The cheapest way to watch football on TV this season

Ipswich Town v Norwich City - Sky Bet Championship - Portman Road
Ipswich Town v Norwich City - Sky Bet Championship - Portman Road



The way the football rights are shared out between different broadcasters seems to have been designed to generate maximum confusion, and to force us to get as many different kinds of TV subscriptions as possible. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be utterly bamboozling, with a handy guide to what's on where - and the secrets of watching it all for less.

Football coverage is shared between BT Sport and Sky Sports. Some leagues (including the Premier League) are shared between them, while others are exclusive to one or the other. So for example the Champions League is exclusive to BT Sport.

Broadband choices has listed the full breakdown:

Premier League Sky Sports, BT Sport
Championship Sky Sports
Champions League BT Sport
Europa League BT Sport
League One Sky Sports
League Two Sky Sports
FA Cup Sky Sports, BT Sport
Capital One Cup Sky Sports
FA Women's Super League BT Sport
Scottish Football Sky Sports, BT Sport
National League BT Sport
League Cup BT Sport
International Champions Cup Sky Sports
A-League BT Sport
Bundesliga BT Sport
Eredivisie Sky Sports
Serie A BT Sport
La Liga Sky Sports, BT Sport
Copa Del Ray Sky Sports
MLS Sky Sports

If you're keen to watch all of the Premiership then the bad news is that you'll need both services. If you want to stick to just one, then the fact that Sky is showing 126 games and BT Sport is showing 42 will mean some people may prefer to go for Sky Sports.

There are a variety of different ways to get both - which can cost anything up to £100 a month. According to Moneysavingexpert, if you're signing up for digital TV, line rental and broadband, the cheapest way to get both BT Sport and Sky Sports is to sign up to a BT TV package, and add Sky Sports as a bolt-on for a total of £58.49 a month. Next cheapest is through Sky at £64.54 a month, and then Virgin at 77.74 a month.

If Sky Sports is all you care about, then you can get it through Sky (plus broadband and line rental) for £42.55 a month.

If you only plan on watching a handful of matches on Sky Sports, take a look at Now TV's Sports Passes. These will let you watch as much Sky Sports as you want for either 30 days, a week, or a day. A day pass will set you back £6.99, a week will cost £10.99 and a month £33.99. Clearly, however, this isn't comparable with the cost of the annual package listed above, because you don't get a landline or broadband as part of the deal.

It's also worth taking the time to hunt out special deals. Until 1 September, for example, you can get Sky Sports for £23.75 a month for the first six months (it'll cost £47.50 for the following six months). Plus you'll get a pre-paid MasterCard loaded with £25.

If you're currently signed up for a sports package, there's a good chance you can get it for less, simply by calling and asking. You will need to go through to the disconnections team. Once you are there, let them know you have seen a special offer for new customers and you'd like them to match it - or that their competitors are cheaper and you wanted a discount. You'll be surprised how often this approach is successful, so it's always worth trying.

There's also a ton of football on Freeview - for nothing - including some England internationals, some FA Cup matches, the Confederations Cup and the Women's FA Cup Final. There's also the highlights on Match of the Day, and some sports are protected by Ofcom - so they'll always be available on free channels.

But what do you think? How much will you be paying to watching football this season? And is it worth it? Let us know in the comments.

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