The Premier League have decided to play a long overdue Santa Claus to the long suffering fans who at one time they tried to rip off to the tune of £14.95 to watch games on the box.
Now suddenly they have decided to do the U-turn of U turns by announcing that all top flight fixtures between now and the Christmas and New Year period will be shown for free.
Whether they are trying to trample the bad publicity they have given themselves beneath their feet or are suddenly in the mood to give us some much needed cheer, who knows.?
But it’s a welcome move from a group of people who until now seem to have focused on how they can make as much money as possible in dreadful circumstances.
Initially it was thought matches would be shown until the end of lockdown but now we can all relax and watch the mighty Hammers for free again – certainly until New Years Day and maybe beyond as we await a further announcement from the League bosses.
BBC has announced that Fulham vs Everton on November 22 will be shown on free-to-air television. Crystal Palace vs Newcastle on November 27 will be shown on Amazon Prime.
A Premier League statement read on Friday: ‘There is a full schedule of Premier League games over the festive period and clubs are committed to an accessible solution for fans.
‘These plans have been made with the co-operation of our broadcast partners, working with us to deliver these additional matches while stadiums are missing the supporters who are such an integral part of the game.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle later this month has also been chosen for Amazon Prime coverage
‘The agreement will be reviewed in the new year following consultation with clubs, broadcast partners and in line with any decisions made by Government regarding the return of spectators to stadiums.
‘The Premier League and our clubs remain committed to the safe return of fans as soon as possible.’
The pay-per-view move drew immediate criticism from supporters who in many cases opted to give the money to charitable causes such as food banks instead.
Here’s the revised list of matches for November as reported by the Daily Mail
Is it right to say the games will be ‘free’? As I understand it except for the game on BBC you will still need to subscribe to Sky and/or BT and Amazon Prime to see these games.
The only difference is you will not need to pay £14.95 PPV to see the games not originally scheduled for broadcast.