And with the new Premier League set to start on Friday 21 August, pub-going sports fans can expect even more live footy with a staggering 1,500-plus across the Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League and Scottish Premiership, including 215 exclusively live Premier League fixtures.
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Last season was Sky Sports’ most watched Premier League season ever, with total Premier League viewing up 25% year-on-year and the increase in matches translated into increased footfall at pubs, with 63% watching more Premier League matches in pubs and bars than they had in the previous season (source: Ipsos Out of Home Viewing Panel June 2026).
According to Sky Business, as pubs and bars navigate a tough trading environment, the new football season will offer a powerful boost. When out-of-home sports viewers do visit, they are likely to spend more because 81% of sports viewers planning to watch a game out of home say they typically spend more in a pub or bar when live sport is on (source: CGA BrandTrack Q3 2025).
9% sales uplift
That impact is evident in sales too – matchdays on Sky have proven to drive a 9% sales uplift for venues that screen Sky Sports versus those that don’t, rising to 14% for ‘big six’ clashes and up to 45% on the final day of the season (source: HDI – Value of Sport (August 2024 – October 2025).
And, once again, all final-day fixtures will be available for pubs to screen along with multiple live Sunday 2pm matches on selected weekends.
Beyond the Premier League, Sky Sports also remains the home of the Women’s Super League and during the first season of Sky Sports’ five-year rights agreement, WSL viewing grew by 16% year-on-year.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports+ gives hospitality venues greater flexibility in how they serve customers, helping pubs and bars create more localised viewing experiences around the matches and teams their customers care about most.
Boost revenue
Sky Business director of sales James Tweddle said: “Football is woven into the fabric of British life, bringing communities together and creating shared moments that extend far beyond the final whistle. For hospitality venues, live sport has always been a powerful way to bring people through the doors, create atmosphere and crucially boost revenue.
“Last season, an average of 1.77m people per week watched Premier League matches on Sky Sports in an out-of-the-home venue, up 23% year on year, showing the massive appetite there is for live football. As venues prepare to kick off for another season, having access to the right content, alongside the technology and connectivity to deliver a seamless experience, will be key to reinforcing the important role pubs and bars play in the matchday experience.”
Connectivity remains a key consideration for customers, with Sky Business finding two in three customers planned to connect to a venue’s Wi-Fi this summer, rising to 71% among 25 to 34-year-olds (source: Sky Business consumer survey (June 2026)).
Recent research found that 85% of pub-going sports viewers expect free public Wi-Fi to be available in a pub/bar (source: Ipsos Out of Home Viewing Panel, January 2026), while 78% of licensees with Sky agree free public Wi-Fi makes people more likely to spend longer in their venue (Ipsos Sky Customer Landlord Survey October 2025).
