Sky Sports sees ratings for live Premier League matches drop by 19 per cent for the 2016-17 season
SKY SPORTS face a desperate bid to bring viewers back after it was revealed their viewing figures for live Premier League matches fell by 19 per cent compared to last season.
The dip has coincided with the first season of the three-year, £5billion deal shared between Sky and rivals BT Sport to broadcast top-flight matches.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have been unable to halt the slide in Sky’s ratings
The shock decline comes as something as a surprise as the Premier League hosts a range of exciting prospects this season, including the managerial battle between Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
On top of that, new big name players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba are strutting their stuff on Sky’s screens.
Even Sky’s new Friday Night Football show has failed to reel the viewers in
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Yet the ratings dropped by nearly a fifth compared to this time in the 2015-16 season – where Leicester went on to shock the world by getting their hands on the Prem title.
Of course, Sky insist there are reasons for the decline, citing the effect of the hugely popular Olympic Games in Rio – and of course illegal, online streaming.
The broadcaster also insist the best of the season is yet to come.
Sky’s ratings may have been boosted last season by Leicester’s improbable title winPA:Press Association
A Sky spokesperson said: "It is a premature comparison when several high-profile matches such as Liverpool v Manchester United have yet to air on Sky Sports.
"We have shown the top ten most-viewed Premier League games so far this season."
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