How Sky can ignore limit on its TV picks & why fans are fed up

A television camera during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,

Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of 215 Premier League matches this season

ByDale JohnsonFootball issues correspondent

Published53 minutes ago
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When Everton found out their game against Manchester City in May had been moved to a Monday night it was the final straw for a frustrated fanbase.

Seven Everton matches have been moved to the Monday 20:00 slot, with only three Saturday 3pm fixtures so far at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

With Sky Sports supposed to pick each team a maximum of five times on a Friday or Monday across 32 matches, fans have been asking how their limit being broken is allowed.

The Everton Fan Advisory Board called it "another signal of the disregard footballing authorities and broadcasters have for supporters".

But the Toffees are not the only team affected.

Manchester United have had eight games moved to Friday or Monday. Five have been at Old Trafford, more than a quarter of their home games.

West Ham United are on seven and Leeds United are on six.

With the Premier League now making so many games available for broadcast - about 270 out of 380 will be shown live this season - more matches were inevitably going to be impacted.

And with Sky Sports in such a position of dominance, holding four of the five TV packages, it can make the selections work more effectively in its favour.

This is why the broadcast limit is not really a hard-and-fast limit.

The winners & losers of TV selection process

A team playing in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League is effectively shielded. In numerous weeks of the season they cannot play a Premier League game on a Friday or Monday.

If clubs in Europe also progress in the EFL Cup, they are locked out of further midweeks.

That leaves the other clubs to fill the slots. But not all are equally attractive for TV coverage.

And with nine clubs in Europe this season, the pool of available teams is smaller than usual.

The Everton Fan Advisory Board says it is "placing unacceptable strain on supporters" and that "loyalty and trust is being endlessly stretched".

Following a recent fans' forum, Manchester United said it would "advocate on behalf of fans".

But United also pointed out one key fact: "Our fixtures are available for broadcast picks at times when other clubs are not."

Sky Sports naturally wants to show the biggest teams and the best games. And when nine teams are ruled out, the remaining clubs with the largest followings will be most attractive.

Burnley have been chosen on a Friday or Monday only twice, while the Clarets have had 10 Saturday 3pm home games - the most in the league.

Brighton have been picked just once, with eight home fixtures in the traditional slot.

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The clubs selected the most are partly unlucky that they have not played European teams on many weekends.

Take the weekend of 14 March, when Brentford v Wolves was on the Monday night.

Manchester United, Everton, Leeds and West Ham were all locked out by games against teams in Europe - Aston Villa, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Manchester City respectively.

It was a weekend when Sky had no choice but to pick other teams.

But other times it does have a choice.

A few days later, Manchester United were selected for for their trip to Bournemouth on 20 March. A Friday night.

Fulham v Burnley was the only 3pm Saturday kick-off, and these teams have been moved into a Friday or Monday just twice.

It is clear and predictable that Manchester United are a more popular pick for TV. But it also meant the Red Devils had one of their longest away games moved to a night match.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, largely because of playing in the Europa League on Thursdays, have just one Saturday 15:00 home match.

But after that Manchester United - twice - and Everton, on three occasions, have had the fewest - and the only restrictions on their schedule are created by their opponents.

How Sky is able to go beyond the five-game limit

Sky Sports has a position of dominance, with four of the five available TV packages.

It can combine its packs and make the system work as it sees fit.

Selections can be made in one package, but the time and day swapped with another.

This is how it can work.

Every team should be picked at least once. Arsenal and Tottenham are the only clubs who have not played on a Friday or Monday.

However, it does not necessarily mean Sky has not picked them in the slot.

Likewise, Everton have seven Friday or Monday games but two of those might be allocated to a different package.

When asked, Sky Sports and the Premier League would not discuss the breakdown of selections on a week-to-week basis.

But, as an illustration, BBC Sport can suggest how it could work from one weekend in January.

Let's say Sky Sports picked Everton v Leeds as Saturday 17:30, and Bournemouth v Liverpool as Monday 20:00.

Liverpool could not play on the Monday because of the Champions League, so Sky Sports could swap the games.

Everton's game is on a Monday, but it was not picked for a Monday. So it may not count as part of the Monday allocation.

Sky Sports says the process involves so many bodies, including clubs and the police, that much of the decision-making is taken out of its hands.

The order of first, second and third-choice picks between Sky and TNT Sports can also have an influence.

It is clear that the five-appearance maximum is a just loose limit.

Supporters will simply see their club has been picked six, seven or eight times.

Manchester United will almost certainly be in Europe next season, so will join the band of clubs largely shielded from the Friday-Monday package.

But with at least eight Premier League clubs set to be in Europe, the issue is not going to go away.

If Tottenham stay in the Premier League they will go to the top of the list for Friday and Monday selection, given they have a large fan base and are viewed as a glamourous club.

Everton fans say the scenario is "damaging supporter accessibility, matchday experience, and long-term engagement".

It seems unlikely to change next season.