To learn how to watch Premier League 2026/27 games in the UK, you typically need Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and Amazon Prime. However, UK broadcasting rules prevent 3pm Saturday matches from airing live. For comprehensive coverage of all 380 matches, an alternative like Smart Live TV is required.
The Premier League 2026/27 season is officially upon us, kicking off on Friday, August 21, 2026. This season promises to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Arsenal opens the campaign as defending champions, looking to assert their dominance once again. Furthermore, the league welcomes an unprecedented four promoted teams from the Championship: Hull City, Coventry City, Leeds United, and Sunderland. The addition of these historic clubs guarantees fresh rivalries, incredible atmospheres, and unpredictable drama throughout the nine-month campaign.
If you are wondering how to watch Premier League 2026/27 matches, navigating the fragmented landscape of UK broadcasting can be incredibly frustrating. Between escalating subscription costs and archaic broadcasting rules, football fans are often left paying premium prices for incomplete access. In this comprehensive guide, we will break down exactly where you can watch the matches, how much it will cost you through official channels, and how you can save money while watching every single kick of a football this season.
Where to Watch: Official UK Broadcasters
In the UK, the broadcasting rights for the Premier League are divided among three primary corporate entities. To watch every legally televised match, you must hold active subscriptions with all three providers. Here is how the coverage breaks down for the 2026/27 season:
Sky Sports (£43/month)
Sky Sports remains the dominant force in Premier League broadcasting, holding the rights to the lion's share of the matches. For the 2026/27 season, Sky Sports will broadcast 128 live matches. These are typically spread across Friday Night Football, Saturday evening (5:30 pm), Super Sunday (2:00 pm and 4:30 pm), and Monday Night Football. A standalone Sky Sports subscription currently costs around £43 per month, making it the most expensive component of any football fan's monthly outgoings.
TNT Sports (£30.99/month)
TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) holds the rights to 52 live Premier League matches. Their coverage primarily focuses on the Saturday lunchtime kick-offs (12:30 pm) and occasionally midweek evening fixtures. To access TNT Sports, viewers must subscribe via discovery+ Premium, which currently costs £30.99 per month.
Amazon Prime Video (£8.99/month)
Amazon Prime Video changed the landscape by purchasing the rights to 20 live Premier League matches per season. These are strictly confined to two specific matchweeks: one midweek round in December and the traditional Boxing Day festive fixtures. At £8.99 per month, it is the cheapest of the three, but it also offers the fewest matches.
BBC Sport (Free Highlights)
It is important to state that you do not need to pay a subscription to watch Premier League highlights in the UK. The BBC retains the rights to broadcast Match of the Day on Saturday nights and Match of the Day 2 on Sundays. These programmes are entirely free to watch on terrestrial television or via the BBC iPlayer (assuming you have a standard UK TV licence). However, the BBC does not broadcast any live Premier League matches.
The Cost of Being a Football Fan
When you combine the costs of Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and Amazon Prime, the financial burden on the average fan is staggering. Let us compare the traditional official bundles against the value provided by Smart Live TV.
| Service Provider | Monthly Cost | Live PL Matches | Includes 3pm Kick-offs? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Sports | £43.00 | 128 | No |
| TNT Sports | £30.99 | 52 | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | £8.99 | 20 | No |
| Combined Official Total | £82.98 | 200 (Out of 380) | No |
| Smart Live TV (Starter) | £12.00 | 380 (All Matches) | Yes |
| Smart Live TV (Ultimate) | £4.50 (Annually) | 380 (All Matches) | Yes |
As the table clearly demonstrates, paying almost £83 per month through official channels still leaves you roughly 180 matches short of the full season. Furthermore, many fans also subscribe to Netflix (£18) and Disney+ (£5) for standard entertainment. This pushes the total media bill for a typical household to nearly £97 per month. Alternatively, a single subscription to Smart Live TV can replace all of this for a fraction of the cost, starting at just £12 per month or as low as £4.50 per month on an annual plan.
Matchweek 1 Fixtures (Opening Weekend)
To help you plan your opening weekend viewing, here is the confirmed fixture list for Matchweek 1, outlining when each game is played and where you can traditionally find it on UK television.
| Date | Time (UK) | Fixture | UK Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 21 Aug | 8:00 pm | Arsenal vs Coventry City | Sky Sports |
| Saturday 22 Aug | 12:30 pm | Hull City vs Manchester United | TNT Sports |
| Saturday 22 Aug | 3:00 pm | Everton vs Crystal Palace | None (Blackout) |
| Saturday 22 Aug | 3:00 pm | Ipswich Town vs Sunderland | None (Blackout) |
| Saturday 22 Aug | 3:00 pm | Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United | None (Blackout) |
| Saturday 22 Aug | 5:30 pm | Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur | Sky Sports |
| Sunday 23 Aug | 2:00 pm | Brighton vs Aston Villa | Sky Sports |
| Sunday 23 Aug | 4:30 pm | Manchester City vs Bournemouth | Sky Sports |
| Sunday 23 Aug | 4:30 pm | Newcastle United vs Liverpool | Sky Sports |
| Monday 24 Aug | 8:00 pm | Fulham vs Chelsea | Sky Sports |
Looking ahead to Matchweek 2, the action continues thick and fast:
- Friday 28 Aug: Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
- Saturday 29 Aug: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth vs Everton, Coventry City vs Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United
- Sunday 30 Aug: Chelsea vs Brighton, Leeds United vs Brentford, Sunderland vs Fulham, Manchester United vs Ipswich Town
- Monday 31 Aug: Aston Villa vs Arsenal
The 3PM Saturday Blackout Problem
You might have noticed "None (Blackout)" listed several times in the fixture table above. This brings us to the most contentious issue in UK sports broadcasting: the 3pm Saturday blackout.
Introduced in the 1960s, the blackout rule prohibits the live television broadcast of any football match in the UK between 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm on a Saturday. The original rationale was to protect stadium attendances for lower-league clubs. The fear was that if a blockbuster Premier League match was broadcast live at 3pm, fans of local teams would choose to stay home and watch the television rather than brave the weather to support their local sides.
While the landscape of football has evolved drastically over the last sixty years, this rule remains firmly in place. This creates a uniquely frustrating situation where football fans in the United States, Australia, and the Middle East can watch every single Premier League match live on their local networks, while fans in the UK—the home of the league—cannot.
Even if you pay the exorbitant £83 per month for Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and Amazon Prime, you are still legally prevented from watching your team play if their match happens to fall within the 3pm Saturday window.
How IPTV Fills the Gap
This is where Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) steps in to provide a superior viewing experience. We must be entirely honest: if you are happy simply watching highlights a few hours after the final whistle, the BBC offers an excellent, free service with Match of the Day. You do not need an IPTV service for highlights or legally listed free-to-air sporting events.
However, if you want to watch live matches—particularly those subject to the 3pm blackout—IPTV represents the ultimate solution.
Here is exactly what an IPTV service like Smart Live TV adds to your viewing arsenal:
- Access to All 380 Matches: IPTV bypasses the UK broadcasting restrictions by providing access to international feeds. Networks in the US (NBC/Peacock), Canada (FuboTV), and the Middle East (beIN Sports) broadcast every match live. IPTV collates these streams, allowing you to watch the 3pm Saturday games seamlessly.
- Stunning 4K Quality: Unlike some official streaming platforms that still charge a premium for high definition or cap their streams at 1080p, top-tier IPTV services provide dedicated 4K and Ultra HD streams for major sporting events, ensuring you feel like you are sitting in the stadium.
- International Feeds and Punditry: Prefer the analysis of international pundits? IPTV gives you the choice to watch the match via Sky Sports UK, USA Network, or Optus Sport, depending on your preference.
- Massive Cost Savings: Instead of juggling multiple expensive contracts, everything is housed within a single, affordable subscription.
Setup Guide
Getting started with Smart Live TV is incredibly straightforward. You do not need an expensive satellite dish or a lengthy installation process. In fact, you can be up and running in a matter of minutes.
The most popular device for streaming IPTV in the UK is the Amazon Firestick due to its low cost and user-friendly interface. We have created a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial to help you get connected.
For full instructions, please visit our dedicated guide: How to Install IPTV on Firestick. Our setup process is designed to be accessible for beginners, ensuring you are ready for kick-off with minimal hassle.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Premier League 2026/27 season start?
The Premier League 2026/27 season officially begins on Friday, August 21, 2026, with defending champions Arsenal hosting newly promoted Coventry City.
What channels show Premier League in the UK?
In the UK, live Premier League matches are officially broadcast across Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and Amazon Prime Video. Free highlights are available on the BBC.
How much does it cost to watch all Premier League matches?
Using official UK broadcasters, it costs approximately £82.99 per month, but this still does not give you access to 3pm Saturday matches. With Smart Live TV, you can watch all 380 matches from as little as £4.50 per month on an annual plan.
Can I watch Saturday 3pm Premier League matches?
Official UK broadcasters cannot show 3pm Saturday matches live due to the nationwide blackout rule. However, you can watch these matches live using an IPTV service that provides access to international sports networks.
Is there a free trial for IPTV Premier League streaming?
Yes. Smart Live TV offers a 24-hour free trial (limited to a maximum of 10 per day) so you can test the stream quality and channel selection before committing to a subscription.
Ready for Kick-Off?
Do not miss a single goal, tackle, or controversial VAR decision this season. Why pay over £80 a month for incomplete coverage when you can have everything in stunning high definition for a fraction of the cost?
Take control of your sports viewing today. Head over to our Pricing page to choose the perfect package, or claim your 24-hour Free Trial now and experience the Smart Live TV difference for yourself.