Premier League set to scrap Brighton pay-per-view games after Burnley clash

It is understood the league is most likely to revert to the model which was in place at the start of the current season, where all matches were screened by one of the competition’s broadcast partners.

Further discussions must still take place with broadcast partners before plans can be confirmed, and pay-per-view is therefore not completely off the table.

The pay-per-view model was introduced for the games which followed the October international break, with fans needing to pay £14.95 to watch matches not selected for regular television broadcast in the UK.

Brighton's match vs Burnley from the Amex Stadium is on pay-per-view this Friday night.

The move drew immediate criticism from supporters who in many cases opted to give the money to charitable causes such as food banks instead.

It is understood any change would take effect from the round of matches on November 21, with a review of arrangements set to take place in mid-January.

The Premier League’s chief executive Richard Masters said last month the £14.95 price was “defensible”, while BT also defended it, saying it was only covering its costs in screening the matches.

The pay-per-view model came in at a time when the October 1 return of fans had been indefinitely delayed but when the English professional game continued to lobby Government to allow them back in.

The country faces different circumstances now, with a new national lockdown in place from Thursday until at least December 2.

The model Premier League clubs are understood to be edging towards after their shareholders’ meeting on Thursday would most closely resemble the arrangement which was in place when the 2020-21 season started in September.

All 28 matches in that month were shown live, with all broadcast partners – Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC and Amazon Prime – screening matches.

Of the 11 games that had not been selected for regular broadcast, six were shown on Sky, three on BT and one each on the BBC and Amazon.

If this model is adopted, it will represent a success for the Football Supporters’ Association, which had lobbied for the Premier League to reconsider the model owing to the changed circumstances in the country.

One Premier League club said on Wednesday that they supported the PPV model, albeit with a reduced price of £10 per match.

The clubs also discussed an improved financial offer to the EFL, with the top-flight competition set to issue a statement later.