Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has called on the Premier League to reduce pay-per-view prices for football fans.
With matches still being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was recently announced that some games would be televised live at a cost of £14.95 per fixture for games not picked by broadcast partners.
This was the case for Liverpool 's 2-1 win over Sheffield United at the weekend and a fan supporter groups staged a boycott with over £100,000 raised for food banks as a result.
It was estimated than 110,000 people paid to watch the match on Sky Box Office on Saturday.
Now, in a rare public statement, Ashley has said he wants to see future pay-per-view fixtures slashed to under a fiver.
"I am calling on the Premier League to immediately act and review its current pay-per-view arrangements for live matches in the UK," he said.
"Charging £14.95 for single televised matches in the current climate it is not acceptable to any football fan.
"Supporters have overwhelmingly rejected this offer and the Premier League must now act.
"Why not make it much more accessible at £4.95 per match until Christmas?
"The Government should waive VAT on the above pay-per-view matches so that as many of those who are unable to attend matches in person can at least watch their team.
"The profit from the above reduced-price pay-per-view option, I would suggest that 50% would be retained by Premier League and 50% would go to the football pyramid below.
"As a club, Newcastle United did vote in favour of the pay-per-view proposal, but to be clear, this was because there were no realistic or any viable alternatives put forward to enable supporters to watch matches."
It has been reported that Liverpool, Everton and their Premier League rivals will vote on Tuesday whether or not to stick with the current pay-per-view arrangements for the round of fixtures following the next international break in November.
