The increase in live TV football broadcasting in the UK is providing Premier League clubs with essential revenue, but are match-going supporters paying the price?
Following Everton’s move to their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, the issue regarding the growing disconnect between us fans and the club is more apparent than ever, with the main issue being matchday rescheduling.
TV — the Revenue Generator
The Premier League product enables its clubs to generate a significant financial advantage over European rivals. Between 2014 and 2024, Premier League teams have benefited from a £3B growth in television revenues. For comparison, the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A, grew by £5.1B combined.
Broadcasting deals allow teams to invest and expand their worldwide status, with TV income helping Everton to fund Hill Dickinson Stadium as well as transfer fees and players' wages.
However, as a result, more fixtures than ever before are now frequently rescheduled for television coverage in the UK – often at the expense of us fans. So much so that approximately 270 of 380 Premier League games are being broadcast live this season — up from 200 in recent years before the current domestic TV deal came into effect this season.
What happened to 3 pm on Saturday?
Incredibly, there have been just three games that have kicked off on Saturday at 3 pm in Hill Dickinson Stadium this season, a slot that remains a blackout for live televised coverage in the UK. Instead, plenty of fixtures have been rescheduled to evenings, forcing Evertonians into late-night midweek travel.
Monday night’s fixture with Manchester City is the seventh time Everton have played in that timeslot this season. No Premier League team has done so more often. Many of us are left to feel neglected and detached, as Everton have a limited say over fixture rescheduling.
The final verdict typically lies with the Premier League and major broadcasters, who receive primary choice due to funding. These companies will then move fixtures to maximise their viewership.
The danger of alienating match-going fans
The consequences of rescheduling for us match-goers include reduced stadium atmosphere and travel difficulties, with logistical issues, such as rising costs and timing, collectively reducing accessibility.
Many of us may travel from afar, planning a perfect weekend of football and booking travel and accommodation, all for the fixture to be rescheduled for the sake of television coverage.
Ultimately, this risks damaging the connection between the fans and the club, which may discourage future attendance, reducing the historical matchday culture that has defined Everton for generations.
Perhaps the collective fan frustration stems from the idea that we don’t see an instant benefit from fixture rescheduling. Instead, the progressively increasing revenue from TV broadcasting through so-called Facility Fees provides clubs with essential income to turn potential plans into action over the long term.
More sanitised atmospheres in stadiums and empty seats would undermine the product broadcasters are hoping to sell, as the popularity of Premier League football is rooted in us, the passionate fans.
Due to the institutional advantage of live broadcasting, we are likely to be secondary to TV coverage for the foreseeable future.
Whilst we fans are being pushed out, clubs also risk losing their identity to broadcasters, Everton included.
Reader Comments (5)
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2 Posted 03/05/2026 at 09:37:51
3 Posted 03/05/2026 at 09:50:35
However, it's easy to focus on match-going fans who it's fair to say after the life blood of the club but not everyone has the option to attend regularly. Ticket prices, distance, work, or family commitments mean many supporters rely on TV to follow their club. More live games simply make football more accessible to those people.
For some, evening or varied kick off times are actually more convenient than a fixed Saturday afternoon slot. There’s also a sense that the game has outgrown its local roots and now serves a global audience. That doesn’t remove the issues for regular attendees, but it does show that not all fans are losing out in the same way.
Perhaps not a popular view, just an alternative.
For the record, I would prefer the traditional 3pm kick off. The early FA Cup rounds with games spread out over about 5 days clearly shows TV and the FA don't much care about the match going fans.
I can see a future when some fans turn their back on the mainstream game and turn to lower leagues or non-league matches...
4 Posted 03/05/2026 at 10:11:24
For those living well away the cost of travel, staying over if necessary, adds to the expense BUT for quite a few it’s an experience worth paying 💙
5 Posted 03/05/2026 at 10:21:42
I can understand teams playing in Europe having more Monday night games, but that's not the case as Man Utd and us have had the most Monday night games.
I said back in 1992 when clubs sold their souls to Sky then things would never be the same, and now the Saturday 3.00pm kick off is a rarity for all clubs. While Sky or whoever else might take over the schedules over the coming years, the match going fan will be the least of their considerations. The money that clubs get from Sky goes straight into th epockets of agents and players, and very little trickles down to grassroots football. Most clubs are now hiking up season ticket prices and some have abolished their concessions to youngsters and pensioners who have followed their clubs all their lives. TFG have already started this trend by making 2 sections of the ground which this season were family enclosures into category A seating so much for encouraging youngsters to go to the game.
So as much as our FAB question TFG about future pricing structures, concessions and general price increases they have had no reply from TFG to these questions. I am afraid the only thing owners care about is profit and the only thing that will consider fans is if fans protest by en masse not attending a particular game which would hit the only thing owners care about which is profit. The German fans showed us how to get things done when Sky Germany tried to introduce Monday football to the Bundesliga the fans got together boycotted a game, the following day Sky Germany issued a statement saying there would be no more Monday night games, and don't forget their teams play in Europe as well.
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1 Posted 03/05/2026 at 09:26:32
It’s something that has been picked up by the Everton Fan Advisory Board, who voiced a strongly worded statement condemning the footballing authorities for their clear disregard of fans’ wishes at the end of March, when the change to this weekend’s Manchester City fixture was announced.
That prompted an earlier discussion of these issues here on ToffeeWeb, and clearly it’s an ongoing concern that is not going away anytime soon. And if we were to somehow qualify for European football next season (kinda impossible at this point, I suspect), it would only get worse for Everton, with a lot more fixtures rescheduled away from the traditional 3 pm Saturday afternoon timeslot — and every one of them getting the live TV treatment in the UK.