Gary Neville has slammed the Premier League’s new pay-per-view service, branding it a “bad move.” On Friday afternoon, it was announced that games not scheduled to be broadcast on Sky Sports or BT Sport will be available for fans to purchase via either broadcaster.
Those supporters eager to see their team in action will be able to do so by forking out £14.95, with all of the profits going to Premier League clubs to support their loss of revenue.
The decision was made in light of the ongoing coronavirus restrictions, which have kept fans out of stadiums since early March.
The controversial service will get underway on the weekend of October 17/18/19 and will likely remain in place until fans are allowed to take in games in person.
Given the perilous financial situation many are in due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Premier League’s decision to capitalise fan’s eagerness to watch their teams has been widely condemned.
JUST IN: Premier League announce new pay-per-view agreement for matches
Neville was among those incensed by the announcement, which he lambasted on Twitter.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “This is a really bad move by the @premierleague to charge £14.95 for single matches that have been shown free for 6 months!”
The first fixture of the controversial plan will be Chelsea’s clash with Southampton on Saturday week, which will be available on BT Sport Box Office at 3pm.
Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle will also be available to purchase on Sky Sports Box Office later that evening.
“The Premier League today confirmed all fixtures until the end of October will continue to be made available for fans to watch live in the United Kingdom,” a Premier League statement read.
“Under these new arrangements, the current live match selections will remain in place and will be broadcast as normal.
“In addition, the five matches per round not already selected will be made available to supporters on a pay-per-view basis, accessed via BT Sport Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office platforms.
“Clubs today agreed this interim solution to enable all fans to continue to watch their teams live.
“The Premier League has worked closely with Sky Sports and BT Sport to provide this arrangement and is grateful for their support.
“The agreement will be regularly reviewed in consultation with clubs and in line with any decisions made by Government regarding the return of spectators to stadiums.
‘Football is not the same without supporters at matches. The Premier League and our clubs remain committed to the safe return of fans as soon as possible. An updated broadcast list of matches will be announced later today.”
A statement from BT Sport read: “BT have agreed to support the Premier League and Clubs make Premier League games that wouldn’t normally be televised available to fans via BT Sport Box Office in October.”