UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB will make its Sky Sports 1 channel available for free on the opening day of the English Premier League football season on August 17.
Sky will broadcast its first ever free-to-air live match as part of the initiative, which comes as telecommunications company BT prepares to enter the UK market as a rival pay-television broadcaster of the Premier League.
Programmes from Sky Sports 1 will replace the regular programming on the Sky 2 channel, on Sky and other pay-television services, and Pick TV, on Freeview and You View platforms.
UK viewers will be able to watch one live Premier League match, one live Football League fixture plus other programming for free.
The free day will include the brand new show, ‘Saturday Night Football’, for Sky’s 5.30pm Saturday evening Premier League fixture.
BT Sport has acquired the rights to 38 live Premier League games per season in a three-year deal spanning three years, from 2013-14 to 2015-16. The company’s pay-television sports channels will launch in August.