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How to Watch Premier League in the UK: Every Legal Option
Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime Video and IPTV bundles compared — coverage, price and what each one actually includes.
Why We Wrote This
WaveCastUK sells IPTV subscriptions, so we have a commercial interest in this topic. This guide still covers every legitimate way to watch Premier League football in the UK, including the official broadcasters — not just the option we sell. Premier League rights in the UK are held exclusively by Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with a small number of fixtures on Amazon Prime Video, so any legal way to watch runs through one of those three.
Who Shows What
Sky Sports
Shows the majority of live Premier League fixtures across the season. Available via a Sky TV contract, or on a rolling basis through a NOW Sky Sports Membership with no satellite dish required.
TNT Sports
Covers a set number of matches per season, typically including midweek and some weekend fixtures. Available direct, through a BT/EE broadband bundle, or via a discovery+ add-on.
Amazon Prime Video
Streams a small, specific package of fixtures each season — historically the Boxing Day round and a midweek round in December — included with a standard Prime subscription.
BBC Match of the Day
Highlights only, broadcast after full-time on Saturday and Sunday. Not a live option, but free and useful if you can't watch a match live.
Radio & Live Text
talkSPORT and BBC Radio 5 Live cover every match with commentary, including the Saturday 3pm fixtures that no UK broadcaster is allowed to show live due to the blackout rule.
IPTV Bundles
Services like WaveCastUK bundle Premier League coverage together with other sport and channels in one subscription, as an alternative to juggling separate Sky and TNT subscriptions.
What It Actually Costs
| Option | Typical monthly cost | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| NOW Sky Sports Membership | £22 – £34.99 | None, cancel anytime |
| Sky TV + Sky Sports | £26 – £45+ | Usually 18 months |
| TNT Sports (standalone) | £30.99 | None, cancel anytime |
| Amazon Prime Video | £8.99 (full Prime) | None, cancel anytime |
| Sky Sports + TNT Sports combined | £53 – £66 | Varies |
Prices are indicative as of the 2026/27 season and change between seasons — always check the provider's current pricing before subscribing.
Which Option Actually Makes Sense
Following one or two teams
A NOW Sky Sports day or month pass covers most fixtures without a long-term contract — good value if you're not watching every single week.
Watching every matchweek
You'll likely need both Sky Sports and TNT Sports to catch every live fixture, since rights are split between them — budget for both if that's the goal.
Also want other sport or channels
If you're already paying for multiple sport subscriptions plus TV channels separately, an IPTV bundle is worth comparing on total monthly cost against paying for each individually.
Budget-conscious, casual viewer
Free highlights on Match of the Day plus live radio commentary covers every match for £0, if watching live isn't essential.
Why Is Coverage Split Between So Many Services?
Premier League broadcast rights are sold by the league itself in packages, auctioned separately for UK broadcasters roughly every three years. Sky held close to exclusive coverage for much of the competition's early history, but the rights have gradually been split across more packages as the league has sold additional live-match slots to increase overall revenue. TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) entered the market in 2013 and has held a share of the rights ever since, while Amazon Prime Video joined as a broadcaster in 2019 with a small, festive-period package. This is also why the total number of live-broadcast matches per season is capped well below the full 380-fixture calendar — the league deliberately protects Saturday 3pm attendances by keeping those kick-offs off UK television entirely, a rule that has been in place since the 1960s and predates all of the streaming services covered here.
Devices & Apps
Smart TV's
Sky, TNT Sports (via discovery+), and Prime Video all have dedicated apps for the major smart TV platforms, so no extra hardware is usually needed if your TV is from the last few years.
Phones & Tablets
Each service has a mobile app for IOS and Android , letting you continue watching on the move — useful if a match starts before you're home.
Streaming Sticks & Boxes
Fire TV Stick , Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV all support the official apps, so you don't need a satellite dish or a Sky box to use a NOW membership.
Web Browsers
All three official broadcasters also let you watch directly in a browser on a laptop or desktop, useful as a backup if an app is misbehaving on match day.
Getting a Stable Stream on Match Day
Whichever service you choose, live sport puts more strain on your connection than on-demand content, because a drop mid-match can't be paused and resumed without missing the action. A wired ethernet connection is consistently more stable than Wi-Fi, especially in the same hour that millions of other households are also streaming the same kick-off. For HD you'll generally want at least 10 Mbps, and 20-25 Mbps for 4K where it's offered. If you regularly watch on a phone via mobile data, check your provider's kick-off-time coverage in advance — stadium areas and busy urban spots can see mobile networks slow down right before a big match starts. It's also worth closing other bandwidth-heavy activity on your home network in the minutes before kick-off, such as large downloads or another 4K stream in a different room, since these compete for the same connection and are a common, easily avoidable cause of buffering during the exact moments you don't want it.
Common Questions
Can I watch every Premier League match live in the UK?
No single service shows every match. Sky Sports and TNT Sports between them cover most fixtures, but Saturday 3pm kick-offs are never broadcast live in the UK due to a long-standing blackout rule, regardless of which service you use.
What's the cheapest legal way to watch Premier League?
A NOW Sky Sports day pass is the cheapest way to watch a single match without commitment. For regular viewing, compare the monthly cost of a NOW membership against your actual match-watching habits before committing to a longer contract.
Do I need both Sky Sports and TNT Sports?
Only if you want to catch every live broadcast fixture across the season. Sky Sports shows the larger share; TNT Sports covers a separate set of matches, mainly midweek and some weekend fixtures.
Is an IPTV subscription a legal way to watch Premier League?
It depends entirely on whether the specific provider holds proper licensing for the content it streams — this varies by provider and isn't something IPTV as a technology guarantees on its own. Ask any provider directly about their licensing before subscribing.
Can I watch Amazon Prime Video's Premier League fixtures on my phone?
Yes, the Prime Video app is available on iOS, Android, and most smart TVs and streaming devices, using the same login as your Amazon Prime account.
Why can't I find Saturday 3pm matches on any streaming service?
UK broadcasting rules have prohibited live coverage of matches kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday since the 1960s, to protect attendance at lower-league and non-league matches happening at the same time. This applies to every broadcaster equally, including Sky, TNT and Amazon — it isn't a gap in any one service's coverage.
Does a VPN let me watch Premier League matches for free from abroad?
Streaming services enforce geographic restrictions based on rights agreements for each territory, and using a VPN to bypass these terms typically breaches the provider's terms of service, regardless of the country involved. The safest approach is to check whether your current location has its own official broadcast partner for Premier League football.
How do I know if an IPTV provider is properly licensed?
There's no public registry to check this against, so the practical approach is to look at how transparent a provider is: do they list a real company name and contact details, are their terms and conditions clear, and are they upfront about what content is and isn't included. A provider that avoids these questions is a bigger warning sign than price alone.
Want to Compare Bundled Options?
See what's included in a WaveCastUK package and how it compares to paying for Sky and TNT separately.
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