For over 60 years, Saturday 3pm fixtures have been unable to broadcast live on TV but it appears the blackout rule could finally be coming to an end in 2024.
What Is The Premier League Blackout Rule?
UEFA’s statutes allows member nations (55 different national associations) to select a two-and-a-half hour period on weekends where live football is banned on TV.
UEFA wanted to protect attendances at stadiums and involvement in grassroots football, with the English FA choosing to prohibit live broadcasts between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.
Televised Premier League games on Saturdays usually kick-off at 12:30pm and 5:30pm from Sky Sports and BT Sport.
Why Does The Blackout Rule Exist?
In the 1960s, Burnley chairman Bob Lord pitched an idea to fellow chairmen across the Football League.
Lord believed that, for example, if Manchester United played Liverpool at 3pm on a Saturday, fans of lower division teams would watch the game on TV rather than attending their local football matches – preserving the foundations of the sport.
The financial income of lower league football would significantly drop and many teams would be unable to survive.
European leagues such as Ligue 1, Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga do not adopt a blackout and there has been some evidence to support the theory that the blackout doesn’t affect lower leagues.
Is The Blackout Rule Being Scrapped?
In October 2022, the EFL made a leap towards ending the 3pm blackout on Saturdays by issuing a request for broadcast proposals from the 2024-25 season when the existing deal with Sky Sports expires.
Illegal streaming services are becoming more popular than ever and it takes less than 60 seconds to find a working live stream on the internet for any of the Premier League’s 3pm kick-offs.
Dropping the blackout rule could lead to higher viewership for the Premier League but concerns still remain over how it could affect the English pyramid.
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