Sky Sports gain live Premier League opening weekend game as new TV deal kicks in instantly

The Premier League fixtures were confirmed less than a week ago but already a match from the division's opening weekend has moved. Nottinham Forest vs Brentford has swapped dates in a bid to relieve some pressure in the Midlands.

The City Ground clash will now take place on Sunday August 17 and kick-off at 2pm to become one the first televised games of the season. The match has been added to the Sky Sports roster of matches to be broadcast as the provider increases its share of matches by up to 100.

Forest's hosting of the Bees was initially scheduled for Saturday August 16 at 3pm kick-off but saw a request filed to move due to The Hundred taking place at Trent Bridge on the same afternoon. Trent Rockets host Southern Brave in the competition.

The Tricky Trees will hope to get off to a promising start against the Bees after qualifying for Europe last term as Nuno Espirito Santo attempts to build upon the momentum after signing a new contract. Their opponents are set to see a new face in the dugout after Thomas Frank departed for Tottenham however.

And Sky will host the showdown as the broadcaster shows at least 215 live Premier League games in 2024/25. That sees a minium increase from 128 league matches last year with Sky to hit a 'record minimum' number of games.

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It comes after Sky signed a new four-year deal for the league’s TV rights in 2023. Ahead of the new season getting underway in August, the provider is offering a discounted sports package that includes more than 1,400 live games across the Premier League and EFL.

The Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle is available for £35 per month instead of the standard £43 rate. Sky has also confirmed it will broadcast all 10 Premier League matches on the final day of each season for the first time.

There will be multiple opportunties for fans to choose between games on a number of weekends in the Sunday 2pm slot, which is now the case with Chelsea and Crystal Palace featuring at the same time as Forest and Brentford. Sky also takes ownership of the post-Christmas round of fixtures after Amazon’s Prime Video ended its six-year run of coverage

As a result of Nottingham Forest and Brentford now being television, the opening weekend will see seven of 10 matches broadcast in the Premier League. Liverpool start the season against Bournemouth at Anfield on the Friday night.

Aston Villa and Newcastle following that on Saturday lunchtime. The Magpies' trip to Villa Park will be available on TNT Sports however.

The first Saturday evening match sees Wolves welcome Manchester City to Molineux. Manchester United against Arsenal will be the third game shown on Sunday in the standout fixture of the opening weekend.

The final TV fixture of the opening weekend of action will then see newly-promoted Leeds United against Everton at Elland Road. Fans of those teams will be required to wait until Monday August 18 to see the sides face off with kick off at 8pm on Sky Sports.

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