Football fans were asked to pay £14.95 to watch games – here’s how they responded

28th October 2020

 

With the resumption of the Premier League, UK-based fans have come face-to-face with an unwelcome new reality. Unlike in Germany, Spain and Italy, current regulations mean no fans in any stadiums. And so, thanks in part to the efforts of the #letuswatch campaign, it was decided that televised access would be provided for all matches.

But.

If a game wasn't due to be televised under the existing agreement, it can only be viewed via a one-off payment of £14.95.

That accounts for 160 games, with fans of the leagues less 'glamorous' teams likely to be disproportionately affected. For all the biosecure protocols, and more bubbles than a West Ham pitchside, any hopes that football's return would bring soaring escapism have been skewered by economic reality. 

 

https://twitter.com/RichMaher93/status/1314660506121142272

 

Which team's fans led the response?

Unsurprisingly,  the clubs who have already played behind paywalls attract large swathes of attention. Beyond that, however, it's the reaction of fan communities that have seen Newcastle, the club most featured in online conversations, accumulate over 25k different mentions. 

 

https://twitter.com/emzy_g09/status/1317804549055328256

 

Not that The Magpies were alone in meeting what they viewed as profiteering with a charitable response. Liverpool, the second-placed club in our analysis, were another – as too were their opponents on the night, Sheffield Utd. 

 

https://twitter.com/PaulBroughton19/status/1320978775098728450

 

In fact, fans from all over the country chose this method of protest, which saved at least some from catching their team play out the season's most turgid draw. 

 

https://twitter.com/PatrickTimmons1/status/1318255887241388032

 

Initial conversation had, however, played out rather differently. 

 

In the days following the announcement, talk turned to illegal or pirated streams.

 

https://twitter.com/Vintage_Utd/status/1314552057081335810

 

If this talk was destructive, focused on denying revenue to the organisations who had made the decision, then a more constructive rerouting of funds to charities had taken hold by the following week. 

And why food banks? Manchester Utd may sit mid-table in the wider PPV conversation, but their number 10 appears to have have left his mark.

 

https://twitter.com/ZorbFuture/status/1320379728306622466

 

For more football insights, including a weekly-updated table on fan engagement among Premier League fans, follow us at @Pulsar_Football.

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