Football on TV: Your Complete Guide to UK Broadcasting in 2025
The Growing Importance of Football Broadcasting
Football on TV has become an integral part of British culture, with millions tuning in weekly to watch their favourite teams. Live English football on TV includes the Premier League on Sky Sports and TNT Sports, whilst the EFL is on Sky Sports and ITV with live games from the Championship, League One, League Two and Carabao Cup. The accessibility of football broadcasting has transformed how fans engage with the sport, offering unprecedented coverage across multiple platforms.
Record-Breaking Broadcasting Deals Reshape UK Football
The Premier League has concluded deals with Sky Sports and TNT Sports for five UK live packages and with BBC Sport for the free-to-air highlights package. The announced agreements will deliver a total of £6.7billion in revenue across the four-year period, inclusive of a four per cent increase in live rights value compared to the previous process. This landmark deal, running from 2025/26 to 2028/29, represents one of the most lucrative broadcast agreements in football history.
Sky has begun heavily promoting its new £1.6bn-a-year Premier League deal, which will see it broadcast 215 matches per season from August 2025. Meanwhile, TNT, jointly owned by BT and Warner Bros Discovery, has retained its existing Saturday 12:30 slot and will continue to show 52 games per season. For the first time in the UK, all matches taking place outside of the Saturday 3pm “closed period”, including those displaced to Sunday 2pm because of club participation in European competitions, will be broadcast live.
Diverse Broadcasting Options for Football Fans
UK viewers now have access to football through various platforms. Schedules of live football on television from broadcasters including Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Premier Sports, BBC, ITV and more are readily available. The English Premier League shows a minimum of 215 live matches until 2029, whilst 328 Championship matches, 248 League One matches, 248 League Two matches and all 15 Play-off matches are live via Sky Sports or Sky Sports +.
Legal streaming options include Sky Sports (via Sky Go or NOW TV), TNT Sports app, Amazon Prime Video, DAZN, and BBC iPlayer, with most broadcasters offering streaming alongside traditional TV coverage. This multi-platform approach ensures fans can watch matches whether at home or on the go, reflecting modern viewing habits.
What This Means for Football Viewers
The expanded coverage represents both opportunity and challenge for fans. With more matches available than ever before, supporters have unprecedented access to live football. However, the subscription costs across multiple platforms may strain household budgets. BBC Sport has been awarded highlights rights for all 380 Premier League matches each season, with BBC Match of the Day continuing to bring Premier League action to millions of viewers each week, providing a free-to-air option for those unable to afford premium subscriptions.
As broadcasting technology evolves and streaming becomes increasingly dominant, football on TV continues to adapt. These deals secure the financial future of clubs whilst ensuring comprehensive coverage for supporters, cementing football’s position as Britain’s most-watched sport well into the decade.