BT and Sky square up against each other ahead of football season

BT Sport and Sky Sports are squaring up to take each other on with English Premier League coverage ahead of the new football season getting underway. 

BT Sport has secured the London derby match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and the Merseyside clash between Everton and Liverpool as well as games featuring Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace and Newcastle v Liverpool.

Simon Green, director of BT Sport, said: “We are thrilled that BT Sport viewers will be able to enjoy these top-of-the-table matches free with BT broadband. This is the first time in Premier League history that top pick matches have been shown anywhere other than on Sky, but Sky TV customers can easily add BT Sport by calling us and if they have BT broadband they can get it for free. We have only used five of our top picks, which means that BT Sport will have another 13 throughout the remainder of the season, so our viewers have many more excellent Premier League games to come. In the first 13 Premier League rounds until December, we will show the biggest clubs at least twice including Tottenham taking on serious title contenders in both matches, against Manchester United and Chelsea. We have Manchester United twice, Manchester City twice, Arsenal twice, Chelsea twice, Everton twice and Liverpool three times.”

BSkyB meanwhile is highlighting its coverage of David Moyes’ first match as Manchester United manager against Swansea City and the fact that Jose Mourinho’s return as Chelsea manager and Manuel Pellegrini’s debut as Manchester City boss will also feature in its opening weekend coverage.

Sky will show 116 live fixtures, which it says is the most ever in a single season, including 43 live Premier League matches by December 1.

Sky will also offer free access to its coverage of matches on Saturday August 17 on Sky 2 on Sky and other pay TV services and Pick TV on Freeview and YouView.

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “This is our biggest ever season of Premier League football. When you look at the opening fixtures in black and white, you can see that no other broadcaster comes close to the quality that we offer. Sky Sports will show every match between last season’s top four as well as every club at least twice by December. We’ll have more than three times as many matches as BT, and our schedule is even stronger than it was last season. With the best team of analysts, a fantastic new weekend schedule and coverage from the Football League, UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the SPL, this is the best ever football season for Sky Sports viewers.”