Tonight sees the first of 10 matches that are to take place on Friday nights during this Premier League season – Manchester United v Southampton – and the hope at Sky Sports is that having paid billions for the right to show top-flight football in a new primetime slot, millions tune in.
What begins tonight is a product of the record £5.14 billion TV deal Sky and BT Sport signed with the Premier League for the next three seasons. Sky’s contribution stands at £4.2 billion, an 83 per cent increase on what they paid in the previous rights sales and which entitles them to show 10 more fixtures, up to 126.
Having put their money where their cameras are, it is perhaps no surprise Sky have chosen to make United v Southampton their debut offering – Jose Mourinho’s first competitive appearance on the Old Trafford touchline as the home team’s manager, Paul Pogba expected to make his United debut following his world-record move, and against a side who have triumphed in each of their past two visits.
Great news for armchair supporters but among those who attend games there is not only the feeling that Friday night fixtures further chip away at the long-established rhythm of watching football in this country – specifically, at 3pm on a Saturday – but also it is going to cause them practical problems.
Away trip
That is certainly the case for some Southampton fans who planned to be at Old Trafford but cannot because their team’s first away trip of the season has been moved forward.
However, 2,441 Southampton fans will be in attendance after the club sold out their ticket allocation. In part that is because the club’s new shirt sponsor, Virgin Media, have laid on free coach travel to and from Manchester.
The measure is to be applauded and it testifies to the inconvenience caused by moving matches to a Friday, in particular ones involving teams separated by hundreds of miles and limited train routes.
And anyone thinking Sky’s inconvenient scheduling choice is a one-off should take note of the two other Friday night games they have announced – Chelsea v Liverpool on September 16th and Everton v Crystal Palace 14 days later; in each case a 442-mile round trip.
However, even at a conservative estimate, the total amount raised once international rights are taken into account is likely to be in the region of £8.5 billion over the next three seasons.
Capped prices
Both Sky and the Premier League are also keen to point out that in March, it was agreed that all top-flight away tickets would be capped at £30 for the next three seasons, so while some fans may continue to be inconvenienced by the shifting of games for TV, many more will benefit financially in the coming months and years.
