TNT Sports will stream the opening 30 minutes of its Premier League Early Kick-Off (EKO) build-up show free on YouTube this season, starting with Hull City v Manchester United on Saturday
TNT Sports will stream the opening 30 minutes of its Premier League build-up show free on YouTube this season, starting with Hull City against Manchester United on Saturday 22 August.
The show, EKO – Early Kick Off – will appear on YouTube for the first time alongside its broadcasts on the TNT Sports channel and streaming service HBO Max, TNT Sports said.
Match previews will be available free-to-air for the first time as a result.
EKO starts at 11am before the 12:30pm kick-off, which airs live on TNT Sports and HBO Max. Liam MacDevitt and Olivia Buzaglo present the programme, with Jules Breach hosting on rotation through the season. The 30-minute show carries early team news, released 75 minutes before kick-off, and pre-match analysis from pundits including Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole.
TNT Sports’ EKO: Expanded slot across every fixture
EKO will run before every TNT Sports Premier League fixture this season, rather than only the Saturday 12:30pm games as last season. Coverage of an 8pm Saturday kick-off will open with EKO at 6:30pm.
The YouTube edition will differ from the television broadcast in style and presentation, Warner Bros Discovery Europe, parent of TNT Sports, said. Its hosts will cover wider topics, including transfers, new managers and talking points across the league, rather than only the two teams about to play.
The transfer window will feature in Saturday’s programme, the broadcaster said. Young said a standard broadcast programme built around the two sides playing cannot always range as widely as the YouTube edition, which will take a more relaxed, conversational tone aimed at the platform’s audience.
Reaching fans off-platform
Scott Young, an Executive Vice-President at Warner Bros Discovery Europe, said the change follows where fans watch football content. “We firmly believe you need to be everywhere to start to engage an audience and that includes social media and YouTube,” Young said, as reported by The Mirror.
He said the free stream targets viewers on Saturday mornings and aims to draw people who have not used TNT Sports or HBO Max before.
Young said the broadcaster is testing the format. “We’re in a test and learn phase,” he said. He said WBD hopes viewers who watch the first 30 minutes on YouTube continue with the paid build-up show and the live matches.
TNT Sports holds rights to 52 live Premier League matches in 2026/27, alongside the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, the FA Cup, the Women’s FA Cup and Serie A. Its Premier League season opens with Hull City against Manchester United on 22 August, followed by Liverpool against Nottingham Forest on 29 August.
Free window on paywalled rights
The Premier League’s UK broadcast deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports runs for four years from the 2025/26 season and covers up to 270 live matches a season, at a reported £6.7bn (roughly $8.5bn USD).
EKO joins existing TNT Sports football content on its YouTube channel, which includes clips and segments from its live coverage.
The approach gives TNT Sports a free, ad-supported window into its Premier League coverage while keeping live matches behind its subscription. Broadcasters and rights holders across European football have used YouTube and social platforms to build reach and move viewers toward paid services. TNT Sports’ decision places part of its Premier League output outside the paywall for the first time, while the live matches remain exclusive to its channels and HBO Max.
