How to watch Premier League football online and on TV
As Sky and BT Sport square up for another season, will armchair fans need to pay for the privilege of watching the top games?
The new football season will not only pit the biggest teams in the Premier League and across Europe against each other, it also sees rival broadcasters go head to head in a battle for ratings.
And while the football takes place within the confines of the pitch, the TV companies are now fighting on multiple fronts, as internet coverage increases in popularity.
With Sky, the traditional home of Premier League football, under increasing pressure from BT Sport the stakes have also increased, especially now that the Champions League will no longer be shown on terrestrial TV.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"As the new season begins, armchair fans can enjoy more televised football than ever before, but they also pay more than ever for the privilege," says the Daily Mail.
So who is showing what and what is the best way to see the action on TV and online?
The competitions:
Premier League
Shown on Sky Sports, BT Sport and BBC Sport (highlights)
Sky Sports has 116 live games and BT Sport 38 live games until 2016. The BBC will show highlights on Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2
The Football League
Sky Sports and Channel 5 (highlights)
Sky Sports will show 112 live matches per-season, plus the play-offs until 2019. Channel 5 has bought the highlights and will show them on Saturday night at 9pm.
FA Cup
BBC Sport, BT Sport and S4C
The BBC will show 16 live matches including one semi-final and the final. BT Sport will show 25 live matches including one semi-final and the final. One additional match per round involving Welsh clubs will be shown on S4C or BBC Wales
League Cup
Sky Sports and Channel 5 (highlights)
Sky Sports will show 15 live matches per-season, including semi-finals and final until 2019. Highlights will be on Channel 5 until 2018
Champions League
BT Sport and ITV Sport (highlights)
All matches live on BT Sport until 2018 with 12 matches per season, including the final, shown free-to-air on BT Sport Showcase. ITV will still show highlights.
Europa League
BT Sport and ITV Sport (highlights)
Also shown live on BT Sport until 2018 with 14 live matches, including the final, shown free-to-air on BT Sport Showcase; highlights on ITV
Euro 2016
All Euro 2016 matches live on BBC Sport and ITV. England's qualifiers will be shown on ITV and the other home nations' matches will be live on Sky.
The broadcasters:
Sky Sports
Sky remains the main player with 116 live Premier League matches this season, plus coverage of other domestic league and cup competitions, Euro 2016 qualifiers and live games from La Liga and the US.
Sky Sports is available through traditional satellite services, which also allows viewers to watch online using Sky Go.
Subscribers to BT, Virgin and Talktalk can also get Sky Sports channels.
Non-subscribers can watch games with day passes on Freeview and the Now TV service that allows viewers to watch free-to-view on demand content without a monthly subscription. The Sky Sports pass can be bought for £6.99 per day or £10.99 per week. Now TV for computers, tablets and mobile also supports Chromecast connectivity.
BT Sport
BT is now a serious competitor for Sky. It has 38 live Premier League games, plus matches from the FA Cup, and from this season has exclusive Champions League and Europa League rights. It also shows matches from European leagues including Serie A in Italy, Germany's Bundesliga and Ligue 1 in France.
BT Sport channels are available free for BT TV customers and for £5 a month for BT Broadband customers. Customers can also watch BT Sport on computers, smartphones or tablet using the BT Sport app and online player.
Sky and Virgin customers can also get a BT Sport pack.
Some games will be shown on BT Sport Showcase, which will be available on Freeview.
The best packages:
Picking the best package is no easy undertaking. But according to the Manchester Evening News, the BT package, which includes access to matches shown on Sky and BT Sport, "works out at just over £3 per game, the best national average".
However, the website MoneySavingExpert, which offers a breakdown of the various offers, suggests that fans decide what they want to watch and how they want to watch it before parting with their hard earned money
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kelly Cates to present Match of the Day
Speed Read Sky Sports presenter to take over from Gary Lineker at start of next season
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
WSL takeover: a new era for women's football?
Under the radar Split from governing body comes in wake of record crowds, TV audiences and revenue in the women's game
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published