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When the Premier League returns, it will be with added crowd noise from FIFA. Sky Sports sent out a release that says that EA Sports will be helping craft simulated chants and crowd noises for specific teams when play resumes. Other sports leagues are getting in on the restarting train, and you can expect oddities like this to pop up as well. The NBA has a similar proposal in place that will use NBA 2K’s crowd noise to liven up the television broadcasts from Walt Disney World this summer. For soccer fans, this is a bonus as having any sound will probably help ease the eerie nature of watching a game played in near-silence.
“With live sport on hold for over two months, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how we broadcast in new ways to bring fans together, even if they can’t meet up to watch the match,” Rob Webster, Sky Sports managing director, told The Verge. “We want Sky Sports viewers to still feel it all and have the best possible viewing experience — even if they can’t be in the stadiums or watch with their family and friends.”
The Premier League put out a statement announcing the return:
Premier League Shareholders on Thursday 28 May agreed to a new provisional restart date for the 2019/20 season of Wednesday 17 June, provided that all safety requirements are in place. Aston Villa v Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal, postponed due to the Carabao Cup final, will now take place on 17 June, followed by a full match round beginning on Friday 19 June.
Due to COVID-19, matches will take place behind closed doors.
All matches shown live in the UK. Shareholders also approved a proposal that would see all 92 remaining matches broadcast live in the UK by the League’s existing broadcast partners: Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Sport and Amazon Prime.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “Today we have provisionally agreed to resume the Premier League on Wednesday 17 June. But this date cannot be confirmed until we have met all the safety requirements needed, as the health and welfare of all participants and supporters is our priority. Sadly, matches will have to take place without fans in stadiums, so we are pleased to have come up with a positive solution for supporters to be able to watch all the remaining 92 matches.”
“The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters. It is important to ensure as many people as possible can watch the matches at home. We will continue to work step-by-step and in consultation with all our stakeholders as we move towards resuming the 2019/20 season.”
The planned kick-off times in the UK for live matches will also differ from the traditional times.
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