Why Premier League Fans Look Enviously At US Sports Coverage

By Staff

Sports broadcasting subscriptions can be expensive; we all know that. Particularly these days, game coverage is fragmented across network television channels, cable, and streaming apps like Amazon, YouTube, and DAZN. Yet, in the US, there is an assumption that you can watch every NFL game and most college football games live, as long as you are willing to pay for it. Over in England, that’s certainly not the case, and there is a growing uproar, which sees fans pointing to the US model as superior.

The Premier League is the most popular sports competition in the world. That’s not an opinion; it’s a fact. The competition is broadcast live in 200 countries, and it has a much larger global viewership than, say, the NFL. The NFL measures its global audience, even the Super Bowl, the Premier League counts its viewers in billions. As part of that ‘product,’ the league sells broadcast rights to other countries, most of whom can watch any game they want (again, if they are willing to pay for it).

UK fans want more

Yet, for the English fans, there is no such luck. Just over half of the 380 Premier League games across the season are broadcast live in the UK. The three main broadcasters are Sky Sports (circa 110 games), TNT Sports (55-60 games), and Amazon Prime (20 games). It effectively means that in any given week, there’s a fair chance that you won’t be able to watch your team play live, no matter how much you are willing to pay for it.

Now, while fans can catch up with highlights shows or watch the game in full later, all sports fans agree that live broadcasts are better. Whether you like to keep track of the action while live betting on the game or live in fear of learning the score before you watch, everyone can agree that live is better.

While being the most popular sports league in the world, the Premier League is also a sophisticated money-making machine. It would make sense financially to show every game, so why doesn’t it? It comes from what is arguably a respectable sentiment, but one that is being questioned as to its merits. Basically, the blackout of fixtures is mooted to encourage fans to attend games of lower-division soccer games.

Protecting traditions

The vast majority of UK professional soccer games take place at 3 PM on a Saturday afternoon. It’s something equivalent to the Sunday lunchtime games in the NFL, yet Saturday 3 PM features scores of games across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, covering all professional and semi-professional soccer leagues. The logic is basically that if Manchester United is playing Arsenal on television, people won’t go to see games featuring Accrington Stanley or Raith Rovers.

This does make some sense, and, as mentioned, it seems well-intentioned. Yet critics argue that there is only an assumption that live games impact lower-league attendance. However, there is also an unintended consequence: a rise in illegal streaming services. The UK government has ordered a crackdown on these “dodgy boxes,” but fans say they have no other option when they want to see their team play. They also point to the significant prices they pay to those broadcasters that show games legally.

In the end, you can understand both sides of the argument. This is not a soccer issue; it is a UK one. Fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain can see every game they want, so there is a sense of envy among Premier League fans. On social media, too, there has been an outcry to adopt the American model, allowing fans to follow a particular team. Things might change in the future, but for now, Premier League fans continue to cut frustrated figures about this hot-button topic.