Newcastle owner Ashley proposes charging £4.95 per match until Christmas and calls on Government to waive VAT; Premier League shareholders' meeting on Tuesday
Tuesday 27 October 2020 09:27, UK
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has called on the Premier League to urgently review its current pay-per-view arrangements.
During October, matches not initially selected for regular TV broadcast have been made available on a pay-per-view basis accessed via Sky Sports' and BT Sport's existing Box Office platforms at £14.95 each.
The Premier League announced the decision following Government-imposed restrictions on supporters attending matches, which mean all games currently take place behind closed doors.
But ahead of a Premier League shareholders' meeting scheduled for Tuesday, where pay-per-view will be discussed, Ashley has called for a £10 reduction on current prices.
"I am calling on the Premier League to immediately act and review its current pay-per-view arrangements for live matches in the UK," he said in a statement on the Newcastle website.
"Charging £14.95 for single televised matches in the current climate is not acceptable to any football fan.
"Supporters have overwhelmingly rejected this offer and the Premier League must now act.
"Why not make it much more accessible at £4.95 per match until Christmas?
"The Government should waive VAT on the above pay-per-view matches so that as many of those who are unable to attend matches in person can at least watch their team.
"The profit from the above reduced-price pay-per-view option, I would suggest that 50 per cent would be retained by the Premier League and 50 per cent would go to the football pyramid below.
"As a club, Newcastle United did vote in favour of the pay-per-view proposal, but to be clear, this was because there were no realistic or any viable alternatives put forward to enable supporters to watch matches."
The Premier League has not yet commented on Ashley's statement.
