FSA urges Premier League to ‘make sure supporters rewarded’ by record TV deal

Premier League clubs must use their record-breaking television revenues to make matchday attendance more affordable for fans, the Football Supporters’ Association has said.

The league announced domestic media rights sales worth £6.7billion on Monday for the four seasons starting in 2025-26, with the live rights increasing in value by four per cent within that to £6.406bn compared to the current cycle.

The league described the deal as “the largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK”.

The Premier League has completed the largest sports media rights deals ever concluded in the UK for Seasons 2025/26 through to 2028/29

➡️ https://t.co/jSv9zOFdMY pic.twitter.com/quxp9LiUdb

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 4, 2023

That increase in value has been achieved by selling even more games for live coverage – up to 270 of the 380 games per season from 2025-26 compared to 200 a season in the current cycle.

FSA chair Malcolm Clarke says this will create a “massive headache” for match-going fans and wants top-flight clubs to think creatively about how they can reward the supporters who generate the atmosphere which league bosses acknowledge is one of the competition’s most attractive qualities.

“The new TV deal will have a huge impact on match-goers with fewer fixtures than ever played on Saturday at 3pm – it’s a massive headache for supporters trying to get to and from games at unsociable hours,” Clarke said in a statement issued to the PA news agency.

“Broadcasters have almost absolute power in dictating kick-off times, often to the detriment of supporters, and we want to see top-flight clubs and the Premier League doing a lot more for supporters with the money generated.

“Premier League chief executive Richard