The competition was paused for six weeks to accommodate the winter World Cup in Qatar, but its return coincides with a full schedule of festive fixtures. However, things aren’t quite as hectic as we’d usually see around Christmas and New Year. But with 19 live matches in the UK between 26 December and 5 January, there’s plenty to look forward to. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the Premier League live, including if you’re based elsewhere.
What Premier League games are on TV this Christmas and New Year?
There are lots of upcoming games to look forward to in the Premier League. Here are all the live fixtures in the last week of 2022 and first week of 2023, alongside the UK channel and kick-off times:
Mon 26 Dec
Tue 27 Dec
Wed 28 Dec
Fri 30 Dec
Liverpool vs Leicester – KO 8pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
Sat 31 Dec
Wolves vs Man Utd – KO 12.30pm – BT Sport 1/UltimateBrighton vs Arsenal – KO 5.30pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
Sun 1 Jan
Tottenham vs Aston Villa – KO 2pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDRNottingham Forest vs Chelsea – KO 4.30pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
Mon 2 Jan
Brentford vs Liverpool – KO 5.30pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR/Showcase/Mix
Tue 3 Jan
Arsenal vs Newcastle – KO 7.45pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
Wed 4 Jan
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham – KO 8pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
Thu 5 Jan
Chelsea vs Man City – KO 8pm – Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League/Ultra HDR
How to watch the Premier League on Sky Sports
You probably already know, but Sky Sports is the main place to watch the Premier League in the UK. Sky has its own dedicated channel for the league and you’ll find many games on the likes of Main Event and Showcase, too. Throughout the season, the broadcaster is showing a total of 128 live games. Packages start at £46 per month for 18 months, or from £18 extra per month if you already have a Sky TV subscription. The latter only gets you access to Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football – for all eight channels, it’s £20 extra per month for 18 months, then £27 per month. Whichever option you choose, you’ll also get access on your phone, tablet and/or laptop via Sky Go. See all the options on the Sky website. However, if you sign up to Sky Q with a Sky Sports package, you can also watch in HDR quality. Learn more in our separate guide: How to get HDR on Sky Q
How to watch the Premier League on Now
If you don’t want to commit to a Sky contract and satellite dish on your house, that’s not a problem. Sky has its Now streaming service as an alternative option, and there are no restrictions on the content you can access. Now is available on a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, Chromecast and even games consoles. A Day Pass provides 24 hours of access and costs £11.99 – this is great for one-off occasions. However, it’s going to make much more sense to get the Month Pass if you plan to watch every weekend. This costs £33.99 per month and includes a week of free Now Boost. The latter adds 1080p video and Dolby 5.1 surround sound, removes ads and lets you stream on three devices at the same time (instead of the usual two). After that, it’ll cost you an extra £5 per month. Click here to view Now’s Sky Sports Pass packages.
How to watch the Premier League on BT Sport
Your secondary place for Premier League action after Sky is BT Sport. This season, there are a total of 52 live games available. There are a few options when it comes to signing up to BT Sport, firstly by combining it with BT Broadband. Put your postcode into the website to see what deals are available. On the TV side, prices start at £17 per month for the duration of a 24-month contract. In exchange, you’ll get all the BT Sport channels and BoxNation, alongside Freeview, AMC and a recordable TV box. If you have BT broadband, you can also just use the BT Sport app for £16 per month- it works on mobile, tablet, smart TV and console – or buy the Monthly Pass for £25 per month. If your device supports it, you’ll still be able to watch in up to 4K HDR quality. Sky customers can get BT Sport added from £29.99 per month with £35 upfront. When they are (check the schedule above) you can watch via a web browser or use the Prime Video app on a wide range of devices to tune in.
Can I watch the Premier League for free?
Not live, provided you’re based in the UK. The BBC has had a few live games during pandemic-affected seasons, but that’s not the case anymore. It means you’ll have to be content with highlights, but there are plenty of places to catch up on the games. The obvious one is Match of the Day, the BBC’s highlights programme. It’s usually broadcast on both Saturday and Sunday evenings, as well as mid-week when there’s a full round of fixtures. It’s available live on BBC One or via BBC iPlayer, although you’ll need a TV licence. However, if you’d rather not tune in for punditry or manager interviews, Sky Sports uploads highlights of every match (including the ones they’re not showing) to its YouTube channel. Clips are also regularly posted on Twitter, especially to @btsportfootball and @SkySportsPL.
How to watch the Premier League outside the UK
Before trying to watch UK TV from abroad, it’s worth checking which broadcaster has the rights to the Premier League where you’re based. For example, it’s NBC in the US, Optus Sport in Australia and Canal+ in France. However, if you’re just visiting another country, accessing your UK-based subscription makes sense. Until the end of 2020, it was pretty easy for British viewers to watch TV while outside the UK when travelling to another EEA member state. The providers had to allow customers to view content by law but Brexit means that’s no longer the case. Now you’ll need to use a VPN (virtual private network) to set your location to the UK to unlock the content. The same applies to US viewers wanting to watch the Premier League beyond what is shown on American networks. Our pick is NordVPN, which also tops our overall best VPN round-up due to its ease-of-use, security features and excellent value for money.
Related articles for further reading
How to watch the Champions League How to watch the FA Cup How to watch the Women’s Super League
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.
