Digital TV Column

REVEALED: The cheapest way to watch the FA Premier League

Friday 21 August, 2009

By Becca Talbot - becca.talbot@consumerchoices.co.uk

Avid armchair footie fans will need a subscription to both Sky Sports and ESPN if they want to catch every fixture of the FA Premier League this season. So how can they keep a lid on the costs?

Birmingham City, Burnley, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are not the only new faces in this season’s Barclays Premier League - American broadcaster ESPN is also joining the line-up.

Disney-owned channel ESPN won the rights to screen 46 live Premier League matches in the 2009/10 season (and 23 games per season between 2010 and 2013) following the UK arm of Setanta Sports entering administration earlier this year.

The remaining 92 games are being shown by satellite TV giant, Sky, on its Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 channels.

So what fans need to know is how they can watch all the matches, and more importantly how much is it going to cost?

The beautiful game

“To watch every game you will need subscriptions to both ESPN and Sky Sports. While some providers offer these channels for free, others charge,” says Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk.

While it was sad to see Middlesbrough, Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion relegated, it was sadder still to see that Setanta no longer held a place on our EPGs (electronic programme guides). But now fans have the option of adding ESPN. And if they’re as serious about football as they are about saving money, they’ll undoubtedly want to make sure they’re getting a good deal.

Only half a million people watched ESPN’s first match - Arsenal’s 6-1 victory over Everton. Many fans are likely to have missed seeing Gunners’ goals from midfielder Fabregas and substitute Eduardo.

Meanwhile Match of the Day viewing figures are around 4 million, and almost 1 million viewers tuned in to watch Sky Sports coverage of Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Hull, which was on at the same time.

ESPN is now available through all of the UK’s digital TV providers, including Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision and Tiscali TV. The amount you'll have to pay to watch the extra matches will vary, so choosing the right package is crucial.

Game of two halves: Sky or Virgin Media?

On paper there’s little in it. Depending on your preference, both Virgin Media and Sky will cost you just over £650 a year.

To get every fixture, Sky customers will have to pay for subscriptions to both ESPN and Sky Sports, costing £593 for the year. Add on the cost of installation - £60 for a standard box, or £30 for new customers looking to get a Sky+ box - and it’ll cost around £654 to watch the entire Premier League.

“Though Virgin Media looks like a pricier deal, it’s important to remember that Virgin’s deal includes monthly line rental,” says Ingram.

When you factor in the cost of the £11 a month line rental you have to pay to Virgin Media to be able to subscribe to its XL TV package however, the cable giant works out to be the cheapest way for fans to view every game.

Because Sky’s package doesn’t include line rental, customers will have to pay as much as £168 on top of their television subscription, meaning it could cost up to £822 to watch the entire every game of the season.

As well as 159 other channels, customers with Virgin’s XL package can watch 46 games on ESPN for free, in either standard definition or high definition (HD) for £21.50 a month. Adding Sky Sports will cost an extra £243 (both Virgin and Sky are increasing their prices).

“We want our customers to be able to enjoy unbeatable coverage of football and a whole range of sports without having to pay over the odds,” says a Virgin Media spokesperson.

“We’ve got the best value TV deals for sports fanatics and we’re pleased that we’ve been able to go the extra mile and give our XL pack customers the ESPN channels for free as part of their TV package.”

So, if you live in a cable area, taking out a digital TV and phone line rental deal with Virgin Media is the cheapest way to watch the Premier League.

* Assuming Virgin Media customers take the XL TV package, the Sky Sports Collection pack and a standard V box.

** Assuming Sky customers take Sky World (6 packs), the Sky Sports Collection pack and ESPN with a standard Sky box.

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