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The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) has reacted to the news that Premier League football fans will soon have to dig into their pockets to see their team in action.
Yesterday it was announced that Premier League matches that were not selected for live TV broadcasts in the UK during October will be available to fans on pay-per-view.
The five matches per round that have not yet been chosen to be broadcast live will be available from the BT Sport Box Office or Sky Sports Box Office, priced at £ 14.95 per match.
Fans have been unable to attend Premier League matches since football was halted on March 13 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Spurs’ home game against Brighton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday November 1 (19:15 GMT) will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office at the above price.
THST has stated that a better deal could have been reached and echoed the request from the Football Fans Association for it to be reconsidered.
The statement on the THST website read: “Nothing is simple in soccer. After weeks of campaigning to ensure fans could see their teams while being denied access to stadiums, we should have been celebrating the announcement that they can, and with it a huge victory for fan power, “they said. .
“But once again the Premier League, the clubs and the broadcasters have managed to turn what could have been positive into negative. Because, once again, they didn’t have a proper conversation with the fans.
“The announcement that non-contract TV games will be priced at £ 14.95 per view has sparked a huge backlash. We believe that a better deal was not only desirable, but possible, and we support the call from the Association of Soccer Fans for it to be reconsidered.
“As some of our Board members have been working through the details of the broadcast agreements for some time, we thought it was worth breaking things down and explaining the issues.
“It is a good thing that the clubs have finally recognized that fans need to be able to see their teams while the stadiums are closed. This has happened due to sustained pressure from fans. Broadcasting all the games means that, on two fronts, the situation is better than normal.
“First, ALL fans, not just season ticket holders or regular game goers, can now legally watch their team when they play league games. Second, fans who would normally pay a ticket to attend the game in person are paying less than they would pay per game to see their team.
“Of course, watching TV is an inferior experience for regular game fans and there will be a variety of opinions on what price reflects that appropriately. But the above claims are still true.
“However, the price of £ 14.95 per set is too high and because it is too high it could have damaging effects, not just on individual finances at a time when many are exhausted. It will encourage the use of illegal broadcasts and thereby divert money from the game. And it will encourage people to meet in homes and pubs to watch games together.
“The current plan also penalizes fans of those clubs least likely to be selected on regular air time. They will have to pay more to see their team than fans of so-called glamor clubs.
“A cheaper price would not only have been fairer, it would have had a better chance of expanding the audience and generating more revenue. And it would have shown that the Premier League is aware of the situation people are in outside their bubble.
“The devil, as always, is in the details. We need to know if the existing clients of the stations involved will have to pay the same as the new ones. We need to know if fans who have already prepaid all or part of their season ticket will be able to offset that with the pay-per-view agreement. The situation in each club will be different, but these details matter.
“We also need to know where the money is going: to the clubs or to the television companies. We understand that broadcasters incur costs when televising games. We also understand that despite regularly bragging about its financial success, the Premier League is being hit financially by the current pandemic. Few companies give away their products, and they are especially unlikely to do so when revenues have been severely affected. “
