Research by NetVoucherCodes.co.uk shows football supporters can typically watch two big games a week at the pub for almost a tenner less than it would to tune in at home.
The evidence suggests Brits can view eight matches at the pub per month for £9.72 less than the cost of Sky Sports and BT Sports monthly subscriptions – assuming they have a couple of pints per game.
A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Most pubs will generally try to show every televised football match as a way of drawing custom, but regularly enjoying the camaraderie with fellow fans could actually leave you with more money in your pocket at the end of the month as well.”
The research considered the average cost of a pint across England, Wales and Scotland, to come up with the monetary savings of watching the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and football competitions at the local.
Crunching numbers
Sky Q HD with the full package of sports channels typically costs £40 per calendar month with an additional £29.99 required monthly for access to BT Sports, totalling £69.99.
On top of that, armchair fans must shell out even more money to Amazon, Premier Sports and the BBC for their licence fee to get full football coverage at home.
But with a pint of beer in UK pubs costing less than £4 on average, Brits can watch a major European game midweek and then their favourite team at the weekend for less than on their own TV – not to mention the great atmosphere thrown in.
The number crunchers at NetVoucherCodes found pints typically cost £3.77, ranging from £3.46 in Shropshire to £4.57 in London.
So watching eight football matches per month at a pub would set back an average British supporter, drinking a pint during each half of each game, around £60 per month (£7.54 per game).
The spiralling price
In parts of the country serving cheaper beer, such as Herefordshire, Northumbria and Yorkshire, the saving rises to over £13.50 per month.
The spokesperson added: “As Liverpool march towards the Premier League title and the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea also battle it out for glory in the UEFA Champions League, the spiralling price of watching football remains a primary concern for most fans in the UK.
“With high football licensing costs forcing up the price of sports channel subscriptions, coupled with needing more than one subscription for all the live games, money-conscious supporters can struggle to keep up and some even resort to illegal online streaming.”
