Friday Night Football makes its return to Sky Sports this week after an absence of nearly five months, with West Ham United hosting Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium. The match, anchored by Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley, marks the first Friday night broadcast since December 30.
The time slot has faced mixed viewing figures and scheduling challenges this season. Sky has only used four of its permitted ten Friday night fixtures under the £5.14 billion Premier League TV rights deal. Sources say picking games has been difficult due to a packed 2017 schedule filled with European fixtures, FA Cup replays, and EFL Cup semi-finals.
Viewing figures have been disappointing, with only Chelsea vs Liverpool on September 16 breaking the one-million viewer mark (1,040,000). Manchester United vs Southampton, featuring Paul Pogba's debut, drew 811,000 viewers. Two Everton games did not make Sky's top ten weekly broadcasts.
Despite this, Sky insiders insist the long gap is due to scheduling difficulties rather than poor ratings. Broadcasters must now announce televised fixtures at least six weeks in advance, complicating Friday selections when cup competitions are uncertain.
Three Friday evening fixtures remain this season, but only two will be televised. Everton vs Watford next week will not be shown on Sky.
