Sports fans face monthly bills above 20,000 kroner

Sports fans now need to pay more and subscribe to more services to follow their favourite events, according to mbl.is. The cost of accessing all major sports content has risen each year, while the content is spread across more platforms than before.

Sýn Sport remains the main provider, particularly after an agreement with Viaplay gave Sýn subscribers access to a broad range of sports. Its package includes the English Premier League and cup competitions, the UEFA Champions League and other European competitions, Iceland’s men’s and women’s top divisions, Iceland national football matches, Icelandic basketball, Germany’s Bundesliga, Formula 1, golf and the NFL.

Access to English football, the most popular sports content, is now available only through a package that also includes the Sýn+ streaming service. The package costs 14,990 Icelandic krónur per month, following a 1,000-króna increase this autumn from last year.

In autumn 2021, viewers needed three subscriptions to follow the most popular football and European competitions: Síminn Sport, Stöð 2 Sport, as the channel was then known, and Viaplay. The combined cost was 9,089 krónur, equivalent to 12,424 krónur at today’s prices. The current Sýn package is therefore 21 per cent more expensive than a comparable package in 2021, while subscription costs have risen by 65 per cent over five years.

The Sýn package does not include every sport, meaning many viewers need additional subscriptions. Livey, which is growing in popularity, offers Iceland’s second-tier football division, the Handball Pass, European handball competitions, Italy’s Serie A and Italian cup football, as well as France’s Ligue 1. It costs 3,900 krónur per month.

Viewers who want to watch Real Madrid, Barcelona or other Spanish football matches must add another subscription. Spanish football is now available on Disney+, which costs just over 1,500 krónur per month and also includes other television content.

NBA fans must purchase a separate League Pass, costing between 2,000 and 3,000 krónur per month. Following every major sports offering can therefore cost well above 20,000 krónur each month.