Amazon Prime announces festive fixture schedule

The internet giant will show 10 evening clashes across 3, 4 and 5 December – comprising six 7.30pm kick-offs and three at 8.15pm – including the Merseyside derby and Tottenham’s trip to Old Trafford.

What’s more, Prime Video will broadcast 10 games across Boxing Day and December 27. Its Boxing Day schedule will consist of a 12.30pm kick-off between Tottenham and Brighton, and six 3pm fixtures followed by Manchester United v Newcastle and Leicester City v Liverpool at 5.30pm and 8pm respectively, before 7.45pm kick-off Wolves v Manchester City rounds off proceedings on 27 December.

Amazon Prime’s exclusive Premier League fixtures for the 2019-20 season will be made available to pubs and clubs via the ‘Amazon Premier League pass’ with broadcaster BT Sport appointed to market it to commercial partners over the next three seasons.

The Morning Advertiser (MA) understands that the same match choice on offer to home viewers will be available to commercial customers via the ‘Amazon Premier League pass’.

As reported by MA, 32 more Premier League fixtures will be broadcast live over the course of next season, with 128 to be shown by Sky Sports, 52 by BT Sport and 20 by Amazon following the latest rights auction.

Across December and New Year’s Day, BT Sport will broadcast 10 festive fixtures – including six games on 1 January, including an 8pm clash between Manchester United and Arsenal at The Emirates – with Sky Sports’ seasonal schedule comprising 15 matches.

Christmas clash

Philip Cutter of 2019 Great British Pub Awards’ best for sport ­finalist the Gardeners Arms, also known as the Murderers, in Norwich, describes the announcement of the Amazon Premier League Pass as “all very exciting”.

However, speaking to MA in August, Cutter explained the Gardeners Arms may not reap the full bene­fit of the ­fixtures covered by the Amazon Premier League Pass – the 3-5 December and 26-27 December match days – because they fall during what is traditionally a busy time of year for pubs.

“Sadly, most pubs are busy over the Christmas period,” he explains. “We often cover between 15-20% of our annual turnover in December, and the Amazon Pass could have been a bigger driver in January for a quieter month.”

Match choice vital

What’s more, Justine Lorriman of the Royal Dyche in Burnley, Lancashire, explained that given her pub’s local side are far from regulars on TV – only Watford, Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Southampton were televised less than the Clarets last season – the viability of Amazon Premier League Pass rests on the inclusion of a match choice option.

“It’s great Amazon is adding more live fixtures, it can only bring more people to venues but it is also yet another cost for us to show these fixtures,” she explains.

“Burnley aren’t exactly a priority to be shown on Sky and BT – it’s not always beneficial for us paying so much for these channels. For Amazon to give the option to select the game of your choice would be ideal for us.”