EPL Return: Viewers Reduce In Viewing Centres As Charges Increase In Osogbo

Kazeem Badmus

FOOTBALL enthusiasts will this weekend, welcome back the English Premier League as the 2023/2024 season kicks off

The long-awaited mostwatched league in the world, however, might not command large viewers in Osogbo, Osun State capital, as in the previous seasons due to the increment in viewing charges.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the management of majority of viewing centres have increased their charges as a result of astronomical hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit popularly called Petrol and increment in subscrip on fee by Mul choice for Digital Satellite Television (DSTV).

The medium reliably gathered that viewing centre owners have increased their charges from N100 to between N200 and N250.

The viewing centres were collec ng N100 before for the Community Shield match between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday, August 06, 2023.

Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a viewing centre owner, Tobi Adebayo, said he will be charging N250 per match this season, saying anything lesser than that would be a loss to him.

According to him, apart from the hike in fuel price, Mul Choice has also increased the subscrip on fee for their Digital Satellite Television (DSTV).

When asked if the new price did not reduce the number of viewers during the last Sunday match, Adebayo said some of his customers couldn’t afford the money and went back without watching the match.

He said: “During the community shield match, I charged N250 per person and that is the amount I will be charging for this season if the fuel situa on remains the same.

“There is nothing I can do about it because apart from the hike in fuel price, the DSTV has also increased the amount we paid for our monthly subscrip on.

“Although the number of my customers reduced during last Sunday’s match, I have no choice but to take it like that if I don’t want to run at loss”.

A Chelsea supporter who iden fied himself as Kante told the medium that the new viewing price will not deter him from watching his favourite team.

He, however, said he might not watch other teams as he usually does during the previous seasons.

“Normally, I do watch two or three matches every week but now that the price has gone up, I will only be watching my Chelsea team; nothing can stop me not to watch them,” he said. For Emmanuel Olaitan, a Manchester United fan, streaming football matches on the phone might be an alterna ve to the increment in viewing price.

Olaitan said although the match will not be interes ng when watching alone, there might be no choice but to do that because of the economic re- ality.

“I don’t think I can be paying N250 to watch just a match. That will be N500 for two matches. That is too much for someone like me and I might not go to the viewing centres this season unless the match is a big one.

“I will be watching the live streaming of matches on my phone. The issue is just that it will not interesting watching it alone. Also, the network might not be good some mes”, he stated.

Today (Friday) will see the first match of the season between the defending champion, Manchester City and the newly promoted Burnley coached by former City Player Vincent Kompany at 20:00.

On Saturday, last year’s runner-up, Arsenal who have boosted their chances this season with the addion of record-signing Declan Rice from Westham, Kai Haverts from Chelsea and Jurrian Timber from Ajax will host Nigerian Taiwo Awoniyi’s Notheham Forest at 12:30 p.m.

The match will be followed by four matches at 3:00 pm. Westham United will visit Bournemouth,

Brighton host newly promoted Luton, Everton will be up against Fulham while Sheffield United will take on Crystal Palace. Last season’s surprise package, Newcastle United will round the day off with a match against Aston Villa at 17: 30.

On Sunday, Bren ord will host To enham at 14:00 followed by the first big match of the season. Chelsea who will be looking to amend for last season’s struggle will welcome Liverpool. The match will be played at 4:30 p.m. with both teams looking to put down a marker in the first game.

Manchester United, boosted by the addi on of Cameroonian Goalkeeper Andre Onana, former Chelsea Midfielder Mason Mount and Teenage Striker Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta will round off the first week on Monday while they play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers at 8:00 p.m.