Free-to-air Premier League matches back in time for Christmas after fan pressure forces...

[ASFN Admin]

Free-to-air Premier League matches are back in time for Christmas thanks to pressure from fans in forcing the clubs to scrap pay-per-view. England's top tier on Friday night formally abandoned the controversial £14.95 offering, and announced Fulham against Everton on Nov 22 will be the first of a series of matches screened on BBC One. The Premier League has effectively reverted to the model it first employed under Project Restart to ensure all games are shown live. In September, all 28 Premier League matches were shown live with all broadcast partners - Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC and Amazon Prime. Sky are unlikely to add any free matches this time, however, having already lost out on costs due to the PPV about-turn. A climbdown - less than a month since the PPV deal was announced with BT and Sky Sports - had already been hailed by supporter groups as a David and Goliath-style victory over "untouchable" billionaire club owners. There was further cause for optimism for supporters of the English Football League too, on Friday, as Championship clubs expressed hope that a potential loan package from the Premier League will be tabled within days. Rick Parry, chairman of the EFL, and Richard Masters, the top-tier chief executive, are under pressure to tell Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, that there is an outline agreement during a meeting of key sporting figures on Tuesday.

Continue reading...