Football Fans Face 60% Spike in TV Costs Since 2020 to Watch Big Games
Football Fans Face 60% Spike in TV Costs Since 2020 to Watch Big Games.
The analysis indicates an increase from £89.23 per month to £140.21 between the 2019-2020 and 2024-2025 seasons.
Football enthusiasts are now spending nearly 60% more than they did five years ago to view the 15 most sought-after tournaments and leagues. This increase is attributed to the rise in the number of broadcasters and streaming platforms necessary to access these events, which has escalated from four to ten over the past decade.
A decade ago, football supporters required only a subscription to Sky, along with its sports package, BT Sport, and the free-to-air channels ITV and BBC, to enjoy the premier 15 competitions. These included the Premier League, English Football League, FA Cup, Champions League, and prominent European leagues such as Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, and the MLS in the United States.
However, the landscape has changed significantly since then, as the broadcasting rights for many competitions have become fragmented, largely driven by the streaming revolution. Consequently, football fans now find themselves needing eight subscription services in addition to BBC and ITV to continue watching all the competitions.
Emerging competitors in the market consist of the pay-TV broadcaster Premier Sports and various streaming platforms such as DAZN, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and the aggregator OneFootball. Additionally, France's Ligue 1 offers its own direct subscription service.
A study conducted by the analytics company Ampere Analysis revealed that the total cost to subscribe to the eight services required to access all the sporting events surged by 57% from the 2019-20 season to the 2024-25 season, escalating from £89.23 per month to £140.21.
“Fragmentation of club football TV offering has reached a peak in the UK,” said Danni Moore, a senior analyst at Ampere. “With all the major [non-UK] leagues now available on different platforms in the UK it follows that the price of watching multiple leagues is increasing for fans.”
The study revealed that merely 1% of football enthusiasts were willing to invest in all the services necessary to follow the 15 competitions.
A little over two-thirds of fans preferred to satisfy their football interests by subscribing to the leading three rights-holders: Sky, TNT Sports—which encompasses the previous BT Sport content and is operated by Warner Bros Discovery—and Amazon.
Collectively, these three entities hold the rights to the most sought-after competitions available on pay-TV, including the Premier League, English Football League, Champions League, and the FA Cup, with some matches of the latter being broadcast by the BBC through a licensing agreement with TNT.
For the 68% of fans who are content to subscribe only to these three primary pay-TV providers, the price increases have not been as significant.
Ampere's analysis indicates that the overall monthly expenditure, which includes the essential subscription to basic Sky TV, has risen by 14% over the past five years, reaching £91.99.
“The price of these three services has increased more moderately over the last five years,” said Moore. “However, subscribers to these services might feel like they are getting less value for money as they are getting access to fewer football competitions than they used to be able to.”
In a bid to retain football enthusiasts who may hesitate to commit to long-term pay-TV subscriptions, Sky and TNT Sports have introduced more affordable options for streaming games through platforms such as Now TV and Discovery+.
Research by Ampere indicates that customers who exclusively utilize the streaming services provided by Sky, TNT, and Amazon have managed to restrict their monthly expenditure to a mere 5% increase over the past five years.
Moreover, dedicated fans aiming to view all 15 tournaments solely via streaming services are currently paying £111.20 per month, which is nearly £30 less than the £140 required for a pay-TV subscription. However, this figure has risen by 52% over the last five years due to the growing number of services necessary to access all matches.
According to Ampere, a quarter of fans now express a preference for watching live sports exclusively through streaming services.
As the cost of living has significantly escalated in recent years, live sports have become increasingly vital for retaining customers within the pay-TV sector, as households reevaluate their spending habits.
A survey conducted by Ampere regarding football fans in the UK revealed that 38% of respondents indicated that their access to sports was the primary reason preventing them from terminating their cable or satellite television subscriptions.
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The soaring costs of watching football in the UK highlight the growing inaccessibility of the sport for many fans. Fragmented broadcasting rights, driven by the proliferation of streaming platforms, have turned football into a luxury few can afford. While pay-TV providers offer more flexible options, they fail to address the underlying issue of affordability.
With costs rising nearly 60% in five years, fewer fans can justify subscribing to multiple services, diminishing the sport's accessibility and alienating its core audience. As living costs climb, the once-unifying experience of watching football risks becoming an exclusive privilege, further disconnecting the game from its loyal supporters.
