matches.
Respondents were asked ‘You mentioned that you don’t have a sports subscription but do watch the Premier League, now that you can’t go to games live or watch in a pub/at a friends house, how are you going to watch the Premier League now?’, 61% responded with ‘Watch free to air games only’.
Respondents were asked ‘Now that the fixtures have been released and will be shown on several different platforms from paid to ‘free to air’, do you feel your sports subscription(s) are good value for money once the Premier League returns?’, 52% of respondents said no. Of those people 11% said ‘No – there is less live football sports coverage than I expected’.
Respondents were asked ‘Which TV provider do you get your sports subscription from?’ Of the respondents who said ‘I am a Sky customer and have a Sky Sports subscription’ 48% said that ‘I am a football fan but I think it is returning too soon to properly enjoy’.
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