Sky Sports and BT Sport have confirmed their first set of live Barclays Premier League games for the 2013-14 season.
The new season begins on the weekend of August 17-18 and for the first time since Sky was forced to share the rights to live Premier League football in 2007, one of its rivals has secured the rights to first pick matches for 18 of the 38 rounds of fixtures.
Sky Sports will continue to screen the majority of big head to heads and every club at least five times across Saturday evenings, Sunday double-headers, Monday nights and bank holidays.
Every home in Britain will have free access to David Moyes’ first match as Manchester United manager as Sky Sports offers exclusively live coverage of the champions against Swansea City on the first day of the season.
The other biggest stories of the opening weekend – Jose Mourinho’s return as Chelsea manager and Manuel Pellegrini’s debut as Manchester City boss – will also be exclusively live on Sky Sports.
The selections, made together with the Premier League, are the first of 116 live fixtures on Sky Sports – the most ever in a single season.
In the first round of fixtures, Sky Sports viewers can look forward to 43 live Premier League matches by 1 December – at least three matches every week.
Every team shown will feature in front of Sky Sports cameras by October 6 and at least twice by December 1, plus Sky will be the only place to see every clash between last season’s top four, with 24 of 32 live matches involving top four sides.
Nine derbies will be shown, including Manchester, north London, north east and south Wales head-to-head clashes, plus all three promoted sides will be shown in action by the end of August.
To mark the first day of the Premier League season and in response to the offers from its newest rival BT Sport, Sky Sports is giving every home in Britain the chance to enjoy a free day of action on Saturday, August 17.
Sky Sports 1 will replace the regular programming on Sky 2 (on Sky and other pay TV services) and Pick TV (on Freeview and You View) meaning millions of home viewers can enjoy a live Premier League match, a Football League fixture, plus a host of other football shows at no extra cost.
The new season on Sky Sports will include a new Saturday schedule, which includes the launch of ‘Saturday Night Football’ for Sky’s 5.30pm Saturday evening Premier League fixture.
The show is part of Sky Sports’ new look ‘weekend of football’ which also includes the new pairing of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on ‘Monday Night Football’ and a new Saturday schedule running from Soccer AM all the way through to extended evening highlights of all 3.00pm matches.
With 116 Barclays Premier League games, more than ever before, and 90 Football League games this season, Sky Sports can back up its claim of being the home of live football.
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “This is our biggest ever season of Premier League football.
“When you look at the opening fixtures in black and white, you can see that no other broadcaster comes close to the quality that we offer.
“Sky Sports will show every match between last season’s top four as well as every club at least twice by December.
“We’ll have more than three times as many matches as BT, and our schedule is even stronger than it was last season.
“With the best team of analysts, a fantastic new weekend schedule and coverage from the Football League, UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the SPL, this is the best ever football season for Sky Sports viewers.”
Premier League and sports broadcasting newcomers BT have secured a series of big-club clashes in the opening batch of fixtures as they prepare to launch their new channels on August 1.
The top London derby clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, two Manchester United fixtures and the Merseyside Derby are just some of the many unmissable Premier League games to be shown by BT Sport in the first third of the season – the first time anyone other than Sky has had any of the top pick games.
BT Sport’s first game of the season is Liverpool versus Stoke City at Anfield at 12.45pm on August 17, and former Liverpool and Stoke striker Michael Owen will be there in his first Premier League outing as a co-commentator for BT’s coverage.
Arsenal fans will only have to wait until the second week of the season to enjoy a potentially tricky away game at Fulham live on BT Sport.
On September 14, BT Sport will screen their first look at the current champions, when new Manchester United boss David Moyes plays host to Crystal Palace, led by their colourful manager Ian Holloway.
Eagles fans will be keen to enjoy all the excitement of a huge Old Trafford clash now they are back in the top flight.
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas will be playing host to his former colleague at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho, on September 28, as both Portuguese managers launch serious bids for the top four, if not the title.
Much may depend on the appearance of BT Sport ambassador Gareth Bale, who has become the hottest transfer target in the Premier League.
Three weeks later, Newcastle United are at home to Liverpool at St James’ Park.
They will be looking to avenge a 6-0 thrashing dished out by the Reds in the corresponding fixture last season.
Newcastle fans will be looking for any evidence that their new Director of Football Joe Kinnear has been the man to help Alan Pardew return them to the top half of the table.
BT Sport has two engrossing games in November. The Merseyside derby, at Goodison Park, will be the first taste of the memorable encounter for new Toffees boss Roberto Martinez on November 23.
The following weekend, Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United at White Hart Lane, which ended in a 1-1 draw last term, courtesy of an injury time Clint Dempsey equaliser.
All of BT Sport’s live games for the first four months of the season will kick-off at 12.45pm on Saturday lunchtimes.
The Tottenham/Manchester United match will be moved to an early kick-off on Sunday, December 1, if Spurs have reached the group stages of the Europa League.
Simon Green, director of BT Sport, said: “We are thrilled that BT Sport viewers will be able to enjoy these top-of-the-table matches free with BT broadband.
“This is the first time in Premier League history that top pick matches have been shown anywhere other than on Sky, but Sky TV customers can easily add BT Sport by calling us and if they have BT broadband they can get it for free.
“We have only used five of our top picks, which means that BT Sport will have another 13 throughout the remainder of the season, so our viewers have many more excellent Premier League games to come.
“In the first 13 Premier League rounds until December, we will show the biggest clubs at least twice including Tottenham taking on serious title contenders in both matches, against Manchester United and Chelsea.
“We have Manchester United twice, Manchester City twice, Arsenal twice, Chelsea twice, Everton twice and Liverpool three times.”
The 2013-14 Premier League marks the start of a new three-season multi-billion pound TV deal for live games on Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Free-to-air highlights of the Premier League will continue to be shown on the BBC in Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 every weekend throughout the season.
Saturday 17th August Liverpool v Stoke City 12:45 – BT Sport Swansea City v Manchester United 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 18th August Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur 13:30 – Sky Sports Chelsea v Hull City 16:00 – Sky Sports Monday 19th August Manchester City v Newcastle United 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 24th August Fulham v Arsenal 12:45 – BT Sport Aston Villa v Liverpool 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 25th August Cardiff City v Manchester City 16:00 – Sky Sports Monday 26th August Manchester United v Chelsea 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 31st August Manchester City v Hull City 12:45 – BT Sport Crystal Palace v Sunderland 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 1st September Liverpool v Manchester United 13:30 – Sky Sports Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur 16:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 14th September Manchester United v Crystal Palace 12:45 – BT Sport Everton v Chelsea 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 15th September Southampton v West Ham United 16:00 – Sky Sports Monday 16th September Swansea City v Liverpool 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 21st September Norwich City v Aston Villa 12:45 – BT Sport Chelsea v Fulham 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 22nd September Arsenal v Stoke City 13:30 – Sky Sports Manchester City v Manchester United 16:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 28th September Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea 12:45 – BT Sport Swansea City v Arsenal 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 29th September Stoke City v Norwich City 13:30 – Sky Sports Sunderland v Liverpool 16:00 – Sky Sports Monday 30th September Everton v Newcastle United 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 5th October Manchester City v Everton 12:45 – BT Sport Sunderland v Manchester United 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 6th October Norwich City v Chelsea 13:30 – Sky Sports West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal 16:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 19th October Newcasle United v Liverpool 12:45 – BT Sport West Ham United v Manchester City 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 20th October Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur 16:00 – Sky Sports Monday 21st October Crystal Palace v Fulham 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 26th October Crystal Palace v Arsenal 12:45 – BT Sport Southampton v Fulham 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 27th October Chelsea v Manchester City 13:30 – Sky Sports Sunderland v Newcastle United 16:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 2nd November Newcastle United v Chelsea 12:45 – BT Sport Arsenal v Liverpool 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 3rd November Everton v Tottenham Hotspur 13:30 – Sky Sports Cardiff City v Swansea City 16:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 9th November Norwich City v West Ham United 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 10th November Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United 12:00 – Sky Sports Sunderland v Manchester City 14:05 – Sky Sports Manchester United v Arsenal 16:10 – Sky Sports Saturday 23rd November Everton v Liverpool 12:45 – BT Sport Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 24th November West Ham United v Chelsea 13:30 – Sky Sports *This match is subject to Chelsea’s possible participation in the UEFA Champions League the following Tuesday Cardiff City v Manchester United 16:00 – Sky Sports *This match is subject to Manchester United’s possible participation in the UEFA Champions League the following Tuesday Monday 25th November West Bromwich Albion v Aston Villa 20:00 – Sky Sports Saturday 30th November Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United 12:45 – BT Sport *Should Tottenham Hotspur qualify for the Group Stages of the UEFA Europa League this match will move to Sunday 1 December, midday and remain live on BT Sport Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion 17:30 – Sky Sports Sunday 1st December Hull City v Liverpool 13:30 – Sky Sports *This match will kick-off at 2:05pm in the event of Tottenham v Manchester Utd moving to Sunday 1 Dec, midday Chelsea v Southampton 16:00 – Sky Sports *This match will kick-off at 4:10pm in the event of Tottenham v Manchester Utd moving to Sunday 1 Dec, midday
That is nice of sky isn’t it? :)
This new Sky BT deal does fans little favour in so many ways. Predictable choices and the number of live games is just overkill!!