The Premier League returns this weekend but how much will it cost Irish fans to watch it?

The Premier League returns this Friday night, with the season opener set to feature defending champions Liverpool who host Bournemouth.

In contrast to the excitement ahead of the new season, it's sure to be a somber night as much of the focus, off-the-field, will be in remembrance of the Liverpool forward Diogo Jota who tragically lost his life in a car crash last month.

It will be an action-packed opening weekend and Irish fans of the Premier League will be spoiled for choice and many will find themselves barely leaving the couch.

In addition to Friday night's opener, there will be three games shown on Saturday, three more on Sunday and one more on Monday - when Monday Night Football returns for the new season.

The four days of football, featuring eight live games, will be shown across three different broadcasters for Irish customers with Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Premier Sports all sharing coverage.  

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For those hoping to watch every moment of the upcoming season, the various subscription options would give your annual health insurance renewal a run for its money.

The basic Sky Sports package, which also gives subscribers access to all of its channels, costs €20 for the first six months for existing customers. Sky will be televising at least 215 matches between now and next May.

In order to see games not being broadcast by Sky Sports, an additional subscription to TNT sports and Premier Sports is required. This will cost an extra €10 the first six months before the cost increases. 

New Sky TV customers can get the Sky sports extra (TNT sports & Premier Sports) package for €17 a month for the first six months. The Sky entertainment package grouped with the Sky Sports extra option will cost customers €60-per-month for the first six months.

The increased number of televised games and the various broadcast partners, creates a dilemma for sports fans who may already be signed up to various streaming services to come up with a cost effective way to meet their viewing needs as the Football season returns.  

Another option is the streaming service, Now TV, which offers users the option of taking out day or month subscriptions, with prices starting from €14.99.

Sky Sports will be offering an unprecedented 215 live games this season which is a rise from the 128 games last term. TNT sports will broadcast 52 matches (mainly at lunchtime on Saturdays) while Premier Sports will show one 3pm fixture every Saturday, throughout the season. 

Customers will now be able to see 80% of live games with every 2pm match on a Sunday now televised as well in an update from last year's plan. 

Pub owners across the country will also be feeling the pinch when it comes to the price of being able to provide premium sporting events such as the Premier League for their audience. Prices are reportedly reaching €1,000 per month for many pubs with larger venues coming in at nearly €2,000 a month in many instances.  

The rise in popularity of dodgy boxes across the country has been a result of the rising costs to watch the Premier League. It will be a topic of heavy discussion this season once again as broadcasters look to clamp down on the operation that reportedly has over 400,000 users around the country. 

The Premier League returns this Friday evening with the season opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth kicking off at 8pm live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.