Why Following Football Takes So Many Subscriptions
No sport sells its rights in more pieces than football. A single competition can be split between two broadcasters in one country and a completely different pair next door, and the deals are re-tendered every few years โ which is why the answer to "what channel is the match on?" keeps changing.
Follow one club closely and you'll notice the pattern quickly: league matches on one service, European nights on another, domestic cup ties on a third, and the occasional match that simply isn't televised at all.
This guide sets out which broadcaster holds which competition, explains the rule that keeps Saturday afternoon matches off British television, and lays out what each legitimate route costs.
Who Broadcasts Each Competition
Premier League
England ยท 380 matches/seasonRights are split between two main UK broadcasters, with a separate rights holder in each overseas market. Not every match is televised in the UK โ see the closed period below.
Where it airs: UK: Sky Sports and TNT Sports ยท US: NBC Sports and Peacock
Champions League
Europe ยท 125+ matches/seasonUEFA's club competitions are sold as one package per market, which makes European nights the simplest thing in football to find.
Where it airs: UK: TNT Sports ยท US: CBS Sports and Paramount+
La Liga
Spain ยท 380 matches/seasonSpain's top flight, home to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlรฉtico Madrid.
Where it airs: UK: Premier Sports ยท US: ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
Serie A
Italy ยท 380 matches/seasonThe Italian top flight โ Juventus, the Milan clubs, Napoli and Roma.
Where it airs: UK: TNT Sports ยท US: CBS Sports and Paramount+
Bundesliga
Germany ยท 306 matches/seasonGermany's 18-club top flight, with the earliest Saturday kickoffs of the European weekend.
Where it airs: UK: Sky Sports ยท US: ESPN+ ยท Germany: Sky Deutschland
MLS
USA/Canada ยท 500+ matches/seasonUnusually for football, MLS sells its rights as a single global package rather than market by market.
Where it airs: Worldwide: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Ligue 1
France ยท 306 matches/seasonThe French top flight, with Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Marseille.
Where it airs: UK: Premier Sports ยท France: Ligue 1+ and beIN Sports
World Cup & Internationals
International ยท Tournament-basedMajor international tournaments are usually sold to free-to-air broadcasters, so they're the cheapest football of all to watch.
Where it airs: Typically free over the air on national broadcasters
Why 3PM Saturday Kickoffs Aren't on UK TV
This is the most-asked question in British football, and the answer is older than the Premier League itself. It's a deliberate policy, not an oversight or a gap in anyone's rights package.
It's called the closed period
Between roughly 2:45PM and 5:15PM on a Saturday, no football may be broadcast live in the United Kingdom. Around ten Premier League matches a week fall inside it, along with the entire EFL and non-league schedule.
It exists to protect the smaller clubs
The rule dates to the 1960s, introduced by then-Burnley chairman Bob Lord on the argument that televised football would empty the terraces of lower-league grounds. Saturday at 3PM is when most of the football pyramid plays.
It's protected in law, not just by agreement
UEFA's Article 48 lets each national association designate a two-and-a-half-hour closed period, and the FA is one of the few that still does. It's a legal protection UK football has actively chosen to keep.
It only applies in the UK
The restriction is on broadcasting within the United Kingdom, which is why a match unavailable in Manchester may be on television in Oslo or Lagos. Overseas rights holders aren't bound by the FA's closed period.
The legitimate ways to watch are limited by design
That's the point of the rule. A 3PM match is generally there to be attended, not watched โ go to the ground, follow it on BBC Radio 5 Live or talkSPORT, or catch the highlights on Match of the Day. Some 3PM matches are also selected for broadcast and moved out of the window entirely.
What Each Route Actually Costs
How much football costs depends less on how much you watch than on which competitions you care about. Following one club through a European campaign genuinely does mean two or three services.
| Route | Cost | What it gets you | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free-to-air only | ~ยฃ0 | Match of the Day highlights, major international tournaments, some cup ties | Requires a TV licence in the UK |
| One broadcaster (UK) | ~ยฃ20โยฃ35/month | That broadcaster's share of the league, plus whatever else it holds | Misses the competitions on the other service |
| Both main UK broadcasters | ~ยฃ50โยฃ70/month | Nearly all televised English football and European nights | Still no 3PM Saturday matches โ nobody sells those |
| US streaming (per league) | ~$6โ$15/month each | One league per service, roughly | Adds up quickly across several competitions |
What LunoTV Is (and Isn't)
An entertainment service
LunoTV is a subscription entertainment platform with a large on-demand library of films and series. It is not a football package, carries no league, and is not a substitute for the broadcasters above.
4K-capable playback
Streams are delivered at up to 4K Ultra HD where the source supports it, on a player built for stable, high-bitrate viewing.
Anti-freeze delivery
Our own buffering-reduction layer keeps playback steady when a home connection dips โ the thing that actually ruins an evening's viewing.
Works on your devices
Fire Stick, Smart TVs, Android, iPhone, Apple TV and computers, with setup guides for each. Nothing to install on a PC.
EPG & catch-up
A full electronic program guide so you can see what's on and when, plus catch-up on supported content.
24/7 support
Real people, 5 Minutes to first response, every day of the week.
Football Viewing FAQ
Why are 3PM Saturday kickoffs not on TV in the UK?
Because of the closed period โ a rule that bars live football from being broadcast in the UK between roughly 2:45PM and 5:15PM on Saturdays. It was introduced in the 1960s to stop television emptying the terraces at lower-league grounds, and UEFA's Article 48 lets national associations keep it. The FA is one of the few that still does. No UK broadcaster sells those matches, because none is allowed to show them.
How can I follow a 3PM match if it isn't televised?
The intended way is to go to the ground โ that's what the rule is protecting. Otherwise BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT carry live commentary, the official club and league apps run live text, and Match of the Day has the highlights that evening. Some 3PM fixtures are also selected for broadcast and moved to a different time, so it's worth checking the schedule.
What channel is the Premier League on?
In the UK the rights are split between Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with each showing a different set of matches. In the US it's NBC Sports and Peacock. Every market has its own rights holder, and the deals are re-tendered every few years โ the Premier League publishes the confirmed broadcaster for each fixture.
Where is the Champions League shown?
UEFA sells its club competitions as a single package per market, which makes them easier to find than league football. In the UK that's TNT Sports; in the US, CBS Sports and Paramount+.
Why does following one club take several subscriptions?
Because competitions are sold separately. A club's league matches, European ties and domestic cup runs can each sit with a different broadcaster, and none of them is obliged to align with the others. It's the single most common complaint about football coverage, and it's a function of how the rights are packaged.
Does LunoTV include Premier League or Champions League?
No. LunoTV is an entertainment subscription with an on-demand film and series library โ it isn't a football package and doesn't replace the broadcasters listed above. For matches, use the official routes in this guide.
The Short Version
Football is expensive to follow because it's sold in pieces: the Premier League alone is split between two UK broadcasters, European nights sit with a third, and every overseas market has its own rights holder entirely. Working out which competitions you actually watch is the only way to avoid paying for several services you barely use.
And the 3PM Saturday matches aren't missing from your package โ nobody in the UK is permitted to show them. That's the closed period doing exactly what it was designed to do since the 1960s: keeping people going through the turnstiles at the grounds that need it most. For those matches, the ground, the radio and Match of the Day are the answer.
For confirmed kickoff times and the broadcaster for each fixture, the Premier League's official site is the authority.
Related Viewing Guides
- Watching the 2026 World Cup โ the tournament that's mostly free to air.
- How to watch the NFL in 2026 โ American football's own blackout story.
- Sports viewing guides โ the rest of our how-to-watch explainers.
- Cutting the cord โ working out what you actually watch before you cancel.
Official Football Resources
For confirmed fixtures, kickoff times and the broadcaster for each match, seePremier League Official. For official Champions League schedules and results, seeUEFA Champions League. For Saturday highlights of the matches that aren't televised live, there'sBBC Match of the Day.