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Number Crunching: Sky & BT Sport Hardly Bother Broadcasting Manchester City – Live

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What do you do if you reside in the UK, you’re a Manchester City supporter and for whatever reason, you can’t attend home or away games?

Simple, you subscribe and pay a small fortune to the two licensed broadcasters authorized to show LIVE domestic football and European ties in Britain and Ireland.

Failing that, BBC Radio Manchester provide excellent commentary on every City game, and it doesn’t cost you a penny (BBC license fee excluded). Also, the club offers social media matchday updates.

Fine and dandy I hear you say. The thing is, especially for me, there is nothing like watching the game LIVE.

I know of others who point blank refuse to pay anything towards Sky and BT coffers and solely rely on Kodi and other scrupulous ways of viewing live football (not recommended but hey, each to their own).

Overseas coverage

Take a trip overseas, and you’ll find a venue who show live Premier League games, especially the Saturday 3 pm kickoffs. And I bet they’ll show City, no matter what the local time might be.

UK coverage

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that successful clubs will attract a wider audience. In other words, the further a team progresses within whatever tournament they play the more prominent the viewing figures and subsequent advertising revenue the TV Company will attract. I get all that!

Manchester City has won the Premier League, they won the League Cup but fell at the Champions League quarter-final hurdle. Sky and BT coverage.

The BBC also broadcast the FA Cup tie when City lost away at Wigan.

Number crunching – courtesy of Nick Harris

As you will see, Sky and BT prefer to show Arsenal, United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool over Manchester City. Is it because the respective clubs have a more significant, and or prominent fan base?

Games broadcast live within the UK and Ireland – all competitions

Arsenal: 47
Manchester United: 45
Chelsea: 42
Tottenham Hotspur: 42
Liverpool: 41
Manchester City: 40
Everton: 29
Aston Villa: 20
Leeds United: 20
West Ham United: 20
Leicester City: 19
Newcastle United: 18
Southampton: 17
Cardiff City: 15
Swansea City: 15
Brighton & Hove Albion: 14
Crystal Palace: 13
Sheffield United: 13
Wolverhampton Wanderers: 13
Derby County: 12
Stoke City: 12

Premier League matches broadcast live in UK and Ireland

Sky are showing City’s final home game of the season against Huddersfield on Sunday. Three days later Pep’s team travel to Brighton – NOT live. Sky has yet to decide on whether the final game, away at Southampton will be broadcast. The company will show three live games, simultaneously. We wait with baited breath.

Arsenal: 28
Manchester United: 28
Tottenham Hotspur: 27
Liverpool: 26
Manchester City: 25
Chelsea: 24
Everton: 18
Newcastle United: 17
West Ham United: 17
Southampton: 15
Brighton & Hove Albion: 12
Crystal Palace: 12
Leicester City: 12
Stoke City: 12
AFC Bournemouth: 11
Swansea City: 10
Watford: 10
Huddersfield Town: 9
West Bromwich Albion: 9
Burnley: 6

Final point

Do the UK broadcasters favour others over Manchester City FC?

From my point of view, the answer has to be an overwhelming YES!

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