Analysis by Is My Bill Fair reveals customers pay £32.48 on average extra per month for sports channels.

With many contracts treating sports channels as flexible ‘bolt-ons’, savvy sports fans could save nearly £100 each by pausing their subscription over the next three months before the Premier League kicks off again in August.

According to a survey of 6,600 Virgin Media and Sky TV customers, 46% of sports channel subscribers weren’t aware they could downgrade their package.

Armed with this new information, 54% of people surveyed said they would check their contracts and consider removing sports channels over the summer.

Alex Perrin, CEO of Is My Bill Fair, said: “Access to sports channels is often a bolt on service to your standard TV package which means you can stop and start it to tie in with the football season.

“Over the three-month break, you could be almost £100 better off by making one simple phone call.”

What you need to do

To pause your sport subscription, call your provider and ask them if it’s possible. Some providers will allow you to downgrade mid-way through your contract, others won’t. The rules vary across providers.

As sports packages are usually bolt-ons, you shouldn’t have to change your whole TV package.

When the season starts again, renegotiate the cost of your sports subscription. If you’ve been with your provider for more than two years, chances are you’re overpaying.

What should you be paying?

If you’re with Sky, you can get the football channel from just £18 a month, or £23 for all Sky Sports channels.

If you’re with Virgin Media, you can subscribe to the Full House Sports bundle and pay just £20 extra for all sports including BT Sport and Sky Sports.