Premier League 3pm Saturday matches set to be made available for live UK TV viewing – Report | OneFootball

The latest (current) TV deal means that are more Premier League matches shown live in the UK than ever before.

When the last round of bids happened, to try and maximise the amount raised for the clubs via UK rights, more Premier League matches made available.

However, one thing didn’t change, which is 3pm Saturday games unable to be touched, in terms of making them available (legally) to a UK TV viewing public.

This blackout was implemented in the early 1960s and was designed to protect attendances in the lower leagues.

The Athletic report that this is implemented by UEFA via article 48 of their statutes at the request of England’s Football Association. Apart from England, Scotland and Montenegro are the only others to have a similar blackout in place.

It has long been a frustration for many people that Premier League matches at 3pm on a Saturday can’t be watched live (legally) in England, whereas if for example you are a Newcastle United fan in pretty much any other country in the world, you can watch pretty much every single match, whenever it is scheduled.

A change could be just around the corner though.

As ironically, it is the EFL leading the way now in ditching the 3pm Saturday blackout. Their current TV deals for matches outside the Premier League come to an end when the 2024/25 season is over and they have declared the following in a statement today, regarding inviting bids for UK TV rights for the 2025/26 season onwards…’Rights for all 1,891 matches across the league, EFL Cup, EFL Trophy and all end of season play-off matches are available for prospective bidders.’

The Athletic reporting that ‘Any move by the EFL to lift the blackout as part of their broadcast rights could see lead to the Premier League being able to broadcast 3pm games in the UK, as the restriction is a blanket ban rather than league specific.’

In many ways this feels almost inevitable, especially if the Premier League aren’t held back by anyone else.

The likes of the usual clubs at the top and Newcastle United sell out their games regardless, week after week, with indeed the demand far higher than that in many cases.

So even for those Premier League clubs who don’t regularly sell out for 3pm Saturday / all matches, if overall it would mean more cash for them, then I have no doubt that selling access to watch ALL Premier League matches will definitely happen in the very near future, potentially from 2025 onwards.

The Athletic quote EFL chief commercial officer Ben Wright:

“With 54 per cent of the UK population watching EFL football on television each year and a global audience of more than 400million, it’s an exciting time to be going to market for the League’s broadcast rights.

“Whilst the appetite for EFL football remains stronger than ever, we want to grow this audience further. We are inviting proposals from organisations that can enhance and develop the league’s offering, taking a new and innovative approach to how people consume EFL content.

“Alongside the EFL’s rich tradition and distinguished history there is a desire to evolve, grow and innovate in order to grow our audience further and we’re looking for a partner or partners who share that vision.”