Whilst the benefits of showing live sport are well documented, the cost of paying for a subscription can be prohibitive to some venues.
But for any eagle eyed landlord there is still hours of enticing sport being shown on terrestrial TV each week that can be used to tempt customers in or keep them at the bar for just one more.
Here’s a rundown of all the live sport you can show at zero cost in your pub this winter.
International Football
All four home nations have two fixtures to play in November as they look to qualify for next summers FIFA World Cup. England are already home and hosed, whilst Scotland and Wales face make or break ties.
Whilst plenty of qualifiers are far from essential viewing, the tension for this final round of games will be thrilling. All are shown across BBC and ITV, don’t miss out on the chance to fill your venue.
Coming Up
13th November - England v Serbia, 19:45
15th November - Greece v Scotland, 19:45
18th November - Scotland v Denmark, 19:45
18th November - Wales v North Macedonia, 19:45
Bundesliga
A new addition to the BBC you might not have clocked, any pub with a TV license can now show a live Bundesliga fixture every Friday night, tapping into the renewed interest in German football sparked by Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich.
Whilst some games may not mean much to customers, the chance to watch heavy hitters like Bayern, Borussia Dortmund or RB Leipzig shouldn’t be passed upon.
Coming Up
7th November - Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg, 19:30
21st November - Mainz v Hoffenheim, 19:30
28th November - Monchengladbach vs RB Leipzig, 19:30
Women’s Super League
21 live games per season from the top women’s division in England and Wales are shown free-to-air across BBC2 and iPlayer.
The success of the Lionnesses has created household names of female footballers for the first time. Showing Women’s Super League football is a chance for pubs to entice a different demographic of customer, provided the experience isn’t an afterthought.
Coming Up
9th November - Everton W v Man City W
15th November - Man City W v Man United W
Women’s Champions League
Women’s Champions League has exploded in popularity in recent years, no doubt thanks to Arsenal and Chelsea Women going deep in recent tournaments, with searches on FANZO for pubs showing games growing 184% year on year.
While most fixtures are only available on Disney+, the BBC has secured rights to show 7 box-office games per season, including the final, for the next 5 years.
Coming Up
12th November - Man United W v PSG W
20th November - Chelsea W v Barcelona W
NFL
For the very first ever, British NFL fans are being treated to two full live games per week during the regular season this year.
Available on Channel 5, pubs can show the 18:00 and 21:30 kick offs on a Sunday. With an estimated 13 miilion NFL followers in the UK and 4 million diehard fans, the opportunity to grow customer dwell time with 6 hours of live sport for free, during an otherwise slow sales period, isn’t to be sniffed at.
9th November - Miami Dolphins v Buffalo Bills, 18:00
9th November - Washington Commanders v Detroit Lions, 21:30
Boxing
Whilst the very biggest bouts transitioned to paid TV long ago, Channel 5 and the BBC have returned to the sport, picking up some fights that will definitely satisfy dedicated fans, if not the casuals that fill out venues whenever Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury fight.
21st November - Harlem Eubank v Josh Wagner, 22:00
29th November - Frazer Clarke v Jeamie TKV, TBC
Darts
The growth sport for the last three years, darts now ranks as the 8th most popular sport in the UK in terms of searches for pubs showing events on FANZO.
Whilst much of the big tour action is only on Sky, two prestigious tournaments are available to view live on ITV, the PDC World Masters and the Players Championship.
Coming Up
21-23 November - The Players Championship
29-1 February - PDC World Masters
PREM Rugby
ITV have live coverage of 7 games per season from the newly rebranded PREM Rugby (formerly the Gallagher Premiership), including the final.
Only one game is in the diary for ITV at the moment (mind you, it’s a Christmas cracker), but keep an eye out for more in the coming months.
Coming Up
28th December - Harlequins v Leicester Tigers, 18:00
As with any sport, simply showing it is never enough. Advertising it online, showing it with commentary and making sure customers get an experience better than they could at home are absolutely key.
Click here to read our guide to making a success of live sport in your pub.
