This Friday, the Premier League is back in action under the bright lights of the Brentford Community Stadium for the first time as the West London outfit take on Arsenal in the season opener.
While the summer has been a feast of sport including the Euro 2020 football tournament and the Tokyo Olympics, many fans will be excited to see top flight action return.
Many grounds are welcoming fans back to watch the action live, a large number will still be watching from home and could be after the best sports package available to gorge on as much of the action as possible.
The Premier League is back in action next weekend with fans excited to see the sport return
Premier League matches in the UK are shown on three different broadcasters: Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime.
As such, getting the best deals is important with such a large number of subscription services available.
To help you find the cheapest deals, This is Money and Uswitch, have listed the best sports TV deals currently available and which one might be best for you.
Sky
Sky will be showing the first televised match of the season between Brentford and Arsenal on Friday 13 August at 8pm.
For those looking to watch, the provider is currently offering a Sky TV, Sky Sports & Netflix package for £45 a month that includes eight Sky Sports channels.
The contract is for 18 months with a £20 set up fee.
For existing Sky customers, they can add the Sky Sports Premier League and Football channel for an additional £18 a month.
Alternatively, for fans of other sports, they could add all 8 Sky Sports channels that shows the F1, Golf Majors, Cricket and more for an extra £25 a month.
Sky will show 128 live Premier League games this season – and it also has the rights for the English Football League, showing matches from the Championship, League One and League Two.
BT Sport
BT is offering customers a BT Fibre 2 & Big Sport deal that includes all Sky Sports channels and broadband with speeds of 53MB.
The 24 month contract will cost £30.99 for the first three months before moving to £69.99 a month thereafter.
Those signing up with also receive a free £90 reward card but there is a £20 set up fee.
Customers can also benefit from a Monthly Pass for £25 which will give viewers 30 days of BT Sport, contract free.
Alternatively, consumers can sign up to BT Sport for £15 a month on a 24 month contract receiving all BT Sport channels plus BoxNation.
This will cost £20 upfront and must be bought with a broadband model which will significantly raise the price. BT Sport also have the rights for National League football – the fifth pyramid of the English system.
There could be more fans watching the Premier League this year thanks to the Euros 2020
Virgin Media
On Virgin Media’s Bigger + Sports TV bundle, customers will receive broadband with average speeds of 213MB, all Sky Sports channels and BT Sport.
The 18 month contract is available for £76 a month with free set up.
Meanwhile, those looking for more content could upgrade to Virgin’s Ultimate Oomph bundle.
This gives customers M600 Fibre Broadband, over 230 channels with Entertainment and Sport, a Sim Card with unlimited calls, texts and data and Anytime calls for your home phone.
Altogether, this will set households back £89 a month for 18 months before increasing to £139 a month.
Now
Now TV is part of the Sky group and offers viewers the chance to have the satellite channels without the box.
On Now’s Brilliant Broadband, Anytime Calls & Sky Sport Membership consumers will receive broadband with speeds of 11MB and all Sky Sports channels.
Customers will pay £37.99 a month for 12 months.
However, for those not worried about watching a match on the big screen, the Sports Day + Mobile Month Membership offering may be a better bet.
Football fans will handover a one off payment of £9.98 which includes 11 Sky Sports channels for 24 hours and 5 months Mobile Month Membership.
The Mobile Month Membership will give viewers unlimited access to Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports NFL, Sky Sports Arena, Sky Sports Racing and Sky Sports News straight to their phone.
Although football grounds are now opening back up to fans, many will be watching from home
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video will once again show 20 live and exclusive Premier League festive fixtures. These are two rounds of games, over three days – an evening set of kick-offs on Tuesday 30 November, Wednesday 1 December and 3pm kick-offs on Tuesday 28 December.
It recently renewed its Premier League deal so this runs to the 2024/25 season.
Those looking to watch the Premier League games on Amazon Prime will have to create an account with the firm if they don’t have one already.
Amazon Prime Video costs £5.99 a month for just the Video option which gives users the ability to watch the games and get access to hundreds of TV shows and films.
Customers can pay £7.99 a month or £79 a year for Amazon Prime to also receive free next day delivery on thousands of items.
Mainstream television
At the tail-end of the 2019-20 season, with football being played behind close doors because of the pandemic, some live Premier League action was shown on the BBC for the first time.
However, this won’t continue – instead, fans happy to wait to watch the highlights will have to wait for Match of the Day on a Saturday evening, or Match of the Day 2 on the Sunday.
What about bums on seats?
Many fans will be chomping at the bit to get back to stadiums and watch their team live in action, after nearly a year and a half away.
With restriction rules relaxed, stadiums can be at full capacity once more – although, from October, there are expected to be rule changes for grounds with 20,000-plus capacity, which could include a proof of being vaccinated or a ‘vaccine passport.’
A statement last month from the Premier League said: ‘Fans have been hugely missed… we are looking forward to full stadiums in the 2021/22 season.
‘As we move towards a Government decision on Step 4 of the roadmap and beyond, we will continue to work with football stakeholders and relevant public authorities to ensure that the return to full capacity is done in a way that keeps everyone safe.’
| Channel | Package | Contract length | Price per month | Important Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky | Sky TV, Sky Sports & Netflix | 18 months | £45 | £20 set up fee. Includes eight Sky Sports channels (including Premier League). |
| BT | BT Fibre 2 & Big Sport | 24 months | £30.99 for 3 months £69.99 thereafter |
£20 set up fee. Includes all Sky Sports channels and broadband with speeds of 53Mb. Includes a free £90 reward card. |
| Virgin Media | Bigger + Sports TV bundle | 18 months | £76 | Free set up. Includes broadband with average speeds of 213Mb, all Sky Sports channels and BT Sport. |
| NOW | Brilliant Broadband, Anytime Calls & Sky Sport Membership | 12 months | £37.99 | £5 set up cost. Includes broadband with speeds of 11Mb and all Sky Sports channels. |
| Source: Uswitch | ||||
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