West Ham use record Sky and BT Premier League TV rights deal to reduce season ticket prices

West Ham United have become the first top flight football team to reduce the cost of their season tickets thanks to a record television deal, mounting pressure from fans and a new stadium.

Sky and BT Sport forked out a record breaking £5.13bn ($7.68bn) for three season's worth of Premier League television rights, beginning 2016/17.

Fans urged their respective clubs to pass on the profit to make attending football more affordable, but the best they had received was price freezing.

However, the Hammers have now cut season ticket prices across every pricing band and have introduced band five season tickets for £289 – the cheapest in the Premier League and averaging just £15.60 per game – as of 2016/17.

"Every season ticket holder sitting in bands 1-4 for the final season at the Boleyn Ground will see a reduction of at least £26 in their season ticket price. Band 1 will come down by £26 (-3%), Band 2 by £61 (-7%), Band 3 by £201 (-25%) and Band 4 by £151 (-23%)," said the club in a statement.

West Ham said that this is a result of increased television revenue and the move to the Olympic Stadium, where they will play their home games as of 2016.

Vice-chairman Karren Brady said: "We have always said that the move to our magnificent new stadium would be a game changer for West Ham: a chance to increase revenue, invest in the team and improve our performance on the pitch, but crucially without putting an extra financial burden on the supporters who already come to watch every home match. Today's announcement proves that we have kept our promise."

Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), urged other clubs to follow suit: "The FSF strongly believes that top-flight clubs should use their newly-signed media deal to cut ticket prices for both home and away supporters. We hope that other clubs follow suit and reduce ticket prices across the board, as West Ham United have done.

"West Ham United have thrown down the gauntlet to other clubs – who can offer the cheapest season ticket prices in the top flight?"

Fans have seen the average cheapest ticket, taken as a mean from all 92 teams across England's top four leagues, rise by 13% since 2011 to hit £21.49, whereas the cost of living has gone up by 6.8% in the same time, according to the BBC's most recent annual Price of Football study.

Premier League giants Arsenal have the most expensive tickets on offer at £97, with the north London team also offering the costliest season ticket at £2,013.

The Gunners' cheapest season ticket is £1,014 – higher than the most expensive season ticket at 17 other of its league rivals.