Premier League clubs discuss PPV games as fans boycott £14.95 fee with charity donations
Premier League clubs were on Tuesday discussing the pricing of pay-per-view matches in the wake of fans boycotting games and donating around £300,000 to charity instead.
A new £14.95 charge for some top-flight matches was introduced earlier this month for games that were outside the scheduled TV broadcast selections.
Prior to that, games had been available free-to-air since the Premier League returned without fans in June and clubs said the PPV measure was an “interim solution” to allow supporters to watch their teams live. It was met with a hostile reaction, however.
It is estimated around £300,000 has gone to charities through fans’ work, with Liverpool supporters raising £120,000 alone for a local food bank.
The NUFC Fans Food Bank group has collected more than £60,000 after supporters boycotted Newcastle’s 4-1 defeat against Manchester United last weekend, while London’s clubs have been helping the cause, too.
Tottenham fans have raised in the region of £16,000, despite not having a PPV game yet, and Arsenal supporters donated £34,000 to the Islington Giving charity instead of watching their match against Leicester.
Premier League clubs will discuss PPV games at a shareholders’ meeting today. It is expected the current structure will remain in place until the November international break, when a decision will be made.
Last night, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley called for matches to be made available for less than £5.Elite to discuss revolt over pay-per-view
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Arsenal fans raise £34k for Islington Giving charity in PPV boycott
