Premier League SLAMMED for new, steep £14.95 PPV Box Office prices

Football fans in the UK are fuming after the Premier League announced their decision to charge £14.95 to watch games that aren't scheduled to be broadcasted by Sky Sports or BT Sport. The harsh decision comes after the clubs were dealt a loss upwards of £700 million from their TV money last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Premier League pay-per-view scheme slammed by netizens

"The Premier League today confirmed all fixtures until the end of October will continue to be made available for fans to watch live in the United Kingdom," the league said in a statement issued on Friday. "Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal. In addition, the five matches per round not already selected will be made available to supporters on a pay-per-view basis, accessed via BT Sport Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office platforms."

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Since football returned post the COVID-19 lockdown, matches were broadcasted by the two aforementioned networks and some select matches were broadcast on Amazon. The remaining matches were streamed free-to-air basis on BBC. However, with the Premier League revenues for the 2020-21 season set to take another hit - due to lack of any stadium revenue - the clubs have voted to charge fans extra for matches that will not be on TV.

This comes on top of the money fans in the UK are already paying for the subscription of Sky and BT Sport. The Premier League pay-per-view schene will be in full-effect when football in England returns from the international break next weekend. Manchester United and Chelsea will be the first two clubs to go on pay-per-view. The Red Devils will be the first to do when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday, October 17. 

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The statement further noted that the Premier League clubs were in agreement with the "interim decision" to charge extra for the matches not available for broadcast. "The agreement will be regularly reviewed in consultation with clubs and in line with any decisions made by the Government regarding the return of spectators to stadiums," it read.

Per reports in the UK, Leicester City were the only club to be against the idea of monetising the previously free-to-air matches. Manchester United executive Ed Woodward is also said to be against the idea of charging extra for additional games, stating that season-ticket holders should be granted free access to the service. 

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While Premier League clubs are looking to minimise their losses for the current season as much as possible, it comes as no surprise that the Premier League pay-per-view was slammed online. Former United defender and current pundit Gary Neville blasted the league's idea to charge fans a steep £14.95 for single matches.

The sentiment was echoed by most fans on the internet -

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(Image Credits: Premier League Instagram, Twitter)