Question
I hear Amazon will be showing Premier League football from 2019. What’s it all about?
Russ, via email
Our expert Pete says...
It's the world's most-watched football league (true), and the English FA claim it's the best in the world (debatable). From 2019, England's Premier League is due to snaffle up a few extra viewers, as online streaming giant Amazon has secured the rights to screen live and exclusively 20 Premier League matches from the 2019/20 season in a three-year deal.
While the Premier League may not, technically, be the greatest football league in the world, in terms of plucky underdogs felling Goliath-like mega-clubs and headless 4-4 goal fests, it's hard to beat!
Until now, the only way to watch the Premier League is through a BT Sport or Sky Sports subscription and via pay-per-view with NOW Broadband. So the news that Amazon has elbowed its way onto football's top table is a welcome surprise.
What does this mean?
From the 2019/20 season, Amazon Prime's UK subscribers will be able to see 20 Premier League matches - comprising two full rounds of matches - including the first December midweek round and the festive Bank Holiday round.
Streamed live and exclusively, this means Christmas comes early for Prime UK members as they'll have two opportunities to see a full Premier League programme - the first time a full round of Premier League matches will be broadcast in the UK.
How can I watch these games?
You'll need an Amazon Prime account to watch these Premier League fixtures online, and the great news for existing Prime members is they can see the games at no extra cost. Back of the net!
In addition, there will be a new weekly highlights programme of all Premier League games to watch throughout the season, so you shouldn't miss a single Mourinho scowl. Just make sure your broadband can handle live streaming - we'd recommend opting for a fibre optic broadband package.
Prime membership will set you back £79 a year or £7.99 per month.
What else do I get with Amazon Prime?
After a rocky start, Amazon Prime is starting to flex its muscles and landing the final English Premier League Broadcast package is a real coup - a great addition to its live and on-demand sports line up, which includes coverage of the NFL and Next Gen ATP Finals tennis.
Even though Prime membership may feel a little steepish, your subscription entails you to some great features... deep breath...
- Prime Video - Access to thousands of movies and TV episodes, as well as Prime Original series such as The Grand Tour, The Man In The High Castle and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. You can also rent or buy loads of new-release movies and TV shows, and add a Prime Video Channel to your subscription, such as Discovery or hayu.
- Prime Music - Access to a music library of over two million songs
- Prime Photo - A secure photo storage resource
- Prime Reading - Browse and borrow titles from a selection of thousands of books and magazines
- Audible Channels for Prime - Unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue