Lib Dems call for free-to-air Premier League and other sports

17 Mar 2024

EMBARGO: For Immediate Release

Lib Dems call for a “free-to-air revolution” including selection of Premier League games, Six Nations and Ashes
Subscriptions for the three main sports channels showing premier league matches costs £870
The average season ticket for a premier league club in 2023/4 is £535

The Liberal Democrats have passed a new policy at their Spring Conference calling for key sporting events such as Premier League matches, Six Nations Rugby, Ryder Cup and the Ashes to be legally shown on free-to-air TV channels.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey played with a local children's footbal team in York this morning to help promote the new policy.

While certain sporting events like the FIFA World Cup are already legally protected for free-to-air broadcasting, many other key sports don't currently enjoy such protection.

It comes as research by the Liberal Democrats reveals football fans are left to fork out £870 a year in subscriptions to Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video if they want to see Premier League games. The shocking costs are now more than an average season ticket at a Premier League club, as millions become priced out of seeing the top tier of English club football.

Fans could afford three season tickets to the cheapest club, West Ham United (£310) in place of the TV subscriptions and season tickets for all Premier League clubs are cheaper except the most expensive Arsenal (£973). The average season ticket is £535. The cheapest season ticket is West Ham United at £310, Manchester City comes in at £385 and Chelsea £595.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to update the list of sporting fixtures which must have live coverage made available to free-to-air channels to include:

At least 10 Premier League matches and 10 Scottish Premiership matches every season
At least 20 games from the English Football League and 10 from the Scottish Championship
The men’s and women’s Six Nations
The Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup
The England men’s Ashes Test at Lords, and the England women’s Ashes fixture at Lords
At least one cricket test match and one day international per summer
The entirety of the Wimbledon Championships

Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron said:

“We need to tear down the paywall and give sports back to the country. Greedy broadcasters are ripping off fans and preventing young boys and girls from being inspired to take up the sport.

“Fans are being priced out of watching live football and other key sporting events. That is frankly a disgrace. It’s time the Government committed to more free to air key sporting events on television.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Photo of Ed Davey playing football today available here.

Methodology

10 month season - Prices subject to change month-to-month

Sky £46 x 10 months plus £20 set up costs = £480.00

TNT Sports £29.99 x10 months = £299.90

Amazon Prime £8.99 x 10 months = £89.90

Total subscription cost: £869.80

Link to table showing costs of season tickets here.

Average cost of premiership season ticket in 2023/4 was £535