There have been a few things missing from the Premier League so far – fans in stadiums, goal-fests, correct VAR decisions – but one of the most obvious is the ability to watch it with distant friends and family.
Sure, you could set up a FaceTime or Zoom call during a Premier League live stream, but you've probably had enough of those from work. Isn't there a more pub-like chat app that throws in stats and polls, while letting you video chat with friends?
Well, that's what Sky Sports' Fanzone is and it's kicking off this weekend, starting with the Tottenham vs Manchester United game tonight.
You need to be a Sky Sports subscriber to start a Fanzone room, but you can share the link with anyone (up to five people). If you've already signed up for Sky Sports in preparation for the Premier League restart, here's how you can start your own Fanzone room to watch with friends and family online.
Which games can will Sky Sports Fanzone be available for?
The Sky Sports Fanzone feature sadly won't be available for all of its Premier League games, but it is going live for a couple of crackers this weekend.
The feature makes its debut for tonight's Tottenham vs Man Utd game, along with the following matches (below). Sky says more games will be announced, so we'll update this page when they reveal which ones these are.
Tottenham vs Man Utd (Friday June 19, kick-off 8.15pm BST)
Everton vs Liverpool (Sunday June 21, kick-off 7pm BST)
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace (Wednesday June 24, kick-off 8.15pm BST)
West Ham vs Chelsea (Wednesday July 1, kick-off 8.15pm BST)
Man City vs Liverpool (Thursday July 2, kick-off 8.15pm BST)
How to use Sky Sports Fanzone
Sky Sports will be offering Watchalongs with pundits and presenters during matches on the Sky Sports Football channel, but to create your own Fan Zone room you'll need to use your web browser.
Compatible browsers on Mac include Chrome 64, Firefox 75, Safari 12, while on Windows you can use Chrome 64, Firefox 75.
You can invite up to five people to join your Fanzone – here's how to set it up during one of the compatible matches above. It opens up to 30 minutes before kick-off:
- Sign into Sky Sports on your laptop.
- Select 'Sky Sports Fanzone'
- Head to 'Create Your Fanzone'. There'll be an icon to invite people to your Fanzone – this will create a link that's unique to your room.
- Copy and share that link with up to five other people to catch the match together in your Fanzone.
