Champions Manchester City only third in UK’s live match broadcast rankings. Getty Images English soccer giants Liverpool were the most televised top-flight club during the 2018/19 Premier League season, according to a report by WherestheMatch.com. Liverpool were featured in live UK Premier League broadcasts 29 times across pay-TV networks Sky Sports and BT Sport during the season, bringing in UK£33.5 million (US$41.6 million) in direct income. That number was two games more than rivals Manchester United and three more than eventual champions Manchester City, with those two clubs bringing in UK£31.2 million (US$38.8 million) and UK£30.1 million (US$37.4 million) respectively. Liverpool’s live match coverage amounted to 76 per cent of their Premier League matches being shown live on TV, a commercial boon for their partners. Further down the list, Tottenham Hotspur saw 26 of their matches aired live, with Chelsea and Arsenal’s games shown 25 times. Newcastle were the most televised club outside of the top six teams despite only finishing 13th last season, with 19 of their matches being broadcast live. Wolves may feel aggrieved as they only managed to get domestic broadcast coverage 15 times, and subsequently received less TV income, despite finishing seventh. Despite being relegated, Fulham managed to get on UK TV 13 times, which was more than nearly half the teams in the Premier League last season. With a record 200 Premier League games being broadcast live on TV in the UK for the 2019/20 season, and the introduction of Amazon Prime which will live stream 20 matches in December, splitting up the duopoly between Sky and BT, it will no doubt result in more exposure for the teams at the top of the ladder. Wes Lewis, director of Wheresthematch.com, said of the findings: “With Sky Sports and BT Sport investing so much money into live football TV rights, each match costing them around UK£9.3 million to broadcast over the next three years, they can't be blamed for wanting to show the biggest teams that give them the opportunity of getting a return on their investment. “The teams at the bottom will continue to play for scraps in terms of income, although the stats do suggest that being near the wrong end of the table will get them on TV at the end of the season.”
More than three-quarters of Liverpool FC's Premier League matches were broadcast live on television during the 2018/19 season, with 29 games generating £33.5m ($41.6m) for the club, according to WherestheMatch.com. Manchester United was the second most televised club, with 27 games generating £31.2m, followed by Manchester City's 26 live matches worth £30.1m. Bournemouth FC, Southampton FC and Huddersfield Town FC had the least live broadcasts, with eight games each generating £12.3m for the clubs. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime will join Sky and BT next season to live stream 20 Premier League games in December.