Virgin Media customers can watch Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday night for free. Following TNT Sports’ controversial announcement that the fixture would not be free-to-air or free-to-stream, the cable TV company will provide its TV subscribers with access at no extra cost.
This means that those without an active HBO Max or TNT Sports subscription can still watch the game on Virgin. A dedicated HD pop-up channel, 526, has been activated, providing live coverage.
Viewers with a current TNT Sports subscription on Virgin Media can continue to access TNT Sports 1 through channel 521. Virgin also showed Aston Villa’s recent Europa League final victory as well as Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League triumph.
In previous years, fans could enjoy European finals for free. But that’s changed this year in a controversial decision that prompted a late plea from the Prime Minister.
TNT, and their predecessor BT Sport, have previously shown the game for free every year since acquiring the television rights from ITV a decade ago. They initially did so by simultaneously broadcasting the final live on YouTube.
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More recently, they have made the coverage available for free on Discovery+. However, after moving to HBO Max, they are not. The decision has courted controversy and become something of an international debate.
Sir Keir Starmer has called on TNT Sports to air the Champions League final for free. The Prime Minister has already written a letter to the broadcaster, urging them to make their coverage available for all.
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Arsenal have reached the UEFA Champions League final where they face Paris Saint-Germain on May 30. Fans can watch the game without a TNT Sports subscription by signing up to the HBO Max Basic With Ads plan via Prime Video’s HBO Max channel.
Starmer has spoken to talkSPORT about the situation, saying: “I just think it should be free, it’s always been free every year up to this year, and I say this not as an Arsenal fan, all fans want to watch the Champions League final.
“It’s a big event, it should be free, and that’s why I wrote to them to say ‘please make it free’, I renew that actually, I really do think they should do that, I think it’s the right thing to do.”
View 2 ImagesSir Kier Starmer has weighed in on the free-to-air debate(Image: Getty Images)
Starmer previously said in a post on X: “Football should bring people together, not shut them out. For the first time since the competition began, fans won’t be able to watch the Champions League final for free. That’s not right. This is bigger than wanting to watch Arsenal in this historic final. It’s bigger than one club.
“Hardworking people shouldn’t have to fork out for a subscription to watch this match. I urge TNT Sports to reconsider and make the final next Saturday free to watch.”
TNT Sports said in a statement: “We have made all three UEFA finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max.” PSG vs Arsenal will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30. Kick-off is set for 5pm UK time.
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