Report: Sky Sports may use CGI fans for Premier League matches

Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the bulk of the professional sports world in March, soccer matches in Italy, France and Spain occurred behind closed doors and without fans inside stadiums. It made for awkward and oddly quiet viewing experiences. 

Sky Sports and the Premier League may have devised a fix for the problem. 

On Thursday, Richard Edwards of iNews reported Sky Sports is considering using CGI fans for Premier League fixtures if the English top flight is able to finish the 2019-20 season beginning in June. Edwards notes that negative viewer feedback for closed-door games led to Sky Sports contemplating such unique broadcasts.

As Edwards noted, Arsenal once played with a mural placed in front of the North Bank of its stadium during a redevelopment project in the 1990s. 

Per Dan Roan of BBC Sport and other outlets, Premier League clubs are scheduled to hold a video conference on Friday to discuss options for finishing the halted season halted. On Wednesday, ESPN's Alex Shaw reported some Premier League players don't want to rush back to playing because of the virus. 

Gamers who like to play "FIFA" or "Pro Evolution Soccer" are no strangers to hearing virtual crowd noises during matches, and such titles have done well to replicate legitimate chants and songs heard at European grounds. Those who use Tottenham Hotspur in "FIFA" can listen to "Oh, when the Spurs go marching in." Liverpool supporters are serenaded by "You'll Never Walk Alone" during virtual matches.