Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Premier League, England, EFL Championship
Josh Lawless
English football could be set for one of its biggest ever changes, ending a rule which has been in place for 60 years.
Since the 1960s, the traditional 3pm kick-offs on Saturdays have not been not televised in the UK due to a long-standing regulation put in place by the FA, with the idea of protecting match attendance.
The theory is that it stops fans from watching at home on their sofas and football in the Premier League and Football League cannot be shown live on TV or online between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.
The blackout was temporarily lifted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and exceptions have been made on occasion.
But according to The Sun, the top brass are now warming to the idea of scrapping the blackout completely - believing it is outdated and a change is required in the next five years.
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That timeline will align with the Premier League and EFL TV deals expiring, meaning it could be the perfect opportunity for a reshuffle.
In the rest of Europe, there is no such blackout for 3pm Saturday fixtures and many in the UK have turned to illegal jailbroken sticks and decoded boxes, which have a selection of matches from TV feeds across the globe.
There has been an increase in EFL lunchtime fixtures on Sky Sports, with analysis said to show that it hasn't impacted attendance all that much.
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In August 2023, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters explained why he feels the blackout rule is still necessary.
"We are still supportive of it for those historic reasons to protect the window where most professional football is played, in order to protect participation and attendance. We think it still plays a role," he told The Athletic.
“I know people are frustrated they can’t watch every game. We have progressively put more matches into our live packages and are at 200 now and we are considering the volume of matches for the auction, which is slated for quarter four of this year.”
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Amazon Prime members can watch this week’s Premier League matches as part of their subscription at no extra cost. Normally priced at £8.99 a month, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and cancel at the end of it if you don’t want to continue your subscription. Sign up here.
In a recent change, all Premier League clubs voted in favour of ending a 20-year partnership with IMG and instead build an in-house production centre - which could lead to the possibility of a 'Premflix' style model which would all games on a streaming service as seen with the NBA pass and MLS season pass.
In the latest Premier League TV deal, 270 games will be shown live but 110 will still be under the blackout.