The rivalry between La Liga sides Barcelona and Real Madrid is arguably the biggest and fiercest in Europe. Representing two opposing regions in Spain, Barca and Madrid leave no stone unturned to one-up the other, which makes it a must-watch event for soccer fans across the world.
The first El Clasico of the 2023-24 season will take place at Montjuic on Saturday (October 28). Unfortunately for fans in the UK, they will not be able to watch the game live on their TV.
Why Will Fans In UK Not Be Able To Watch El Clasico Live On TV?
The biggest game in the Spanish calendar will kick off at 4:15 PM CET or 3:15 PM BST (7:15 AM PT | 10:15 AM PT) this Saturday. This means that it will fall within the time slot during which soccer cannot be broadcast live in England and Scotland.
First introduced in the 1960s, the “3 PM Blackout” law prohibits live matches from being televised between 2:45 PM and 5:15 PM on a Saturday. This was brought into effect to protect and boost soccer attendance across the UK.
Under Article 48 of UEFA’s statutes, member nations are allowed to pick a two-and-a-half hour window during the weekend in which no live matches would be broadcast (via FourFourTwo). Only England, Scotland, and Montenegro adhere to the 3 PM Blackout rule. While many believe that the rule only applies to games played in the country, that is unfortunately not the case.
Upon learning the fate of El Clasico, Keegan Pierce, La Liga’s Head of International Development for the UK, expressed his disappointment. He said:
“We’re disappointed that British fans cannot watch El Clasico this weekend due to the UK’s self-imposed Saturday 3 pm rule.
“While we fully support measures to promote attendance, we believe the blackout should be limited to the televising of domestic football, not overseas competitions.”
When Will Fans In UK Be Able To Watch El Clasico?
Although not as exciting as watching the game live, fans in the UK can still watch this season’s first El Clasico in full after the blackout ends. As per FourFourTwo, Viaplay will show the game in its entirety from 5:25 PM in the UK.
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