Premier League 2017-18: New season kicks off on a Friday
- Published
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal kick off the 25th Premier League season against Leicester
The new Premier League season will kick off on a Friday evening for the first time, after TV fixtures were announced.
Arsenal will host Leicester City on Friday 11 August, with a 19:45 BST kick-off, as the Premier League starts its 25th anniversary season.
Sky Sports were awarded the rights to screen 10 Friday night matches as part of their multi-million pound deal with the Premier League.
Last season the broadcaster chose seven fixtures for the slot.
Two years ago, Sky and BT paid a record £5.1bn for the right to show top-flight games for three seasons from 2016-17 - a 70% increase on the previous deal.
Earlier this week, a BBC survey revealed more than a third of Premier League football fans said they regularly watch matches live online via unofficial streams.
- Published4 July 2017
