A growing number of Premier League clubs want the 3pm TV blackout to be lifted ahead of the next domestic rights auction in a move that influential figures within the industry regard as increasingly inevitable.
The EFL’s decision to make all of their matches on the opening weekend of next season including 3pm Saturday kick-offs available for live broadcasts, which was confirmed by Sky Sports on Wednesday, is seen as a significant step that will be seized upon by Premier League owners eager to increase their TV revenues.
The EFL’s TV bonanza does not involve lifting the historic 3pm Saturday blackout, as under article 48 of UEFA Statutes it only applies when 50 per cent of Premier League and Championship matches are due to kick-off at that time.
The EFL starts a week before the Premier League next season on the weekend of 10/11 August, with Sky Sports deciding to capitalise by screening all 36 matches to coincide with the launch of Sky Sports+, a new service which will give viewers access to up to 100 live streams of sporting events at the same time.
Sky could theoretically have televised last Saturday’s 3pm Premier League kick-offs without breaching the blackout as the final round of Championship games all kicked off at 12:30pm, while the slot is also available this weekend as the Championship play-offs take place on Sunday, but this radical move was not considered.
The kick-off times for the next Premier League TV contract between 2025 and 2029 are also fixed with Saturday 3pm not included, but a number of clubs are already pushing for the blackout to be lifted before the next round of TV negotiations begins in 2027.
Premier League owners are convinced that the only way to continue growing the domestic TV deal is to make every game available for live broadcast, which in practice will mean 3pm kick-offs.
The new TV contract with Sky Sports and TNT Sports for the 2025 to 2029 cycle will see every non-3pm match broadcast live, with the result that Sky will have an extra 100 top-flight games to show from next year.
Although the £6.7billion four-year deal was presented as an increase in reality the clubs’ income will remain flat as the previous £5bn contract was for three years, while having gained over 100 extra games Sky are paying largely the same for far more content.
American owners in particular are understood to be keen on broadcasting 3pm kick-offs, as mid-morning games would be very attractive to US TV audiences at a time when there is no live sport taking place domestically.
The article 48 blackout is the responsibility of the FA, who have the power to apply to UEFA for it to be removed.
Lifting the blackout could also suit the FA as they want the 3pm slot for the Women’s Super League, although going head-to-head with Premier League games may be problematic.
