Why are Premier League fixtures being shown on Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime Video showed its first batch of Premier League fixtures earlier this month. Last year, the company purchased a 20-games-a-season package on a three-year contract.

The deal saw Amazon break Sky Sports and BT Sport’s stranglehold on live Premier League coverage.

Amazon’s package also included the exclusive rights for the Boxing Day round of fixtures on and December 26 and 27.

The cost of their deal remains unknown but BT Sport paid £90million for a similar package of 20 games per season.

To watch the games, fans need an Amazon Prime account.

A subscription costs £79 a year or £7.99 a month.

However, the streaming service also offers a 30-day free trial to new customers.

According to BBC Sport, Amazon sees the Premier League deal as a “loss-leader”.

The company have “deliberately” targeted the Christmas period to attract customers to their website during one of their busiest times of the year.

Former Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore described Amazon as “an exciting new partner”.

However, the deal has not gone down well with the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF).

An FSF statement read: “Fans are already of the view that there is too much live football on TV and this announcement concludes a deal that has pushed the number of broadcast games to record levels.

“The main driver for this increase has been the 2016 ruling by Ofcom which has directly led to this increase. 

“Introducing a third broadcaster into the mix just means more subscriptions for fans.

“We are concerned that the number of broadcast games could have a negative effect on attendances by away fans in particular.

“It is vital that more of these television revenues are invested in guaranteeing the participation and contribution of match-goers.”

Premier League fixtures on Amazon Prime

Boxing Day (all times 3pm unless stated):

Aston Villa vs Norwich

Bournemouth vs Arsenal

Chelsea vs Southampton

Crystal Palace vs West Ham

Everton vs Burnley

Sheffield United vs Watford

Tottenham vs Brighton

Man Utd vs Newcastle (5.30pm)

Leicester vs Liverpool (8pm)

December 27:

Wolves vs Man City (7.45pm)

source: express.co.uk