Millions of football fans looking to watch the Premier League fixtures this Boxing Day have been given a warning so as to make sure they don’t land themselves with a whopping £1,000 fine.
Like many sporting competitions, the Premier League takes no time off when it comes to the festive period, with all 20 clubs back in action across 26 and 27 December.
And with Boxing Day’s fixtures spaced out right across the day – from a 12.30pm early kick off between Manchester City, Everton 3pm’s Newcastle United vs Aston Villa, a 5.30pm start for Wolves vs Manchester United, and finally an 8pm match for Liverpool and Leicester City – those wanting to sit down and do nothing after a Christmas Day blow out will be given the chance to.
Friday, 27 December will then see Brighton and Brentford kick off at 7.30pm while Arsenal are at home to Ipswich Town at 8.15pm, before clubs get back into it 29 and 30 December for even more festive football in a rather gruelling fixture pile up.
How to watch Boxing Day Premier League fixtures
The Premier League fixtures on 26 and 27 December are being broadcast exclusively in the United Kingdom on Amazon Prime Video, which did the same for games earlier in December.
Those with a full Amazon Prime subscription or just a Prime Video subscription can watch as part of their monthly fees; just like you could for the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match if you had a Netflix subscription.
With services such as these, the live events they offer are part of the overall price you pay, which is a nice Brucie Bonus for subscribing Brits everywhere.
TV Licence and Amazon Prime Video
Like with Netflix, and the BBC iPlayer, you need a TV Licence to watch any of its live events despite it not being a more traditional TV service.
That’s according to TV Licensing; the body which we pay our TV Licences to in the UK, funding the BBC and its services.
Issuing a statement to LADbible earlier in 2024, the BBC said: “A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer.
“Further information is available on the TV Licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries.”
Live events on YouTube also require a TV Licence under the regulations set out by TV Licensing.
£1,000 warning explained
A TV Licence is currently £169.50 for a full year, although you can pay for this in quarterly instalments via direct debt.
For those caught watching live television or broadcasts in the UK without a TV Licence, there is a maximum of a £1,000 fine and a day in court for not abiding by the rules.
The TV Licensing website explains: “You could be prosecuted if we find that you have been watching, recording or downloading programmes illegally. The maximum penalty is a £1,000 fine plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay.”
As for the future of being prosecuted for not having a TV Licence, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, and Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, are said to be agreement when it comes to decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee.
“The administrative burden of policing non-payment of the licence fee should not be falling on the taxpayer. It should be carved out. It’s not worth the hassle it creates,” a senior government source told The Times earlier this year. We will wait and see.
