Premier League’s controversial pay-per-view model to be scrapped

The Premier League’s controversial pay-per-view model is likely to be scrapped after this weekend’s matches, Sky News understands.

It is understood the league is most likely to revert to the model which was in place at the start of the current season – where all matches were screened by one of the competition’s broadcast partners.

Further discussions must still take place with broadcast partners before plans can be confirmed, and pay-per-view is therefore not completely off the table.

The pay-per-view model was introduced for the games which followed the October international break, with fans needing to pay £14.95 to watch matches not selected for regular television broadcast in the UK.

The move drew immediate criticism from supporters who in many cases opted to give the money to charitable causes such as food banks instead.Advertisement

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was one of those who criticised the move.

He tweeted: “This is a really bad move by the Premier League to charge £14.95 for single matches that have been shown free for 6 months!”