Why isn’t Liverpool vs Wolves on Sky Sports or BT Sport? Live TV coverage explained
The pair will meet for the fourth time in 2023 when they meet at Anfield on Wednesday night, but the game will not be televised in the UK
Liverpool and Wolves must be tired of the sight of each other by now.
On Saturday 7 January, the two met in the third round of the FA Cup at Anfield, where the visitors were left outraged when VAR was unable to convert what they believed to be a late winner in a 2-2 draw check tie.
Ten days later in the Molineux replay, Harvey Elliott’s superb early goal proved the only goal of the game in Liverpool’s 1-0 win.
Then came the Premier League meeting on 4 February, when a stunning start for Wolves condemned a dismal Liverpool to a 3-0 defeat thanks to a Joel Matip own goal and goals from Craig Dawson and Ruben Neves.
Now, less than a month later, they meet again at Anfield. But those expecting to be able to watch the game on TV in the UK will be disappointed.
That’s because the clash isn’t one of the 200 games chosen for live coverage on the Premier League’s three official live channels Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video.
The game was originally scheduled for matchweek seven of the Premier League season and would have kicked off at 3pm on Saturday 10 September.
However, all divisional games were postponed this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, while Liverpool also had to cancel their game at Chelsea the following weekend because police had to divert resources to work on the monarch’s state funeral.
The rearranged game cannot now be broadcast live as it does not fall within the 200 live games that fit into the seven different TV packages agreed at the start of the season.
These packages are:
Package A: 32 games kick-off at 12.30pm on Saturdays
Package B: 32 games kicking off at 5.30pm on Saturdays
Package C: 32 games, eight of which kick off at 7.45pm on Saturday and 24 on Sunday at 2pm
Package D: 32 games kick-off at 4:30 p.m. on Sundays
Packages: 32 matches, eight of which start on Sunday at 2pm and 24 either on Monday at 8pm or on Friday between 7.30pm and 8pm
Package F: 20 games, including 10 on a bank holiday weekend and 10 on a midweek set
Package G: 20 games, all from two different sets of midweek games
Barring disruptions due to the pandemic, ownership of these packages has been fairly stable in recent seasons, with Sky Sports taking over packages B, C, D and E, which make up 128 games.
BT Sport has Package A and G which means 52 live games and then Amazon Prime Video has Package F.
Saturday’s 3pm blackout remains in effect in the UK and although Liverpool vs Wolves has now been postponed it still effectively falls under it.