Sky’s 'Super Sunday' viewers fall 19%

TV viewership of Sky’s flagship Sunday late-afternoon soccer game has fallen 19% this season, the biggest drop yet in a five-year slide in the UK that raises the risk that a decline in subscribers may follow.

After eight games, the average audience for pay-TV provider’s “Super Sunday” English Premier League audience is 1.03m viewers according to data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB). That is down 39% from a peak of 1.68m viewers in 2011-2012.

The 4pm slot, a fixture for Sky since 1992, is part of an overall drop in its Premier League viewership this year, a concern for investors after the company paid £4.17bn (€4.68bn) in its latest three-season contract with the league.