Premier League confirms plans to scrap controversial pay-per-view model
The Premier League has confirmed it will scrap its controversial pay-per-view model after a fierce backlash from fans.
The new model, which was introduced following the international break in October, means fans have to cough up £14.95 to watch games not selected for regular broadcast.
The move sparked anger among supporter groups, who raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity instead of paying the fee.
But Premier League chief executive Richard Masters today confirmed that the league will scrap the controversial payment model.
“We’ve listened to feedback and, while we’re not able to announce anything today, we will be changing direction and moving away from it,” he told a parliamentary committee.
Masters said bosses were “taking another step” which was expected to last through lockdown, the Christmas period and into January.
While the Premier League boss declined to offer details of the new system, it is expected to see a return to the model put in place at the beginning of the period.
Under this model, all live games would be shown by one of the league’s broadcast partners, with Sky and BT Sport taking the lion’s share. The BBC and Amazon Prime would also broadcast some matches.
Masters has previously defended the decision to introduce an additional paywall for top-flight matches at a time when clubs were lobbying for fans to be allowed back into grounds.
But the heated opposition from fans, combined with the introduction of a nationwide lockdown until at least 2 December, means the Premier League has been forced to reconsider its decision.
Estimates of viewing figures under the pay-per-view model suggested that the average number of viewers over the first nine games was roughly 39,000, with some matches attracting fewer than 10,000 viewers.
The model has also sparked concerns about an increase in illegal streaming of matches, while MPs suggested the measures could encourage people to break lockdown rules and visit friends’ houses to watch games.
Following a meeting of Premier League shareholders last week, the Football Supporters Association said: “Supporters made clear their revulsion at the £15 cost to see their teams on Sky and BT Sport’s pay-per-view platforms last month, an emotion running so deep that fan protests across the country even reached the ears of untouchable Premier League club owners.
“We await to see the detail of what the Premier League and its broadcasters will now offer supporters who remain locked out of grounds for the foreseeable future – they simply must come up with a solution that is affordable for all.”