UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has played down the importance of a significant fall in viewing figures for its coverage of English Premier League football.
The Daily Mail newspaper said that Sky’s viewing figures for the opening two months of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign had dropped by 19 per cent compared to last season.
So far this season, Sky has broadcast high-profile games such as Manchester United’s derby clash with Manchester City, as well as Liverpool’s trips to Arsenal and Chelsea.
The broadcaster insists it is too early to draw conclusions from the disappointing figures as a number of other big games have yet to be shown.
“It is a premature comparison when several high-profile matches such as Liverpool v Manchester United have yet to air on Sky Sports,” a Sky spokesman told the Daily Mail. “We have shown the top 10 most viewed PL games so far this season.”
Yesterday (Sunday), Sky broadcast Middlesbrough's 1-0 defeat to Watford and Southampton's 3-1 victory over Burnley. Its coverage continues this evening with the match between Liverpool and Manchester United.