The major Premier League change which will affect how Sheffield United fans watch matches

Sheffield United are busy preparing for their first season in the Premier League for 12 years.
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The Blades will make their long-awaited return to the top-flight after finishing second in the Championship behind league winners Norwich City.

Chris Wilder will already be assessing his transfer options ahead of the new season but there are important factors for the fans to consider as well.

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Sheffield United fans wanting to watch their side take on the likes of Premier League champions Manchesteer City and European champions Liverpool may have to shell out extra cash.

The Sky Sports team (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)The Sky Sports team (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
The Sky Sports team (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

This is because Amazon will be showing 20 Premier League matches next season after winning one of the broadcast packages.

The online streaming service won the rights to show every game from the first round of midweek fixtures in December and all 10 matches on December 26 as part of a three-year deal.

If you are an Amazon Prime member then you can watch the games for free.

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A Prime membership costs either £79 a year or £7.99 a month.

The Premier League will show 200 matches this season with Sky Sports showing 128 and BT Sport showing 52.

Sky Sports will be showing the prime-time Saturday night fixtures while BT Sports will show Saturday lunchtime matches and 20 games from two midweek fixture programmes.

The Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) has expressed 'concern' at the impact on away fans.

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A statement read: "Fans are already of the view that there is too much live football on TV and this announcement concludes a deal that has pushed the number of broadcast games to record levels.

"The main driver for this increase has been the 2016 ruling by Ofcom which has directly led to this increase. Introducing a third broadcaster into the mix just means more subscriptions for fans.

"We are concerned that the number of broadcast games could have a negative effect on attendances by away fans in particular.

"It is vital that more of these television revenues are invested in guaranteeing the participation and contribution of match-goers."

Who has won what?

Package A - won by BT 32 matches on Saturdays at 12:30

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Package B - won by Sky Sports 32 matches on Saturdays at 17:30

Package C - won by Sky Sports 24 matches on Sundays at 14:00 and eight matches on Saturdays at 19:45

Package D - won by Sky Sports 32 matches on Sundays at 16:30

Package E - won by Sky Sports 24 matches on Mondays at 20:00 or Fridays at 19:30/20:00 and eight matches on Sundays at 14:00

Package F - won by Amazon 10 matches from one Bank Holiday and all 10 from the Boxing Day fixture programme

Package G - won by BT 20 matches from two midweek fixture programmes

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