Football is back on Sky Sports following its most watched Premier League season ever

Tuesday 28 July 2026

Football is back on Sky Sports following its most watched Premier League season ever

Total Premier League viewing is up 25% year on year following Sky Sports' most watched season ever

Big Six' clashes on Sky drove a 14% sales uplift for Sky venues versus non-Sky venues, rising to 45% on the final day of the season

Sky Sports will show over 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, English Football League, Women's Super League and Scottish Premiership this season

As pubs and bars prepare for an exhilarating new season, live football continues to demonstrate its unique power to bring fans together and transform hospitality venues into thriving destinations. The 2025/26 season was Sky Sports most watched Premier League season ever, with total Premier League viewing up 25% year on year.

Following matchday momentum last season, 70% of pub going sports viewers agreed that the increased number of Premier League matches available gave them more reasons to visit hospitality venues. That appetite translated into increased footfall, with 63% watching more Premier League matches in pubs and bars than they had in the previous season [1].

For the 2026/27 season, Sky Sports will show over 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, EFL, Womens Super League and Scottish Premiership, including 215 exclusively live Premier League fixtures. With every first-pick Premier League match, the return of the iconic Super Sunday 4.30pm slot, and more Friday and Monday night coverage, Sky Sports will deliver the biggest games and the defining moments from the first whistle to the final word of every Premier League weekend.

With pubs and bars navigating a tough trading environment, the new football season will offer a powerful boost. When out-of-home sports viewers do visit, they are likely to spend more, as 81% of sports viewers planning to watch a game out of home say they typically spend more in a pub or bar when live sport is on [2].

That impact is evident in sales. Matchdays on Sky have proven to drive a 9% sales uplift for Sky venues versus non-Sky venues, rising to 14% for Big Six' clashes and up to 45% on the final day of the season [3]. As Sky Sports brings all final-day fixtures together in one place and continues to offer multiple live Sunday 2pm matches on selected weekends, venues can deliver even more blockbuster occasions to bring fans together.

Beyond the Premier League, Sky Sports also remains the home of the Women's Super League, continuing its commitment to expanding access to women's football and giving fans more opportunities to watch live sport throughout the season. During the first season of Sky Sports' five-year rights agreement, WSL viewing grew by 16% year on year.

Sky Sports+ gives hospitality venues greater flexibility in how they serve customers, helping pubs and bars create more localised viewing experiences around the matches and teams their customers care about most. From major Premier League fixtures to local club followings, live sport helps create the atmosphere, excitement and shared moments that keep fans coming back through the doors.

James Tweddle, Director of Sales at Sky Business, said: "Football is woven into the fabric of British life, bringing communities together and creating shared moments that extend far beyond the final whistle. For hospitality venues, live sport has always been a powerful way to bring people through the doors, create atmosphere and crucially boost revenue.

Last season, an average of 1.77 million people per week watched Premier League matches on Sky Sports in an out-of-the-home venue, up 23% year on year, showing the massive appetite there is for live football. As venues prepare to kick off for another season, having access to the right content, alongside the technology and connectivity to deliver a seamless experience, will be key to reinforcing the important role pubs and bars play in the matchday experience.

Connectivity remains a key consideration for customers, with Sky Business finding two in three customers planned to connect to a venue's Wi-Fi this summer, rising to 71% among 25 to 34-year-olds [4]. Recent research found that 85% of pub-going sports viewers expect free public Wi-Fi to be available in a pub/bar [5], while 78% of landlords with Sky agree that free public Wi-Fi makes people more likely to spend longer in their venue [6].

Sky Business Broadband and Sky Q help venues unlock the full value of Sky Sports and deliver the connected viewing experience customers expect and deserve on matchday and beyond.

To find out more about Sky Business, visit Sky Business or speak to the team today.

Notes to Editors

Data references:

[1] Ipsos Out of Home Viewing Panel June 2026.

[2] CGA BrandTrack Q3 25

[3] HDI - Value of Sport (August 2024 - October 2025)

[4] Sky Business consumer survey (June 2026)

[5] Ipsos Out of Home Viewing Panel, January 2026

[6] Ipsos Sky Customer Landlord Survey October 2025.

[4] About the survey: The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 nationally representative adults. The data was collected between 04.06.2026 - 08.06.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. Censuswide adheres to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

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