FSA Broadcast Working Group
One of our WHUST board members is part of this working group, along with representatives from Arsenal, Brentford, Newcastle and Spurs.
The aims of the working group:
To minimise the disruption caused by games moved for broadcast to match going fans
To voice supporter sentiment to decision makers at Sky, TNT Sports and the Premier League
To hold feet to the fire when anti-social selections are made, and deadlines are missed
To mitigate any disruption by subsidised travel options via National Rail or individual Clubs
Data - What the group measure:
Adherence to agreed publication dates for broadcast selections by the PL
Regularity of games being moved into antisocial slots with no public transport options
Recurrence of games being moved into antisocial slots for specific sets of fans, considering geography and other factors
Benchmarking trends Year on Year
New Talks Mark First Step in Ongoing Fan-Broadcast Dialogue
A Football Supporters' Association delegation, representing its Premier League Broadcast Working Group chaired by Katrina Law, FSA National Council member, met with senior Sky executives on 16 March to resume discussions around the impact of fixtures moved for television on match-going supporters.
The meeting followed on from the FSA’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign, which has highlighted growing concerns among fans of elite, top-level football about the cumulative pressures affecting the matchday experience. These include rising ticket prices, the removal of concessions, and the disruption and additional cost caused by late fixture changes and anti-social kick-off times.
Throughout a constructive and pragmatic discussion, both parties recognised the importance of match-going supporters to the game. The atmosphere, identity and traditions created in stadiums remain central not only to English football, but also to the global broadcast product. As was acknowledged in the meeting, many of those same supporters are also broadcast customers.
The FSA set out the current mood among supporters, with a sense that topflight football is approaching an inflection point. While attendances remain statistically high overall, there are increasing signs of strain, ranging from more visible fan unrest to concerns about long-term affordability and the sustainability of match-going support.
Sky outlined the significant complexities involved in the broadcast selection process, particularly with the expansion of European competitions and the number of variables outside any one organisation’s control. The FSA recognised these challenges, while also highlighting areas where improvements could make a meaningful difference to supporters. It was acknowledged that these are complex issues involving a number of stakeholders, with final decisions on scheduling processes sitting with the Premier League. Within that context, potential areas for improvement suggested by the FSA included earlier notice of broadcast schedules, reducing late changes where possible, clearer communication on scheduling decisions, and exploring whether TV selections in the first half of the season could be confirmed earlier - before European competitions reach their knockout stages and scheduling becomes more constrained.
Tom Greatrex, Chair of the FSA, said:
“We welcome the opportunity to have a constructive and honest discussion with Sky about the real impact that broadcast scheduling decisions have on match-going supporters. Fans understand there are complexities involved, but there is a clear and growing feeling that the balance has shifted too far away from those who attend games week in, week out. Practical changes – particularly around earlier notice and greater transparency – would make a significant difference.”
Gary Hughes, Head of Football at Sky Sports, said:
“We recognise the vital role that supporters play in making English football what it is, both inside stadiums and as part of the wider audience. Scheduling matches involves a number of complex factors, but discussions like this are important in helping us better understand supporters’ concerns. We are committed to continuing this dialogue and looking at where improvements can be made.”
Both the FSA and Sky agreed on the value of continued, constructive dialogue. The FSA’s aim is to build regular engagement with broadcasters, ensuring fan perspectives are better understood and considered across the game, codified in a set of ‘Fan First’ principles.
Luton Town vs West Ham United*
An asterix match or a conditional pick is when a game is selected for broadcast, having its kick-off moved from the traditional 3pm slot into a televised one, yet remains at high risk of being moved again because of a potential fixture clash.
At least this time we know the result of the condition - should Luton be selected to play in the League Cup on the preceeding Wednesday then the match originally scheduled for Saturday 2nd September at 3:00pm will be rescheduled from the current scheduled time of Friday 1st September at 20:00 and will move to Sunday 3rd September at midday. That's 3 weeks notice before the match and we should receive confirmation this week when Sky chose their League Cup matches for broadcast.
Last season, with just five days notice, our match at Chelsea was moved from its new Sunday 2pm kick-off time back to a traditional 3pm Saturday kick-off as Chelsea were (predictably) drawn to play Champions League football the following Tuesday night. We joined in with the Chesea Supporters Trust in condeming this situation and with the FSA lobbied the Premier League to ensure that conditional picks had an agreed alternative date and time.
It is only going to get worse - there's potentially 4 PL clubs playing European football on a Thursday night ths season and probably 5 clubs playing Champions League from 2024.
It is a constant uphill struggle as clubs approve the Premier League’s TV deals as well as individual match moves. Clubs have been too interested in UK broadcasters’ money rather than match-going fans.
WHUST board member Mark Inskipp sits on the Football Supporters’ Association Broadcasting sub-committee and is involved in meetings with the broadcasters and the Premier League to put the supporters viewpoint across.
Fan groups are demanding changes to the next broadcasting rights tender document to stop these things happening.
Conditional selections seem like an obvious place to start – a game simply should not be allowed to move more than once for TV. If a game is at risk of being moved twice or more we don’t think it should be eligible for selection – simple as that.
WHUST believes it is the fans who pay for the broadcasting packages that fund the Premier League. The broadcasters and clubs should be working for us.