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The cost of watching sport at home has increased by almost £400 in the last five years
TOP flight football has been behind a paywall in the UK since the formation of the Premier League almost 30 years ago.
Back in 1992, Sky Sports’ new subscription service broadcast 60 games live into people’s living rooms.
Things have evolved since then.
Sky are no longer the only show in town, with Amazon and BT Sport now both offering Premier League packages.
As a result, the 2019/20 campaign will see a massive 200 matches broadcast live - 53% of all the matches that will be played across the season, compared to just 13% of games back in 1992/93.
A fan wanting to watch all 200 of those matches will have to pay £1,032 in subscription fees, according to a report by eToro and KPMG into the cost of following Premier League football.
The subscriptions required to watch all Premier League matches five years ago - the 2014/15 season - cost £641.88 according to the same report.
That means the cost of watching all the Premier League matches being broadcast has risen by £390.12, or 61%.
There weren’t as many games being shown back in 2014/15, however - 154.
It means the cost per game has increased from £4.17 in 2014/15 to £5.16 in 2019/20.
However, the subscriptions give views access to more than just Premier League football, such as the Champions League, the Championship and various rugby union and rugby league competitions. The cost per game figure is therefore not entirely fair.
The increasing costs of TV subscriptions makes up just part of the overall increasing costs of following a football team.
Premier League football fans have seen a 31% increase in cost of following their team in the last five years according to the eToro report.
Sky Sports Pundit and Manchester United legend, Gary Neville said, “Football needs to check itself.
“There are lots of positives about football.
“The stadiums are better, the quality of play is fantastic, and the atmosphere is far more inclusive, but for me affordability is something that needs to be addressed.
“Football has to stand above other leisure businesses. It is more than just a game. It is about community and we need to ensure we are doing all we can not to price fans out of the game.”