In a move that is sure to set tongues wagging, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) has announced that users will be given access to its Sky Sports channels on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis for £9.99 a day via its NOW TV internet television service.
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| Sky Sports pay-per-view/ PAYG arrives on NOW TV for £10/day |
This is the first time that consumers will be able to access Sky’s sports channels on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, allowing viewers to enjoy Premier League football matches, international cricket, live Formula One and Masters Golf. Previously, the only way to access Sky Sports was by signing up for a monthly subscription with the satellite TV broadcaster.
But now, BSkyB is offering viewers the chance to buy a 24-hour ‘pass’ to view its six sports channels like Sky Sports News and Sky Sports 1 via NOW TV. The service, which has some 25,000 subscribers according to the company, already allows viewers to access Sky Movies on a pay-per-view basis, so the decision to make Sky Sports available was widely expected to happen at some stage.
Premier League football fans especially are likely to take advantage of Sky’s new offer, although the broadcaster is sure to be criticised for the price it has set. However, BSkyB’s Chief Executive Jeremy Darroch dismissed suggestions that the £9.99 fee is too expensive for casual viewers.
“We think most viewers will agree that the day pass is an attractive option. We think the concept will work well with Sky Sports,” he insisted.
He added that Sky is hoping to extend NOW TV’s offerings in the future to include Sky’s popular entertainment channels.
The announcement comes just days after Sky tied up a new contract to screen Premier League football highlights, something that will take effect beginning in the 2013-14 season. As a result of that contract, Sky Sports will now be able to show highlights from all of the 226 Premier League games that it doesn’t broadcast live on shows such as Soccer Saturday and Goals on Sunday. In addition, from next August Sky will also show full 90-minute replays of the best Saturday afternoon (3pm kick off) match at 8pm on the same evening. Finally, viewers will also be able to access Sky Sport’s ‘Match Choice’ on the interactive red button service that lets them see up to 45 minutes worth of highlights of any Saturday fixture from 10pm.
Will you consider paying £9.99 to watch Premier League football or another sport for 24 hours? Or is the price set by Sky outrageously expensive? Let us know your thoughts below!
£9.99 per 24 hours would be OK if you could watch 24 hours of live sports. It should be 24 hours of streaming which could be spread over weeks. An absolute rip off as it is £300 per month come on !!
I agree, its a rip off, whoever pays this has more money than sense.
9.99 is good value for money. @mikeleigh…you were thinking this is aimed at people who will pay 9.99 every day? Full sky is £55 per month This is for people like me who will want to watch a big super Sunday once every few months and rather than go down to the local pub/bar I can get the lads round and enjoy it in my own home and stream through to tv. What evers on the other sports channels to watch that tickles my fancy is a bonus. 9.99 to enjoy a full day of sport…it’s that for a cinema ticket dont tell me your going to go cinema every day?
If you want sport every day..get sky…if you want to watch the big sport events live pay the 9.99.simple
I agree with you pete turner about what they are probably aiming at “the occasional super sunday one off” but if you go to their site this is not what they are suggesting it is aimed at. And the majority of people were hoping now tv might become a viable alternative to having full packages with sky and VM on a contract. therefore people were expecting sports to be a month to month option at a fair price – perhaps the same price that it is available through their subscription service.
One of the things that the now tv sky sports now available for £10 per day is highlighting to pull in a purchase is the F1 channel. They seem to have forgotten that the full race “weekend” is exactly that – three day event, not a one day event so to watch a full race weekend would cost £30. this is the essence of why people are saying its outrageous. F1 is not the only sport that takes place over more than 1 day either. Darts, snooker, cricket and many more.
In order to watch the remaining 18 Grand Prix would cost me £540 a year because as Dean mentioned it is a three day event. A full sky subscription would cost less than that but the problem here is… I ONLY want to watch F1 and find the coverage now on the BBC not extensive enough. Would happily have payed £10 a month just for the F1 channel.
I would be mainly interested in watching golf, however 24 hours would mean watching 1 night only when golf is screened over 4 nights, if I could pay £9.99 for all 4 nights I would consider.
Thanks
David
Is the sky sports pay per view available in ireland?i see its only giving prices in pounds and not the euro
£10 is a little expensive,but if your like me and only want to watch the big premier league games and the big champions games that are not on ITV ,it could save me a trip down the local on dull Wednesday night and the £40/£50 quid I would probably spend ,so il probablly spend £100 at least on this service NEXT season as all the English teams are out of the ucl and the leagues over and the FA cups on normal tv,in glad I’ve not got full sky,so for me not a bad idea,£6 a game sounds a bit fairer,never mind 24 hours who watches tv for 24 hours in one hit any way.
This service is far too expensive for most customers. Your customers need more options, giving us unrealistic options does not help. Who watches sky spotrs for 24 hours? This option may suit some customers but very few others. We should be able to choose if we require the service for 24 hours or just for a single game. Can you please give us a whole range of options?
£10 a day that cost more when you can pay £20 a month
As a supporter of Northampton Saints rugby and being a pensioner,I find it hard to find cash to watch “live” matches.Especially as I now live in Cromer. To be able to go to Twickenham to see the Saints play in the Premiership final would cost me in the region of £200 !! That being the case,I am quite happy to pay £10 to be able to watch the game from the comfort of my own home.I an have as much-or as little-as I please to drink,without the problem of getting home!! No worries about travel delays and accommodation is organised (provided I don’t upset the missus!!!) That is the whole Idea of “Pay-per-view” Gives people like myself a chance to see events that we would normally miss.