Sky Sports to broadcast opening Premier League day for free
Sky have announced that Sky Sports 1 will be free to view to everyone in the UK on Saturday the 17th of August, as part of a shake up to rival the new BT Sport channels.
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).
This rivals BT Sport who are launching in August with a deal which will mean BT Broadband customers will get their channels for free. Sky Sports have ramped up the new season coverage by releasing details of a new look, aimed at having a ‘weekend of football’.
There’s so much to look forward to with the new football season including more live Premier League matches on Sky than ever before. This is a brilliant way for everyone to follow the action from the first day of the Premier League season with Sky Sports. – Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
On Saturdays, Sky will have Football League action at 12.15pm rivalling BT’s Premier League slot. The programme will be called FL72. At 2.30pm there is a new Premier League preview programme presented by Dave Jones and Jamie Redknapp.
Soccer Saturday returns to Sky Sports 1 alongside Sky Sports News at 3pm. There will also be a brand new show, ‘Saturday Night Football‘, for Sky’s 5.30pm Saturday evening Premier League fixture, which will lead to a re-run of the best 3pm game followed by all the highlights (excluding the BT Live match).
Monday Night Football will be back with a new studio and also includes the new pairing of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville alongside Ed Chamberlain.
It’s our biggest ever season of Premier League football and we’re inviting every home in Britain to enjoy the opening day. All fans can join the action as we launch our new Saturday schedule for the most eagerly awaited Premier League season in years…
With more matches than ever before, including 116 live Premier League fixtures, there’s never been a better time to be a Sky Sports viewer. If you don’t have Sky Sports, this is a great opportunity to sample what our football coverage has to offer throughout the year. – Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports.
