Matt Maher: Entertainment levels are high but the price still isn’t right
Entertaining though the season has been, the Premier League still has to come up with a way to watch it which doesn’t rip supporters off.
Today’s shareholder meeting has the potential to be pivotal in that respect, with the 20 top flight clubs set to discuss the future of the controversial pay-per-view scheme.
The league’s decision to charge fans £14.95 to watch matches not chosen for live TV broadcast prompted fury, with the Football Supporters’ Association urging fans up and down the country to boycott PPV matches and instead, if they can, donate the money to charity.
On Tuesday, representatives from the FSA met with the Premier League to further push their case and deliver a letter which will today be presented to the clubs, urging them to deliver a fairer deal for fans.
The letter, seen by the Express & Star, also attempts to prick the conscience of club executives by emphasising the economic reality for many across the country at the moment.
“These are exceptional circumstances and an opportunity for the Premier League to show that fans matter, rather than to simply maximise profit,” the letter reads.
“People will remember the organisations that stood by us in the pandemic.”
There is no question the FSA’s boycott and the frustrations of fans have been heard by the Premier League. The question now is precisely what they are going to do about it?
Though viewing figures for the first two weekends of PPV matches were pretty low, they weren’t low enough to convince everyone the scheme isn’t worth persevering with. Opinions among the clubs, who voted 19 to one last month to introduce PPV, over precisely how to proceed remain divided.
While some will make the case for scrapping it, there are others who will argue the current price should remain, as even matches with limited subscribers are better than nothing when it comes to lost matchday revenue (and to hell with the public backlash).
The likely compromise would be to drop the cost to £9.95-a-match, though that would not solve the problem of supporters from some clubs having to fork out considerably more than others over the course of the season.
A final decision is unlikely today though a recommendation, which would then require the approval of broadcasters, could be made. But the clock is ticking and time for clubs to repair the damage done to the relationship with supporters running out.