Sky Sports unveils new ways to watch Premier League return

Friday 5 June 2020

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• Coverage provisionally set to resume on 17th June with Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal double-header.

• Sky Sports will show 64 matches – 39 exclusive to subscribers and an extra 25 available on Sky’s free-to-air channel ‘Pick’

To mark the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports will launch a series of new innovations and features to give fans an even more immersive experience and the opportunity to share the big moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.

With an additional 25 matches to be screened ‘free to air’ on Sky’s Pick Channel, on top of the exclusive 39 live matches for Sky Sports subscribers, the new innovative new technology will take fans even closer to the action.

New features to bring fans together, despite matches taking place behind closed doors, will include:

• Sky Sports Crowds

Sky Sports – in association with EA SPORTS FIFA created bespoke and team-specific crowd noise and chants to replicate the vibrant atmosphere of Premier League clashes, so fans don’t miss out on the noise that goes with the action. Viewers can select the Sky channel to watch with the added sound or without it.

Sky Sports Recap

Catch up on all the key highlights during live matches in a short burst, putting an end to that fear of missing out throughout a packed weekend of football. Each game will have a live timeline enabling viewers to quickly catch up on the highlights at any point during the match – even if they have not watched it from the beginning.

• Sky Sports Fanzone

A new feature on the Sky Sports website and app. Fans will now be able to watch select matches with friends in a video room and interact while the action unfolds, giving them the chance to chat about the match and influence the crowd noise they hear on screen. Users of the app can post predictions, join in-match polls and use the Sky Sports stats to fuel the virtual conversation.

Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said: “With live sport on hold for over two months, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how we broadcast in new ways to bring fans together, even if they can’t meet up to watch the match.

“Sky has always been a leader in innovative sports broadcasting, and we’re excited by this opportunity to share something really special with the whole nation. We want Sky Sports viewers to still feel it all and have the best possible viewing experience – even if they can’t be in the stadiums or watch with their family and friends.”

In the coming days Sky Sports will unveil further innovations to further enhance the experience for fans, unveil the schedule of live matches and channels, together with the Sky Sports experts who will be part of the coverage.

About Sky

With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 32,000 employees help connect our customers to the very best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own local, original content.

Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, we plan to double our investment in original content by 2024. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone.

Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, we believe it is our responsibility to do it safely. That’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 – two decades before we have to – and we’re an inclusive employer recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity.